Berend Boudewijn was a successful game show host for KRO television in the Seventies, but like so many creative people his real passion was for directing. Therefore, the powers that be would occasionally grant him the opportunity to direct a program of his own choosing. Having admired Wim T. Schippers earlier work as a writer, Boudewijn asked him to write an hour long play in 1974. The result was 'Martha', a story filled with intrigue and suspense that raises a thousand questions but doesn't answer a single one.
Beautifully shot by B.B. and well acted by the cream of Dutch thespians (Wim T. must have relished all of his dialog being delivered so professionally for a change) 'Martha' certainly looks like a Tale of Suspense. This reviewer can well imagine that anyone channel hopping at the time (and there were only two in Holland at the time) would be instantly drawn in by all the implied intrigues. Still, one would have to wonder how many of those would actually manage to sit through the entire play without giving up trying to figure it out. It is only when you know the play was specifically written not to have a resolution of any kind, that one can see the comparisons to later Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker productions such as Police Squad! in which everything was played similarly straight. Martha however, being deprived of any surreal jokes, is perhaps the straightest spoof of all.
Two business men, Bernard Zevenhuis (Ton Lutz) & John de Vries (Jan Vreeken) are discussing a case of blackmail when they suddenly notice the gorgeous and titular Martha (Hetty Verhoogt) overhearing them. Back at Zevenhuis' villa, Constant (Maxim Hamel) and Agnes (Ann Hasekamp) listen as the mysterious Jacob (IJf Blokker) is about to reveal his plan that can make them all rich. But each time one of the characters is about to explain anything crucial to the plot, stock music by Ennio Morricone plays up and we move on to the next scene as well as another group of people. Berend and Wim must have been inspired by American soaps and drama's that always go to a commercial break at the most crucial points – even though there are no such breaks in this one hour TV special.
Other questions that arise include (but are not limited to) the following: Why does Agnes hand over a mysterious key to elderly Frieda (Joeki Boedelet) after letting her in on the plan? Why is Leonie (Diana Dobbelman , then known as Marlet) ordered to spy on Agnes & Frieda in the French restaurant? Who let the air out of Arnold (Hein Boele)'s bicycle tires? Did Constant actually want to strangle Agnes while she was tickling the ivory? Why is Bob (Carol van Herwijnen) intent on rubbing everyone the wrong way – with the exception of Agnes?
One thing's for sure, Bernard, Bob and his brother Arnold all want to get their hands on schoolteacher Martha while some of them pretend to prefer Leonie. Bernard, who stands the most to lose, is prone to fainting spells in which he is visited by scenes from the immediate past – some of which he didn't even participate in. But how much – if anything does his secretary Ellie Vos (Mieke Bos) really know? Who was that sneaking around the office at night – only to find an unidentified dead body already on the floor (and all this several years before J.R. was shot!) Or could the classic literature quoting butler (Adrian Brine) have something to do with it? And what about that rabbit in the garden?
The answers to these questions will probably never be found. For it is quite obvious Wim the writer never intended them to be. He probably never even bothered to figure it all out for himself. Or did he? Rewatching the program several times and taking notes in preparations for this IMDb comment, one begins to notice certain connections between the characters and their actions. perhaps if I watch it one more time, I might be able to decipher the meaning of it all
8 out of 10
Beautifully shot by B.B. and well acted by the cream of Dutch thespians (Wim T. must have relished all of his dialog being delivered so professionally for a change) 'Martha' certainly looks like a Tale of Suspense. This reviewer can well imagine that anyone channel hopping at the time (and there were only two in Holland at the time) would be instantly drawn in by all the implied intrigues. Still, one would have to wonder how many of those would actually manage to sit through the entire play without giving up trying to figure it out. It is only when you know the play was specifically written not to have a resolution of any kind, that one can see the comparisons to later Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker productions such as Police Squad! in which everything was played similarly straight. Martha however, being deprived of any surreal jokes, is perhaps the straightest spoof of all.
Two business men, Bernard Zevenhuis (Ton Lutz) & John de Vries (Jan Vreeken) are discussing a case of blackmail when they suddenly notice the gorgeous and titular Martha (Hetty Verhoogt) overhearing them. Back at Zevenhuis' villa, Constant (Maxim Hamel) and Agnes (Ann Hasekamp) listen as the mysterious Jacob (IJf Blokker) is about to reveal his plan that can make them all rich. But each time one of the characters is about to explain anything crucial to the plot, stock music by Ennio Morricone plays up and we move on to the next scene as well as another group of people. Berend and Wim must have been inspired by American soaps and drama's that always go to a commercial break at the most crucial points – even though there are no such breaks in this one hour TV special.
Other questions that arise include (but are not limited to) the following: Why does Agnes hand over a mysterious key to elderly Frieda (Joeki Boedelet) after letting her in on the plan? Why is Leonie (Diana Dobbelman , then known as Marlet) ordered to spy on Agnes & Frieda in the French restaurant? Who let the air out of Arnold (Hein Boele)'s bicycle tires? Did Constant actually want to strangle Agnes while she was tickling the ivory? Why is Bob (Carol van Herwijnen) intent on rubbing everyone the wrong way – with the exception of Agnes?
One thing's for sure, Bernard, Bob and his brother Arnold all want to get their hands on schoolteacher Martha while some of them pretend to prefer Leonie. Bernard, who stands the most to lose, is prone to fainting spells in which he is visited by scenes from the immediate past – some of which he didn't even participate in. But how much – if anything does his secretary Ellie Vos (Mieke Bos) really know? Who was that sneaking around the office at night – only to find an unidentified dead body already on the floor (and all this several years before J.R. was shot!) Or could the classic literature quoting butler (Adrian Brine) have something to do with it? And what about that rabbit in the garden?
The answers to these questions will probably never be found. For it is quite obvious Wim the writer never intended them to be. He probably never even bothered to figure it all out for himself. Or did he? Rewatching the program several times and taking notes in preparations for this IMDb comment, one begins to notice certain connections between the characters and their actions. perhaps if I watch it one more time, I might be able to decipher the meaning of it all
8 out of 10
