Alberts Frères
Encyclopedia
Alberts Frères, founded around 1899, was one of the first film production companies in the Netherlands
. The company was founded by brothers Albert (1879–1941) and Willy Mullens
(1880–1952); they were the main filmmakers and exhibitors in the Netherlands in the first two decades of the twentieth century.
– 1890), alias "A. Alber(t)", and a German by the name of Ahrens Basch had founded a theater company, Koninklijk Nederlandsch Cagliostro-Théâtre Alber & Basch, specializing in "mysterious and pseudo-scientific spectacles". After Albert Senior's death, their mother, Christina Mullens-Verpoort, continued to direct the company. Christina took her sons to Paris
, where they saw Auguste and Louis Lumière
's films in the Salon Indien du Grand Café
. With financial aid from their mother, they bought a number of films and started to show them in the Netherlands. They chose the French name "Alberts Frères" since the film business at the time was predominantly French. In 1899, the company started touring the halls and theaters of the country during the winter, and quickly became one of the main attractions at fairs throughout the country.
Mullens also helped found the Nederlandsch Centraal Filmarchief (1919), the first audio-visual archive in the Netherlands.
. On Friday, 13 September 1907, the brothers had filmed a practical joke in Maastricht, in which an actor by the name of Tünnes (from the local Schmidt theater), pulling a donkey
by a rope, took off from the local market carrying a suckling pig
under his arm without having paid for it. He proceeded to visit the vegetable stands, and the scene erupts with screaming housemaids, flying baskets and vegetables, and a number of police officers.
Their most successful production is also one of the oldest surviving Dutch fictional films, The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach
, made in 1905, which in 2007 was "canonized" as one of sixteen canonical films by the Netherlands Film Festival
.
Willy Mullens later became a well-known producer of documentary film
s; his Holland Neutraal: Leger en Vlootfilm (1917) received a royal premiere
, in the presence of Queen Wilhelmina
and Prince Hendrik. The two and a half hour long film, which showcased the Dutch army and navy, was commissioned by the Dutch Minister of War Bosboom, and was intended to rally popular support for Dutch neutrality during World War I
; on the other hand, the film, with its display of military might, also aimed to show that the Dutch, despite their neutrality, were not to be thought of lightly. Interestingly, during World War I the company was hired by Kaiser Wilhelm's Dutch legate to film German children celebrating Queen Wilhelmina's birthday in 1919. The German Bild- und Filmamt, which aimed at the production of propaganda, was to procure copies for the German market, in hopes of maintaing good relations between Germany and the Netherlands. It is not known if this actually happened.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The company was founded by brothers Albert (1879–1941) and Willy Mullens
Willy Mullens
Willy Mullens was a Dutch producer, director, and promoter of movies. He is considered to be one of the early pioneers of Dutch cinema, and one of his movies was recently elected as one of only sixteen "Canonical Dutch movies." With his brother Bernardus Albertus he started around...
(1880–1952); they were the main filmmakers and exhibitors in the Netherlands in the first two decades of the twentieth century.
History
Willy and Albert's father, Albertus Abraham Mullens (30 July 1847 HoornHoorn
-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
– 1890), alias "A. Alber(t)", and a German by the name of Ahrens Basch had founded a theater company, Koninklijk Nederlandsch Cagliostro-Théâtre Alber & Basch, specializing in "mysterious and pseudo-scientific spectacles". After Albert Senior's death, their mother, Christina Mullens-Verpoort, continued to direct the company. Christina took her sons to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where they saw Auguste and Louis Lumière
Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
's films in the Salon Indien du Grand Café
Salon Indien du Grand Café
Le Salon Indien du Grand Café was a café in Paris at the Place de l'Opéra where on December 28, 1895, the Lumière brothers hosted the very first public moviescreening. Among the ten short clips presented by the French innovators were La Sortie des usines Lumière and l'Arroseur Arrosé.Currently, the...
. With financial aid from their mother, they bought a number of films and started to show them in the Netherlands. They chose the French name "Alberts Frères" since the film business at the time was predominantly French. In 1899, the company started touring the halls and theaters of the country during the winter, and quickly became one of the main attractions at fairs throughout the country.
Mullens also helped found the Nederlandsch Centraal Filmarchief (1919), the first audio-visual archive in the Netherlands.
Production and notable films
Besided showing films, Alberts Frères quickly started making them. An early film which generated headlines was made in MaastrichtMaastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
. On Friday, 13 September 1907, the brothers had filmed a practical joke in Maastricht, in which an actor by the name of Tünnes (from the local Schmidt theater), pulling a donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
by a rope, took off from the local market carrying a suckling pig
Suckling pig
A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk . In culinary, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in various cuisines...
under his arm without having paid for it. He proceeded to visit the vegetable stands, and the scene erupts with screaming housemaids, flying baskets and vegetables, and a number of police officers.
Their most successful production is also one of the oldest surviving Dutch fictional films, The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach
The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach
The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach is a 1905 early Dutch silent film directed by Willy Mullens, and produced by Alberts Frères. A six-minute short comedy film , it is one of the oldest surviving Dutch fictional films...
, made in 1905, which in 2007 was "canonized" as one of sixteen canonical films by the Netherlands Film Festival
Netherlands Film Festival
The Netherlands Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht.During the ten-day festival, all Dutch film productions of the previous year are exhibited. Besides feature films, the program also consists of short subjects, documentary...
.
Willy Mullens later became a well-known producer of documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s; his Holland Neutraal: Leger en Vlootfilm (1917) received a royal premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
, in the presence of Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
and Prince Hendrik. The two and a half hour long film, which showcased the Dutch army and navy, was commissioned by the Dutch Minister of War Bosboom, and was intended to rally popular support for Dutch neutrality during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
; on the other hand, the film, with its display of military might, also aimed to show that the Dutch, despite their neutrality, were not to be thought of lightly. Interestingly, during World War I the company was hired by Kaiser Wilhelm's Dutch legate to film German children celebrating Queen Wilhelmina's birthday in 1919. The German Bild- und Filmamt, which aimed at the production of propaganda, was to procure copies for the German market, in hopes of maintaing good relations between Germany and the Netherlands. It is not known if this actually happened.
External links
- Alberts Frères at Cinema Context