Katie Tippel

Rating:
Summary: Glorious and Sumptuous Early Verhoeven
Review: Awesome! Great performances, cinematography, score and of course direction. Brilliant and realistic period film about a young girl struggling through poverty stricken Europe in the late 1800's in the Netherlands. The ending may seem abrupt to some but it does thankfully end on a happy note.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious and Sumptuous Early Verhoeven
Review: Awesome! Great performances, cinematography, score and of course direction. Brilliant and realistic period film about a young girl struggling through poverty stricken Europe in the late 1800's in the Netherlands. The ending may seem abrupt to some but it does thankfully end on a happy note.

Rating:
Summary: KATIE THE STREETWALKER.....
Review: Based on the true story of a woman named Neel Doff, this film is somewhat of a departure from Verhoeven's other films in that it's a period piece but his style and master's touch remain. Monique Van Der Ven plays Katie, an impoverished waif whose indominatable will to survive is this film's backbone. Van Der Ven is remarkable. All wide eyed innocence yet streetwise when necessary. The poverty of 1800's Amsterdam is vividly captured as Katie's knockabout family struggle with hunger---prompting Mama to prostitute first one daughter (who goes from pig to alcoholic pig) then Katie. Katie learns fast what money can do and she leaves her foul family to be the mistress of a social climbing user (Rutger Hauer). But her fate changes again...and again. This is tamer than some of Verhoeven's work. There is a rough but quick rape scene that's handled well and not exploitive and some frank nudity but all in all Verhoeven concentrates on telling Katie's story rather than sex. The ending is rather ambiguous but leaves you satisfied that Katie has indeed finally overcome her overwhelming obstacles. Rich in detail and period flavor, this film is sumptuous to look at and the acting is sublime---esp. Van Der Ven as Katie. Some strong scenes may make some viewers squirm but, as with pre-Hollywood Verhoeven, he's honest as a filmmaker. The DVD from good old Anchor Bay is glorious.

Rating:
Summary: A classic euro-B movie with depth and weak subtitles
Review: The movie portrays the plight of a poor family from the north of Holland that moves to Amsterdam to seek their fortune during the industrial revolution. It helps to know some basic Dutch because the subtitles are quite bad and detract from the film. Social settings and dialogue in the film are quite colorful and intense when compared to plodding Hollywood films. Depiction of business ethics displays significant cultural bias and is probably enough to make many modern Americans break out laughing.

Rating:
Summary: Katie rocks
Review: The pragmatism present in Dutch art and culture is presented magnificently in this early film by the future director of Showgirls. (In fact, Showgirls makes a lot more sense once you've seen this film.) This is Pretty Woman done correctly--and twenty years earlier at that. Katie's final goal in her journey through prostitution is not a prince charming, but economic freedom, independence, social standing and a sense of self. Beautiful cinematography by Jan De Bont, future director of Speed and Twister. Based on a true story.

Rating:
Summary: I usually do not like foreign films...............
Review: their just too ,well ahh foreign, but this is really a great film. The copy I bought was dubbed, and it was done quite well. Judging from the credits I can imagine that the subtitled copy must be hard to read. If you have any fantasies about the nobility of being poor do not watch this film. Though the movie is successful on many levels, the one thing you will remember most is that "poverty sucks" no matter where or when you were born.

Rating:
Summary: Visually stunning Verhoeven film
Review: This film is visually stunning with a soundtrack that sounds truly haunted. Occasionally the film lets itself down with it's editing. I sometimes feel disorientated thinking " wait slow down will you." Having said that - this film is well acted, and really puts you in the Netherlands of the 19th Century. It may not be as hard hitting and exciting as Turkish Delight but this film is equally competent and well worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: One of the great films of the '70s
Review: This isn't a 'B' movie! What are you nuts?! And it certainly isn't superficial social criticism! Leonard Maltin truly discredits himself by calling this amazing, ultra-realistic masterpiece superficial! But then, isn't this the same Maltin who gave Taxi Driver only two stars out of 5 in his video guide? Ignore him, he knows nothing.

Listen to me and I'll set you straight. Keetje Tipple is an extremely rare film that manages to capture reality as it is; it juggles a thousand elements to create a fully three dimensional, balanced, film world of utter realism that with all its naturalism and proper harshness, is nevertheless not cynical. Even Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" is less authentic and detailed and far less realistic than this amazing fact based, magnificently photographed (by Jan De Bont, director of Speed and Twister) Dutch film from director Paul Verhoeven. Verhoeven makes the mistake of having a sense of humor and a certain whimsical attitude that lends even greater realism to the film, but which superficial critics like Maltin take for 'superficiality' and 'not showing proper seriousness.' An awful two-dimensional cynical cartoon of a film like "Magnolia" that all the critics fawned over is a joke compared to Verhoeven's film.

If you've only seen Verhoeven's famous American films such as Basic Instinct, Total Recall, Robocop and Starship Troopers, you're in for a big surprise; the guy is truly an 'art' film director of the highest rank and he proves it here by drawing an astounding performance from Monique van de Ven, one of the best I've ever seen. Verhoeven's European films are much more sexually explicit than anything he made in the States. Verhoeven never shies away from showing violence, rape and full frontal nudity to drive his point home and Keetje Tipple is no exception. But if you think that he uses these elements exploitatively, you're wrong; they're just part of his attempt to shock people enough so that they realize they're not watching their typical Hollywood R-rated snoozer.

Overall, Keetje Tipple is one of the greatest films of the '70s, a highly underrated masterpiece, which I cannot recommend highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!
Review: This movie "Superficial?" Never! It is one of the finest and original movies I've ever seen. If you want to see a film that is the best example of the concept that All things work together for Good, this is it. It is also based on the title character's autobiography.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, but falls short . . . 3 and 1/2 stars
Review: This movie was far overrated. I bought it because everybody seemed to be giving away stars. At one point I actually yawned. I just couldn't feel what Katie was feeling at all. Granted, the acting, costumes, setting etc. were great. I just think the film failed to really pull the audience in. Katie's character was too vague, hence we really didn't get into her mind. There was absolutely no climax. Just a series of quick transitions from point A to B with nothing to make you really shake your head, or your fist. For pete's sake, the woman was forever starving, and not to mention raped, yet I couldn't foster up an ounce of pity for her (and this is coming from someone who still hasn't watched "The Lion King", because I heard one of the lions died). I'll tell you this though, you'll get more reaction out of Katie if you mess with her food. Yep, steal her bread and she'll introduce your face to some heavy duty washing solution that could blind you. But rape her, and she'll merely break your window and run away with a satisfied smirk.

And what's up with the ending? Did they run out of $$? I don't know if reading these reviews actually raised my hopes up too high, or maybe it's the fact that I'd just finished watching "Turkish Delight", also with Rutger and Monique, and absolutely loved it. Bottom line: mediocre film, better just to rent it. I certainly won't be watching this again for at least another year or two.