Lijmen
| Lijmen/Het Been | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robbe De Hert |
| Produced by |
Ruud Den Dryver Michel Houdmont Frank Jansen |
| Written by |
Willem Elsschot (novel) Robbe De Hert Fernand Auwera Ruud Den Dryver |
| Starring |
Koen De Bouw Mike Verdrengh Willeke van Ammelrooy Sylvia Kristel |
| Music by |
Joan Berkhemer Lodewijk De Boer |
| Cinematography | Piotr Kukla |
| Edited by | Wim Louwrier |
| Distributed by | A-Film Distribution |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | Belgium Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
Lijmen/Het Been is a 2001 Belgian crime film adapted from short stories by Willem Elsschot and directed by Robbe De Hert, starring Mike Verdrengh and Koen De Bouw. The movie was coproduced by Belgian and Dutch filmcompanies.
The film is based upon two books of Willem Elsschot: "Lijmen" and "Het Been".
The film is set around 1938. During an auction, Mr. Boormans is put into a psychiatric hospital after he bid 32,000 Belgian francs for a wortheless piece of paper. Frans Laarmans visits the psychiatrists claiming Boormans is not crazy and there is a story behind the bid.
When Laarmans's mother dies, the Laarmans family decides that Laarmans should pay for the embalming of her corpse. As he does not have the money, Laarmans visits Boormans, who is the publisher of the World Magazine for Finance, Trade, Industry, Art and Science, a publication Boormans claims is sold worldwide and translated into many languages. He represents it as a reputable consumers' journal, comparing different companies in the same industry. Boormans informs Laarmans that, by coincidence, the next edition is about the funeral and undertaking industry.
Boormans visits the undertakers and a deal whereby his company will be featured in the magazine. The offer comes with two conditions, namely that in addition to the normal print and distribution, the undertaker must order a large number of copies for own purposes, and that the purchase of the magazines will be at a significant discount if the undertaker in turn gives Laarmans a discount for the embalming services. The undertaker agrees.
Boormans, who is looking for a new assistant, hires Laarmans and sends him out in search for new customers. Mrs. Lauwereyssen, the owner of a business in elevators, is interested. In addition to the copies of the magazine distributed by Boormans, she agrees to purchase a further 100,000 copies for own purposes.
Laarmans then finds out the "World Magazine" is a fraud, in that the magazine is not distributed to the public, but only the copies purchased by the featured company exist. The magazine does not have any subscribers and is, in effect, merely an expensive advertising brochure using unproven figures and fake competitors. Only the information of the customer is "valid", although it too is also based upon lies and twisted figures.
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