Merijntje Gijzen's jeugd

Summary

Screen version of A.M. de Jong's best seller about a boy's friendship with a poacher.

Merijntje Gijzen is a small boy growing up in Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. One day, out on one of his walks, he meets 'De Kruik' (the Jug), an infamous poacher. De Kruik is in love with Janekee but she is more interested in the new village policeman. She turns him down and in a fit of jealous rage De Kruik kills both Janekee and the policeman. He is caught and sentenced to ten years.

Merijntje is alone again. A friendly priest - played by A.M. de Jong himself - has died earlier and his little friend Nelleke want nothing to do with him. He tries to see his friend in prison but fails to get in.

After the success of De Jantjes, producer Loet C. Barnstijn was casting around for more box office hit material. He found it in 'Merijntje Gijzen's jeugd' (Merijntje Gijzen's boyhood), A.M. de Jong's popular series of regional novels about the life of a small boy growing up in the Brabant countryside. Shooting started in May 1936 at Barnstijn's Filmstad studios in Wassenaar, with German immigrant Kurt Gerron in the director's chair. An eleven year-old Kees Brusse made his film debut in the role of Merijntje's elder brother. In spite of some excellent reviews - 'A giant step forward for Dutch film industry' raved the socialist daily 'Het Volk' - Merijntje Gijzen's jeugd was to be Barnstijn's last film venture. The film's revenue wasn't enough to keep Filmstad studios afloat. Barnstijn left for the United States where he died in 1953.

https://player.eyefilm.nl/en/films/merijntje-gijzens-jeugd