.gif)
Floris (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Floris is a 1969 Dutch
television action series, written by Gerard Soeteman
starring Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman and directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Ivanhoe
, the French
Thierry La Fronde
and the Flemish
Johan en de Alverman inspired Carel Enkelaar, manager of NTS (forerunner of NTR) to make a similar series, set in the Netherlands. It was written by Gerard Soeteman
. The series, though filmed in black & white, was very successful, and had many reruns through the years. It has also been shown in East Germany and Scotland
dubbed in English.
Knight Floris van Roozemond (spelling varies with o/oo, s/z and d/dt), accompanied by the Indian Sindala (Bergman), returns home from a trip around the world only to find his castle occupied by Maarten van Rossum
, the commander in chief of Charles, Duke of Guelders
. Charles, who controls Guelders
, is involved in a power struggle against Philip the Handsome who rules the Burgundian Netherlands
, the rest of the Low Countries. Floris had so far been neutral due to his absence, but after he finds his castle stolen, he sides with Wolter van Oldesteijn, who is allied with Burgundy
against Charles, Duke of Guelders
. Charles and Maarten van Rossum
are aided by the Frisian pirate Greate Pier partly as an ally, and partly to do the dirty work.
Apart from Sindala and Floris, all the characters are based on historical figures. Another divergence from history is the presence of the pirate Greate Pier: although a contemporary, he was not active as a pirate before the death of Philip the Handsome. In the series Pier is either guarded or surrounded by members of the Arumer Zwarte Hoop
(called "Gelderse Friezen" in the series).
Although intended as a children's series, it was very popular with adults; for example, Floris' sword fight with two swords in the castle in the first episode looks surprisingly realistic. The series also had an educational element: customs, like timekeeping with bells and the origin of words such as 'vernagelen', being explained by example. While Floris is portrayed as a typical knight-hero - not too bright but a good swordsman - Sindala is the clever one, using oriental scientific knowledge for practical applications (which also had educational value).
Locations included the medieval castle of De Doornenburgh
, close to Doornenburg
in the Dutch province Gelderland
(part of the historical Guelders
), and the Belgian cities of Bruges
and Ghent
.
The series was the first major undertaking of both Hauer and Verhoeven, as well as their first collaboration. It was followed by Turkish Delight
(Turks Fruit) and Soldier of Orange
(Soldaat van Oranje); ideas not used for the series were later included in the film Flesh & Blood
, also directed by Verhoeven with Hauer in the lead role.
was still regarded as inferior to the theatre
. Hauer was introduced to Verhoeven as "maybe not such a good actor, but he will do and dare anything". Verhoeven was indeed worried by Hauer's lack of acting experience, but he looked good physically, could handle swords and ride horse well and did most of his stunts himself. The original name of the series was 'Floris and the Fakir' and Verhoeven used 'two shot' filming just in case. Hauer learned the TV acting fast enough.
For the time it was a major production with 80 actors and 2500 extras. Verhoeven overspent the budget of 355.000 guilder
s by more than 300%, (the total production costs cannot be calculated exactly anymore, but are estimated to be ƒ1,200,000 or €545,000). When this became clear, it was already too late to stop the production because Verhoeven used 'vertical planning', in which the filming was done per actor instead of per episode. Stopping the production would mean that all work was lost. As a TV production of this scale had never been done before in the Netherlands, there was a lot of pioneering. Recordings were usually made in the studio, but Floris was mostly shot outside. Everyone on the set, including Verhoeven, had to learn the trade as they went. Tasks were also not strictly delineated, like they are these days; everyone was a bit of a jack of all trades. "We didn't stand with our arms folded smoking a cigarette when it wasn't our turn". Ironically, finding good locations for this TV production was difficult because the popularity of television had resulted in transmitting antennas being ubiquitous.
(The Stolen Castle)
Episode 2: De koperen hond
(The Copper Dog)
Episode 3: De zwarte kogels (The Black Bullets)
Episode 4: De man van Gent (The Man from Gent)
Episode 5: De harige duivel (The Hairy Devil)
Episode 6: De vrijbrief (The Pass Papers)
Episode 7: De drie narren (The Three Fools)
Episode 8: De alruin (The Mandrake)
Episode 9: Het brandende water (The Burning Water)
Episode 10: De wonderdoener (The Miracle Man)
Episode 11: De Byzantijnse beker: Het tournooi (The Byzantine Goblet: The Tournament)
Episode 12: De Byzantijnse beker: De genezing (The Byzantine Goblet: The Healing)
remake of the series, Floris von Rosenmund, again starring Rutger Hauer, but with German actor Derval de Faria as Sindala. The character of Lange Pier was again played by actor Hans Boskamp.
and features Michiel Huisman
as grandson of the original Floris. The new side-kick is Pi, a role by popstar Birgit Schuurman
. In the movie some of the 1969-footage with Hauer and Bergman is included. Originally Hauer was asked to play the father of young Floris, but he declined.
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...
television action series, written by Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman is a Dutch screenwriter. He worked together with Paul Verhoeven on several films, such as Turkish Delight and Black Book...
starring Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman and directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Concept
The success of television series like the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Thierry La Fronde
Thierry La Fronde
Thierry La Fronde was a French television series that aired 1963-66 on the sole French TV station, ORTF. Dubbed into English, it was shown in the 1960s in Canada, where it was referred to both under the original name and as The King's Outlaw. It was shown as well in Poland as Thierry Śmiałek...
and the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
Johan en de Alverman inspired Carel Enkelaar, manager of NTS (forerunner of NTR) to make a similar series, set in the Netherlands. It was written by Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman is a Dutch screenwriter. He worked together with Paul Verhoeven on several films, such as Turkish Delight and Black Book...
. The series, though filmed in black & white, was very successful, and had many reruns through the years. It has also been shown in East Germany and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
dubbed in English.
Knight Floris van Roozemond (spelling varies with o/oo, s/z and d/dt), accompanied by the Indian Sindala (Bergman), returns home from a trip around the world only to find his castle occupied by Maarten van Rossum
Maarten van Rossum
Maarten van Rossum was a Dutch Guelderian military tactician and later field marshal at the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders....
, the commander in chief of Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen between 1492 and his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon...
. Charles, who controls Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
, is involved in a power struggle against Philip the Handsome who rules the Burgundian Netherlands
Burgundian Netherlands
In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to a number of Imperial and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs in the period from 1384 to 1482...
, the rest of the Low Countries. Floris had so far been neutral due to his absence, but after he finds his castle stolen, he sides with Wolter van Oldesteijn, who is allied with Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
against Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen between 1492 and his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon...
. Charles and Maarten van Rossum
Maarten van Rossum
Maarten van Rossum was a Dutch Guelderian military tactician and later field marshal at the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders....
are aided by the Frisian pirate Greate Pier partly as an ally, and partly to do the dirty work.
Apart from Sindala and Floris, all the characters are based on historical figures. Another divergence from history is the presence of the pirate Greate Pier: although a contemporary, he was not active as a pirate before the death of Philip the Handsome. In the series Pier is either guarded or surrounded by members of the Arumer Zwarte Hoop
Arumer Zwarte Hoop
The Arumer Zwarte Hoop was an army of peasant rebels in Friesland fighting the Dutch authorities from 1515 to 1523....
(called "Gelderse Friezen" in the series).
Although intended as a children's series, it was very popular with adults; for example, Floris' sword fight with two swords in the castle in the first episode looks surprisingly realistic. The series also had an educational element: customs, like timekeeping with bells and the origin of words such as 'vernagelen', being explained by example. While Floris is portrayed as a typical knight-hero - not too bright but a good swordsman - Sindala is the clever one, using oriental scientific knowledge for practical applications (which also had educational value).
Locations included the medieval castle of De Doornenburgh
Doornenburg Castle
Castle Doornenburg is a Dutch castle from the 13th century.The castle is located in the eastern part of Gelderland, near the village of Doornenburg. It contains a front-castle and a main castle, which are connected through a small wooden bridge...
, close to Doornenburg
Doornenburg
Doornenburg is a village south of Huissen in the municipality of Lingewaard, Gelderland, the Netherlands. It has a population of 2797 .Doornenburg Castle is located near the village....
in the Dutch province Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
(part of the historical Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
), and the Belgian cities of Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
.
The series was the first major undertaking of both Hauer and Verhoeven, as well as their first collaboration. It was followed by Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight (film)
Turkish Delight is a 1973 Dutch film directed by Paul Verhoeven and filmed by Jan de Bont. The film is a love story of an artist and a young woman, starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven. The story is based on the novel Turks fruit by Jan Wolkers...
(Turks Fruit) and Soldier of Orange
Soldier of Orange
Soldier of Orange is a 1977 Dutch film directed by Paul Verhoeven and produced by Rob Houwer, starring Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbé. The film is set during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, and shows how individual students have different roles in the war...
(Soldaat van Oranje); ideas not used for the series were later included in the film Flesh & Blood
Flesh & Blood (film)
Flesh & Blood is a 1985 film directed by Paul Verhoeven. It is set in the year 1501 in Italy, and follows a group of mercenaries as they loot, rape and kill....
, also directed by Verhoeven with Hauer in the lead role.
Production
Finding actors for the series was a problem because televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was still regarded as inferior to the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. Hauer was introduced to Verhoeven as "maybe not such a good actor, but he will do and dare anything". Verhoeven was indeed worried by Hauer's lack of acting experience, but he looked good physically, could handle swords and ride horse well and did most of his stunts himself. The original name of the series was 'Floris and the Fakir' and Verhoeven used 'two shot' filming just in case. Hauer learned the TV acting fast enough.
For the time it was a major production with 80 actors and 2500 extras. Verhoeven overspent the budget of 355.000 guilder
Guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s by more than 300%, (the total production costs cannot be calculated exactly anymore, but are estimated to be ƒ1,200,000 or €545,000). When this became clear, it was already too late to stop the production because Verhoeven used 'vertical planning', in which the filming was done per actor instead of per episode. Stopping the production would mean that all work was lost. As a TV production of this scale had never been done before in the Netherlands, there was a lot of pioneering. Recordings were usually made in the studio, but Floris was mostly shot outside. Everyone on the set, including Verhoeven, had to learn the trade as they went. Tasks were also not strictly delineated, like they are these days; everyone was a bit of a jack of all trades. "We didn't stand with our arms folded smoking a cigarette when it wasn't our turn". Ironically, finding good locations for this TV production was difficult because the popularity of television had resulted in transmitting antennas being ubiquitous.
Episodes
Episode 1: Het gestolen kasteelHet gestolen kasteel
Het gestolen kasteel is an episode in the 1969 Dutch television action series Floris, written by Gerard Soeteman starring Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman and directed by Paul Verhoeven. Originally aired 5 October 1969.-Plot:...
(The Stolen Castle)
Episode 2: De koperen hond
De koperen hond
De koperen hond is an episode in the 1969 Dutch television action series Floris, written by Gerard Soeteman starring Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman and directed by Paul Verhoeven. Originally aired 12 October 1969.-Plot:...
(The Copper Dog)
Episode 3: De zwarte kogels (The Black Bullets)
Episode 4: De man van Gent (The Man from Gent)
Episode 5: De harige duivel (The Hairy Devil)
Episode 6: De vrijbrief (The Pass Papers)
Episode 7: De drie narren (The Three Fools)
Episode 8: De alruin (The Mandrake)
Episode 9: Het brandende water (The Burning Water)
Episode 10: De wonderdoener (The Miracle Man)
Episode 11: De Byzantijnse beker: Het tournooi (The Byzantine Goblet: The Tournament)
Episode 12: De Byzantijnse beker: De genezing (The Byzantine Goblet: The Healing)
Audio plays
Two of the unproduced scripts were produced as audio plays, they seem to be the same adventures as #6 and #8 of the newspaper comic adventures and #7 and #10 of the German remake.Text Stories
Photo-illustrated text stories of two episodes were serialised in the short-lived comic magazine 'Jamin Junior' during 1972. These were 'De Wonderdoener' (Nummers 1-14) and 'De Zwarte Kogels' (Nummers 15-26). As publication of 'Jamin Junior' was terminated rather suddenly, it is believed the second adaptation remained unfinished.Newspaper Comics
Starting in 1972 15 scripts for the Floris-series (not taken into production) were made into newspaper comics published in de Telegraaf by Gerrit Stapel. The art and dialogue were Stapel's, but the story Soeteman's, so the newspaper comics should be considered a canonical source of information about Floris's further adventures. Most important event in the comics is that Floris regains ownership of castle Rozenmondt in the 7th comics adventure.German remake
1975 saw a GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
remake of the series, Floris von Rosenmund, again starring Rutger Hauer, but with German actor Derval de Faria as Sindala. The character of Lange Pier was again played by actor Hans Boskamp.
Floris the movie
The movie Floris (2004) was shot in 2003. It was directed by Jean van de VeldeJean van de Velde (director)
Jean van de Velde is a Dutch film director and screenwriter. He has directed twelve films since 1979. His film The Silent Army competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
and features Michiel Huisman
Michiel Huisman
Michiel Huisman is a Dutch television and film actor. He stars in the HBO series Treme, as drug addicted musician, Sonny.-Career:...
as grandson of the original Floris. The new side-kick is Pi, a role by popstar Birgit Schuurman
Birgit Schuurman
Birgit Schuurman is a Dutch rock singer and actress.-Biography:Schuurman was born in Utrecht and raised in Bunnik as the daughter of a Dutch father and a Chinese-Surinamese mother; she's the younger sister of Katja Schuurman. Schuurman started her singing career several years before her graduation...
. In the movie some of the 1969-footage with Hauer and Bergman is included. Originally Hauer was asked to play the father of young Floris, but he declined.