The Throne (2010)

Directed by: Erik de Bruyn | 300 minutes | drama, biography, history | Actors: Lies Visschedijk, Dragan Bakema, Femke Stasse, Jasper Boeke, Guy Clemens, Nasrdin Dchar, Nanette Drazic, Loes Haverkort, Kevin Janssens, Bianca Krijgsman, Matteo van der Grijn, Bracha van Doesburgh, Yorick van Wageningen, Beppie Melissen, Dimitri Merkoulov , Marcel Musters, Mike Reus, Catherine ten Bruggencate, Raymond Thiry, Michel van Dousselaere, Elisabeth van Nimwegen, Veerle van Overloop, Steven van Watermeulen, Sophie van Winden, Bram Verhoofstad, Daan Verhoofstad, Egbert Jan Weeber, Ward Weemhoff, Jeroen Willems, Diede Zillinger Miller

‘The throne’ is an interesting, but unbalanced series about the three Willems who successively sat on the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Originally broadcast in six parts by the AVRO, which takes the viewer to the beginning of the nineteenth century and follows the fortunes of Oranje-Nassaus for a century. The TV series is based on the book ‘One is not born with impunity before the throne’ by Dorine Hermans and Daniëla Hooghiemstra, which caused quite a stir when it was published. The writers had been given access to the Royal Archives by Queen Beatrix, where they – according to many – had been shopping quite selectively. The book quoted extensively from correspondence between members of the Royal House itself, the royal household and various ministers, which gave the impression that there was enough sweet to tell about all those Willems. Whether the picture that arises of these kings from the book – and the series – is correct must be left to historians.

The Dutch royal family may not have such an illustrious history as that of, for example, the British/English, where the Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts and Windsors held sway and who inspired countless playwrights, Shakespeare in the lead, and film makers to create beautiful dramas. . With a meager two hundred years on the throne, there is a lot less spectacle, war and love stories to tell in the Netherlands than in other countries with a longer-running monarchy. Nevertheless, there is also enough material to be found in the Netherlands for compelling drama.

And ‘The throne’ provides enough intrigue, deceit and family feuds in that regard, often cast in beautiful scenes, in which there is strong acting. All three kings are amply discussed: the ambitious and at the same time so lame Willem I (Yorick van Wageningen) and his conflict with his rebellious bisexual son Guillot (Dragan Bakema), later played as Willem II by Jeroen Willems and the clumsy, blunt Kleintie (Guy Clemens), who is played as Willem III by Marcel Musters. The choice of the makers to portray Willem II and III by different actors is justifiable, because a considerable period of time elapses. However, Jeroen Willems in particular is very much neglected. He only comes into the picture halfway through episode four, when he is inaugurated as King Willem II and then he disappears again.

Clemens and Musters are so alike that they could have been father and son, so to speak. The transition from Nanette Drazic to Catharine ten Bruggencate in the role of the young and older Anna Paulowna is also very credible. All the actors throw themselves into it, although they sometimes visibly struggle with the material and especially with some static dialogues. Especially because they are written in modern Dutch and do not always come across as natural. At a few crucial moments the dramatic tension dies (not helped by the somewhat flat music).

Still, ‘The throne’ deserves all the credit for putting down a solid costume drama about the history of the House of Orange. It is commendable to the makers that they have invested so much money (about three million euros) in a production like this and that a lot of talent has worked on the series before and behind the scenes, it can be seen. The mistakes made with the costumes (doesn’t always correspond to the correct time) and locations (church interiors and palaces) many viewers will not even notice and are forgiven. To keep costs down, the series was largely shot in Hungary. Fortunately, this is usually not very noticeable and some exterior shots of Noordeinde Palace, for example, give the whole a touch of authenticity.

At the same time, it is also a pity that the series focuses so much on the personal conduct of the monarchs and their heirs to the throne. This sometimes creates a soap-like atmosphere. A soap opera with better actors and a nicer decoration, but still. Is it really so interesting that Willem II had an intimate friend in Bishop Zwijsen (Steven van Watermeulen), when at the same time he is at odds with Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (Raymond Thiry) about the limits of the monarch’s power and the establishment of the constitutional monarchy? Or as the liberal statesman himself subtly remarks: ‘parliamentary democracy’. By the way: Thiry is so well cut and dressed that he is instantly recognizable as Thorbecke before he has even said a word.

The clash between an authoritarian monarch and a reforming minister and the struggle for power in our country is much more fascinating than who the monarch’s bedfellow is. The attention for the private life of the royal family is all the more noticeable when the scenes between Willem II and Thorbecke are mixed up with a discussion between Princess Marianne (Bracha van Doesburg), Anna Pavlovna and Sophie van Würtemberg (Loes Haverkort) about Kleintie’s adulterous behavior. . ‘The Throne’ does review the historical dimensions, but here and there omits to explore the fundamental issues in more detail. That is a missed opportunity, because it is precisely these changes that have brought about the Netherlands and that is enough material for compelling drama.