''Pipo en de P-P-Parelridder'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

translation: ''Pipo and the p-p-Pearl Knight'') is a 2003

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

movie based on the children's television show ''

Pipo de Clown Pipo de Clown is a character created by writer and artist Wim Meuldijk, which became famous as the lead character of a popular early Dutch television series also written by Meuldijk, and which was subsequently popularized in movies and on records. ...

''. The film received a

Golden Film The Golden Film ( nl, Gouden Film) is a film award recognizing domestic box office achievements in the Netherlands. The Golden Film is awarded to films from the Netherlands once they have sold . The award is an initiative by the Netherlands Fil ...

for having drawn 100,000 visitors.

Background

From the late 1950s on, ''Pipo de Clown'' was one of the earliest and most popular children's television shows in the Netherlands. The show finally ended in 1980. In the late 1990s, the return of Pipo was touched upon when television talk show host

Ivo Niehe Ivo Johannes Ignatius Niehe (born 31 May 1946) is a Dutch radio and television presenter, television producer and actor. Biography Niehe was born in Amsterdam in 1946. He studied French at the University of Amsterdam and received a graduate de ...

interviewed

Belinda Meuldijk Belinda Meuldijk (born 7 January 1955) is a Dutch actress, writer, and activist. She has performed in Dutch television shows and movies, and is also a song writer. She first performed at age six in the ''Pipo de Clown'' television show, conceived ...

, the daughter of Pipo's creator (

Wim Meuldijk Wim Meuldijk (8 June 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Dutch writer, illustrator, and screenwriter. He is the creator of ''Ketelbinkie'', one of the most popular Dutch comics after World War II, and of Pipo de Clown, the star of a television show t ...

), and her husband, singer

Rob de Nijs Rob de Nijs (born 26 December 1942) is a Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. Biography 1962–1968 De Nijs, backed by The Lords, won a talent-contest in 1962 and released his first single in 1962, " Ritme van de Regen". In 1965 D ...

. Niehe tried to sell the idea to various broadcasters but without success, and the rights were bought by

Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...

. Auditions were held, and Joep Dorren was chosen as the new Pipo. The script for a pilot and for six episodes was written, and the 40-minute-long pilot (filmed in 1999 on Rob de Nijs's estate) proved very popular, selling 100,000 copies on video; still, the public broadcasting corporations had no faith in Pipo's chance of success and thought it would be too expensive. In the end

decided to make the series into a feature movie, ''Pipo en de p-p-parelridder'', directed by

Martin Lagestee Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

and with a script by Wim Meuldijk.

Production and cast

The script is loosely based on a 1960 Pipo TV series, ''Pipo en de Slaapridder'', which was filmed on location for 9000 guilders. The movie was filmed in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

for around €3.5 million and premiered in November 2003. The role of Snuf, one of the two crooks, was played by Rudi Falkenhagen, age 72. Falkenhagen was the last survivor of the original television show and Snuf was his first big role. He died two years later.

Tara Elders Tara Johanna Elders (; born 17 January 1980) is a Dutch actress. She has been in Dutch films and TV series. She also was in the American film ''Interview'' (2007). Early life and education Tara Johanna Elders was born on 17 January 1980 in Am ...

, who starred in a number of Theo van Gogh movies, plays the part of the titular character's lady lover.

Plot

Pipo receives a letter from Aunt Anouschka, asking him for help with mysterious events in a nearby castle which appears to be haunted. Pipo leaves the circus in the hands of his wife Mamaloe and daughter Petra, to the chagrin of circus director Dikke Deur —a circus without Pipo sells fewer tickets. When Pipo arrives at the castle there is no ghost; instead, he finds a knight who has been asleep for 500 years. He is awakened, but the next problem is finding and waking his lady lover, who has also been asleep that long.

Investment and payout

The movie cost about €3.5 million to make. It brought in €692,665 in 2003 and €815,120 in 2004.

Sequel

In 2007, rumors circulated that a second Pipo film was to be made, ''Pipo & Het Geheim Van De Barkini Driehoek'', written by Meuldijk and directed by Lagestee, with Joep Dorre returning as Pipo. The Indian Klukkluk, notably absent from ''Pipo en de p-p-Parelridder'', was to make his return. The movie, according to Meuldijk, was to be released at the end of 2008. However, Meuldijk died in 2007, and though a musical, ''Pipo en de Gestolen Stem'', was produced in 2009, no movie has been released.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0344204, Pipo en de p-p-Parelridder 2003 films 2000s Dutch-language films Dutch children's films Films based on television series Films shot in Spain Comedy films about clowns Circus films