The Four Mullers (1935)

Directed by: Rudolf Meinert | 74 minutes | comedy | Actors: Adolf Bouwmeester, Jacques van Bijlevelt, Tilly Bouwmeester, Johan Heesters, Johan Kaart Jr., Cissy van Bennekom, Minny Erfmann, Gusta Chrispijn-Mulder, Wiesje Ghijs, Johan Schmitz, Jan van As

The Filmmuseum in Amsterdam has been publishing Dutch film classics on DVD for several years now. Many well-known titles from Dutch film history, including ‘Ciske de Rat’ (1955) and ‘De Jantjes’ (1934), have been re-appeared and made available again for current generations. ‘The four Mullers’ is one of the additions to this series. Extra special about the release of this film is that it is one of the early Dutch films in which Johan Heesters plays a role. Born in Amersfoort, Heesters is 104 years old at the time of the DVD release and still performs in Germany where he also lives. In the Netherlands he has always remained a controversial figure due to his role in the Second World War. In the 1930s and 1940s, Heesters made a career in Adolf Hitler’s Germany and continued to do so despite the expulsion of many of his (Jewish) colleagues. It is controversial whether he ever performed for the SS during a visit to Dachau concentration camp. The discussion about the role of Heesters recently flared up again when he once again performed in the Netherlands after a long absence. Before Heesters made a career in Germany in the late 1930s and 1940s, he played in many Dutch theater plays and also in a few films. After a striking role in ‘Bleke Bet’ (1934), he played the role of Otto Muller in ‘De vier Mullers’ a year later. At that time, ‘simultaneous productions’ (several language versions of the same film) were shot more often in order to limit costs as much as possible and to respond to the new phenomenon of sound film.

For example, ‘De Vier Mullers’ was shot in the same studio, with the same set and crew as the German film ‘Alles für die Firma’. Both films are based on the play ‘Schottenring’, which was also performed in the Netherlands. Only the actors differ in the Dutch and German film version. Heesters’ clearly present singing talent is used by having him sing a song several times. This works as a pleasant break from the main story. Especially a scene in a record store where some customers support Heesters vocally is striking. As a result, this film generally comes across as a cheerful musical comedy that tells a light-hearted story.

Johan Kaart has a striking role as the drowsy Jacob Schat, whose performance is clearly the comic relief in the story. Although Card, which most cinemagoers from that time knew from the hit film ‘De Jantjes’, plays a clear caricature, the other actors do their best to interpret the roles as seriously as possible. A striking drawback is the terrible ‘American’ accent that actress Minny Erfmann uses to give shape to her role of the American Daisy Rix. You can’t take this seriously these days. In any case, a comparison between Dutch films from then and now is flawed in many respects. The films from before the Second World War seem wooden today. Moreover, the theatrical way of acting is a feature that the contemporary audience is not waiting for. This sometimes heavily accentuated way of acting, in which emphatic facial expressions and articulation are characteristic, is also a shortcoming of this film at certain moments.

However, ‘The Four Mullers’ is a valuable addition to the series of Dutch film classics. Not only because Johan Heesters plays a part in it, but also because it is an example of international collaboration within the Dutch film company that was typical of more productions from the 1930s. Today, he will be hard to sit in front of an audience that is used to other movies. It is above all the tight direction by Rudolf Meinert and the occasionally lively editing by Putty Krafft that keep the film entertaining. And oh well, that song by Heesters is secretly quite ‘catchy’.