Een telegram uit Mexico

Summary

Short feature film about a colonist who gets caught up in the revolution in Mexico. Back at home, they anxiously wait for news.

Een telegram uit Mexico (A Telegram from Mexico) is one of the short fictional films that Filmfabriek Hollandia produced before the First World War. The film, directed by Louis H. Chrispijn Sr., tells the story of Willem Vandoorn, a Dutch colonist in Mexico. When the revolution breaks out, the young man decides to go back to his homeland. He sends his parents a telegram announcing his planned return. When his journey is delayed by a rebel attack, his parents – already worried about the many dramatic newspaper articles – fear the worst. These nervous suspicions even lead the blind father to have a vision, in which he sees his son's execution. Only when Willem has returned unharmed are their fears replaced by joy.

In the article ‘Letters from afar’, film historian Frank Kessler places Een telegram uit Mexico within the political context of the day. Europe was on the eve of the First World War, and young men everywhere were being called upon to serve in the military. This drama portrays the uncertainty and powerlessness of the family that stayed behind, who waited for his letters and depended on newspaper articles.