Wim Verstappen (4 May 1937 – 24 July 2004) was a Dutch film director and producer,

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

, and

screen writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

. Verstappen grew up in Curaçao. He began studies at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in 1961, and released his first movie in 1966, ''De minder gelukkige terugkeer van Joszef Katus naar het land van Rembrandt''. He joined the editorial staff of the film magazine ''Skoop'' in 1964, working alongside Nicolai van der Heyde, Gied Jaspars, and

Pim de la Parra Pim de la Parra (born 5 January 1940) is a Surinamese- Dutch film director. Between 1967 and 1976, he directed films under the independent production company Scorpio Films with Dutch film director Wim Verstappen, who manages all of its achievem ...

. From 1966 on he directed and produced films with De la Parra, and in 1967 they founded a production company, Scorpio Films, becoming known as 'Pim & Wim'. Among their productions was the 1971 explicit film '' Blue Movie'', which led to the abolition of the Dutch film rating system for adults. After the demise of Scorpio Films, Verstappen directed two films based on novels by

Simon Vestdijk Simon Vestdijk (; 17 October 1898 – 23 March 1971) was a Dutch writer. He was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature fifteen times. Life Born in the small Frisian town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam, but turned t ...

, ''

Pastorale 1943 ''Pastorale 1943'' is a 1978 Dutch drama film directed by Wim Verstappen and starring Frederik de Groot. The film was selected as the Dutch entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. ...

'' (1978) and ''Het verboden bacchanaal'' (1981). While the first was a commercial success, drawing an audience of over a million, the second film flopped, as did two later films, ''De Zwarte Ruiter'' (1983) and ''De Ratelrat'' (1987). Verstappen stopped directing films and focused on film rights, founding an organization to secure authors' copyrights. In 1992 he was awarded the Dutch Filmmuseum Award for his contributions to the Dutch film industry, and in 1995 he received a Golden Calf for his body of work. He died of cancer in 2004.

Selected filmography

*'' IJdijk'' (1965; an experimental movie about

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty ...

, with Verstappen playing the pedophile) *' (1966) *' (1967; with

Ramses Shaffy Ramses Shaffy (29 August 1933 – 1 December 2009) was a Dutch-French singer and actor who became popular during the 1960s. His most famous songs include "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", "We zullen doorgaan", "Pastorale", "Samm ...

) *''Drop Out'' (1969) *'' Blue Movie'' (1971; with Carry Tefsen and

Hugo Metsers Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

) *''VD'' (1972) *''

Frank en Eva ''Frank en Eva'' (English release title: ''Living Apart Together'') is a 1973 Dutch film which features the debut performance of Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeare ...

'' (1973) *'' Alicia'' (1974) *''Dakota'' (1974) *''Leren van Las Vegas'' (1974; 8 mm documentary, commentary by

Kees Brusse Kees Brusse (; 26 February 1925 – 9 December 2013) was a Dutch actor, film director and screenwriter. A self-taught actor, he was remarkable for his natural acting style at a time when more theatrical performances were the norm in The Neth ...

) *''Mens Erger Je Niet'' (1975; with

Rijk de Gooyer Rijk de Gooyer (17 December 1925 – 2 November 2011) was a Dutch Golden Calf-winning actor, writer, comedian and singer. From the 1950s until the early 1970s, he became well known in The Netherlands as part of a comic duo with John Kraaijkamp ...

) *''

'' (1978; based on the novel by

); adapted for television) *''

Grijpstra & De Gier ''Grijpstra & De Gier'' is a 1979 Dutch crime film directed by Wim Verstappen. It is based on the eponymous novel series by Jan Willem van de Wetering (although his name is usually styled Janwillem van de Wetering), specifically ''Het lijk in d ...

'' (1979; based on ''Het lijk in de Haarlemmerhouttuinen'' by Janwillem van de Wetering) *''Het verboden bacchanaal'' (1981; based on the novel by

) *''De Zwarte Ruiter'' (1983; adapted for television in 1986 as ''De Smokkelaar'') *''Leren van Las Vegas'' (1985; re-edited version of the 1974 original) *' (1987; based on the novel by Janwillem van de Wetering); adapted for television as ''Het Lijk In Friesland'')

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verstappen, Wim 1937 births 2004 deaths Dutch film directors Dutch film producers Dutch television directors Dutch male screenwriters Dutch screenwriters Deaths from cancer in the Netherlands People from Gemert-Bakel 20th-century screenwriters