The Lion of Flanders (1984, Belgium)
Original / alternative title: De Leeuw van Vlaanderen
Categories: cavalry movies knights movies
The Lion of FlandersDirector: Hugo Claus
Czas: 90 minut
Laguages: Dutch
The Lion of Flanders war movie
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The Lion of Flanders war movie
Czas: 90 minut
2022-06-19 / 2022-06-19
French king Philip IV tries to discipline the rich Flemish cities, who enjoy their special status under his rule. But his actions lead to an open revolt.
French king Philip IV, called the Fair, receives envoys of Flemish cities, who under his rule enjoy special status and partial independence. But this meeting turns the relations sour - under influence of his wife, queen Joan of Navarre, Philip decides to imprison the envoys until they will fully surrender to his rule. Among the arrested was Guy of Dampierre, whose son Guy of Namur, became one of the leaders of uprising that was brewing among the Flemish people. While up to this point they were mostly just trying to make the life difficult for French forces that they saw as occupants of their land, now they were ready to stand up and reach for arms. The problem was that the Flemish people were merchants, butchers, carpenters, farmers, but not soldiers. Nevertheless with French cracking down on the liberties and committing atrocities against civilians, Flemish revolt was about to explode.
Film based on 1838 novel under the same title, The Lion of Flanders was made as close to the original text as it was possible, which was one of the problems with this movie. While the underlying theme of Flemish independence and start of a nation was easy to show, the way the story unfolds is not only outdated, but also a bit confusing for someone who does not fully understand the background story. The direction, narration, camera work, all of it was a bit off in this production - the story sounds like 19th century propaganda piece (which in fact it was), the characters are one-dimensional, there are some questionable scenes that are hard to grasp what they have to do with anything. For example bedroom scene between Philip IV and his wife was a bit bizarre, the slow motion scene of women riding into town was detached from everything else, the narration sometimes is too naive, sometimes scenes lack the context. All of it made The Lion of Flanders, one of the most expensive films ever made in Belgium and Holland, a commercial and critical flop.
Our rating
5.6
Film value
4 / 10
Realism factor
4 / 5
Adventure factor
2 / 5
Historical accuracy
4 / 5
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The Lion of Flanders
Events depicted in The Lion of Flanders
Franco-Flemish War (1297-1305) Battle of the Golden Spurs (11 Jul 1302)
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