Synopse

The middle of the 17th century. The Netherlands are being besieged on land and sea by the English and the French. On top of that, there is the threat of civil war, which would make the enemy's task that much easier. Battle-hardened Admiral Michiel de Ruyter is tasked with leading the Dutch fleet to war and saving the country from apparently certain defeat. With cunning and decisiveness, he manages to succeed and is feted as a hero. But de Ruyter's popularity is a thorn in the side of the heads of state, who are worried about losing their positions of power. They thus concoct a senseless military mission to send him on. The film caused a major controversy on its release: for some de Ruyter is a national hero, for others a tool of the colonial slave trade.

Regie

ROEL REINÉ (*1969) begann seine Karriere beim niederländischen Fernsehen und produziert inzwischen für den amerikanischen Markt. Bei seinen Filmen ist er häufig auch als Kameramann tätig.

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