''Nova Zembla'' is a 2011 Dutch historical drama film directed by
Reinout Oerlemans
Reinout Oerlemans (; born 10 June 1971) is a Dutch soap opera actor, film director, television presenter and television producer. He is the founder of the TV production company Eyeworks.
In 1989, while studying law at the University of Amster ...
. It is the first Dutch
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
in
3D.
The film describes the last journey of
Willem Barentsz
Willem Barentsz (; – 20 June 1597), anglicized as William Barents or Barentz, was a Dutch Republic, Dutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer.
Barentsz went on three expeditions to the far north in search for a Northern Sea Route, N ...
and
Jacob van Heemskerk
Jacob van Heemskerck (3 March 1567 – 25 April 1607) was a Dutch explorer and naval admiral.
Early life
Jacob van Heemskerck was born in Amsterdam in 1567. He is described as having delicate feature, large brown eyes, a thin high nose, ...
through 1596–1597 when they and their crew tried to discover the
Northeast Passage
The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands of Canada is accordingly called the Northwest Passage (N ...
to the
Indies
The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in East (disambiguation)#Geography, the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and ...
. However, due to the sea ice, they are stranded on the island of
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...
and have to spend the winter there in ''Het Behouden Huys'' (''The Safe Home''). The story is told through the eyes of
Gerrit de Veer
Gerrit de Veer (–) was a Dutch officer on Willem Barentsz' second and third voyages of 1595 and 1596 respectively, in search of the Northeast passage.
De Veer kept a diary of the voyages and in 1597, was the first person to observe and reco ...
, and is loosely based on a diary he published in 1598 after his safe return. Gerrit is portrayed as having a relationship with Catharina Plancius, the daughter of the astronomer, cartographer and reverend
Petrus Plancius
Petrus Plancius (; 1552 – 15 May 1622) was a Dutch-Flemish astronomer, cartographer and clergyman. He was born as Pieter Platevoet in Dranouter, now in Heuvelland, West Flanders. He studied theology in Germany and England. At the age of 24 he ...
, who pioneered the concept of the North East passage to reach the Indies. The
Novaya Zemlya effect
The Novaya Zemlya effect is a polar mirage caused by high refraction of sunlight between atmospheric thermal layers. The effect gives the impression that the sun is rising earlier than it actually should, and depending on the meteorological sit ...
, first described by De Veer, is shown in the film, albeit in a non-historical fashion.
Cast
*
Robert de Hoog
Robert de Hoog (born 18 November 1988) is a Dutch actor.
Filmography
Theatre
External links
* Robert de Hoog at Toneelgroep Amsterdam*
1988 births
Living people
21st-century Dutch male actors
Dutch male actors
Dutch male fi ...
as
Gerrit de Veer
Gerrit de Veer (–) was a Dutch officer on Willem Barentsz' second and third voyages of 1595 and 1596 respectively, in search of the Northeast passage.
De Veer kept a diary of the voyages and in 1597, was the first person to observe and reco ...
*
Derek de Lint
Dick Hein "Derek" de Lint (; born 17 July 1950) is a Dutch film and television actor, known for playing the role of Derek Rayne in '' Poltergeist: The Legacy''.
Life and career
Dick Hein de Lint was born on 17 July 1950 in The Hague in the N ...
as
Willem Barentsz
Willem Barentsz (; – 20 June 1597), anglicized as William Barents or Barentz, was a Dutch Republic, Dutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer.
Barentsz went on three expeditions to the far north in search for a Northern Sea Route, N ...
*
Victor Reinier
Victor Reinier Nieuwenhuijzen (born 1963) is a Dutch actor and screenwriter.
Filmography Actor Films
* 2014 – KrisKras – tourist
* 2012 – De Overloper – Floris Wolfs
* 2011 – Caged – Mike
* 2011 – Nova Zembla – Jacob van Heem ...
as
Jacob van Heemskerk
Jacob van Heemskerck (3 March 1567 – 25 April 1607) was a Dutch explorer and naval admiral.
Early life
Jacob van Heemskerck was born in Amsterdam in 1567. He is described as having delicate feature, large brown eyes, a thin high nose, ...
*
Jan Decleir
Jan Decleir (born as ''Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir'' on 14 February 1946) is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp.
Career
He had his first big role in Fons Rademakers's ''Mira'' (1971). Since then, he has appeared in ...
as
Petrus Plancius
Petrus Plancius (; 1552 – 15 May 1622) was a Dutch-Flemish astronomer, cartographer and clergyman. He was born as Pieter Platevoet in Dranouter, now in Heuvelland, West Flanders. He studied theology in Germany and England. At the age of 24 he ...
*
Doutzen Kroes
Doutzen Kroes (, ; born 23 January 1985) is a Dutch fashion model. She began her modelling career in 2003, in the Netherlands and was quickly sent by her agency to New York where she was cast by lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret. She was a Vict ...
as Catharina Plancius
*
Semmy Schilt
Sem "Semmy" Schilt (; born 27 October 1973) is a Dutch former kickboxer, Ashihara karateka and mixed martial artist. He stands 212 cm and weighs 171 kg. He is a four-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and one-time Glory Heavyweight Grand Slam ...
as Claes
Filming locations
The film was filmed on location in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. The scenes set in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
were filmed in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
(Brugge).
Critical response
According to
''Variety'', the screenplay was "too light on historical background and character development," while the movie was "coming off as a technically competent but narratively uninvolving
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
-like reenactment." The acting was considered "weak."
Soundtrack
The musical theme of the movie was remixed by Dutch DJ and producer
Armin van Buuren
Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...
.
See also
* ''Boat Trip 3D'' (2008), the first Dutch digital 3D short film
[Eerste Nederlandse 3D film op NFF]
/ref>
References
External links
*
*
Russian ship ‘Shtandart’ as the ship of Willem Barents
2010s historical drama films
Dutch 3D films
Films based on actual events
Films set in 1596
Films set in 1597
Films set in the Netherlands
Films set in Russia
Films set on islands
Films shot in Bruges
Films shot in Canada
Films shot in Iceland
Age of Discovery films
Films set in the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch historical drama films
2010s survival films
Cultural depictions of explorers
Cultural depictions of Dutch men
2011 drama films
2011 films
Films set in the Arctic
Novaya Zemlya
{{Netherlands-film-stub