Herman van Veen Movies

Maverick director Melvin Van Peebles translates his own satirical novel to the screen with this multi-national portrait of race, class, and hypocrisy. The film's title refers to the name of a haute cuisine restaurant run by a self-satisfied conservative couple, Henri (Jacques Boudet) and Loretta (Andrea Ferreol). When the two find themselves overworked in the kitchen, they retreat to the local orphanage to find some cheap waitressing help, and the teenaged Diamantine (Meiji U Tum'si) fits the bill perfectly. The haughty couple has more plans for the girl than just waiting tables, however -- the conspicuously accommodating Henri and Loretta are actually bad-mouthing the girl behind her back to the townspeople and the restaurant's patrons. They go so far as to ask the naive Diamantine to pretend that she's pregnant, and she complies under the assumption that it's a harmless prank. When their intentions are revealed, however, the girl becomes wise to the couple's self-satisfied scheming, and sets her sights on revenge. Set in late-1960s France, the film was shot entirely on digital video and then transferred to 35mm prints; Van Peebles composed the score himself. Le Conte du Ventre Plein was first shown as a special presentation at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Set in the tough, impoverished year of 1934 in Amsterdam, when people were desperate for jobs and food, this sentimental story is based on a World War II novel by Piet Bakker about a streetwise, lonely kid named Ciske who lives with his harsh and shrewish mother and is raised without affection or gentleness. As directed by Guido Pieters, Ciske (Danny de Munk) has lost the persona of a basically innocent urchin trying to cope and has become a more worldly-wise, modern youngster with a bent toward improvisation. This clash between the sophisticated present and the simpler past continues in other aspects of the filmed story as well, and along with disjunctions in the sequencing of scenes, perhaps due to heavy editing, undermines the charming and accomplished acting of the 14-year-old lead and the young supporting actors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this film director Herman van Veen, a popular Dutch singer, also plays the role of Herman, a popular Dutch singer - not too much of a stretch. Herman is getting tired of his marriage, his wife, and everything that goes with his home life. When he tries to make a break of it and turns to other women, he starts to miss his son and cannot reconcile his own conflicting emotions. As an outlet to his feelings, he decides to compose and perform songs that will reflect his turmoil, and perhaps thereby release it. Interspersed with the musical performances and the singer's dilemma are scenes of an interview in which Herman cannot get a word in edgewise, and some shared time with his son that show the bonds the father does not want to break. In the end, Herman will have to resolve his conflicts, one way or another. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide