Vierde man, De (1983)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Reve (novel)
Gerard Soeteman (writer)

Release Date:

24 March 1983 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Christine is young, beautiful and rich. Her three husbands all died tragically. It's time for Christine to find her fourth man.

Plot:

An alcoholic writer begins having visions apparently warning him of impending danger. After he delivers a lecture...

Plot Keywords:

Bare Butt | Mysterious Events | Psycho Sexual | Surrealism | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jeroen Krabbé	...	Gerard Reve
Renée Soutendijk	...	Christine Halsslag
Thom Hoffman	...	Herman
Dolf de Vries	...	Dr. de Vries
Geert de Jong	...	Ria
Hans Veerman	...	Begrafenisondernemer
Hero Muller	...	Josefs
Caroline de Beus	...	Adrienne
Reinout Bussemaker	...	Eerste echtgenoot
Erik J. Meijer	...	Tweede echtgenoot
Ursul de Geer	...	Derde echtgenoot
Filip Bolluyt	...	Surfer
Hedda Lornie	...	Verkoopster boekhandel
Paul Nygaard	...	Violist
Guus van der Made	...	Treinkelner

Also Known As:

The 4th Man (USA) (video box title)
The Fourth Man (USA)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 (1995) | Australia:R | Argentina:18 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:12 | UK:18 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Central Station, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Rob Houwer Productions

Trivia:

Director Paul Verhoeven frequently claimed that he made this film, overdoing the symbolism and bible references intentionally, just to please the snobbish Dutch critics, who had dismissed his previous work as shallow sensationalism. In recent years however he has moderated his views on the film, declaring himself quite satisfied with it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gerard and Herman go back to the convertible after a rainstorm, the car's interior is dry.

Movie Connections:

References Assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora, L' (1975)

Beyond fascinating

There's good reason that, twenty-one years later, this is still one of Paul Verhoeven's best-known movies. It's absorbing on every level, and totally unpredictable for every single frame.

Paul Verhoeven once said that people love watching horrible things; if they had to watch nice things for more than five minutes, they'd go mad. He certainly puts his theory into practice here. This movie is loaded with images that one should spend a few years desensetizing one's self to shock and gore before viewing. Beyond this, however, it moves very quickly, never gets boring once, and the characters always hold your interest. This movie is more than worth the cost of its rental.