The cunning cinematographers
On 25 July 1905 the Zandvoortsche Courant published a curious story about a French gentleman who, while sleeping on a chair on Zandvoort beach, was caught by surprise by the high tide and woke up surrounded by the sea. The French gentleman, as the story reported, took off his shoes, socks and trousers, and wade his way back to the shore when a policeman spotted him. Fearing to be arrested for indecent behaviour, the French gentleman reached the beach and fled. As the entire village witnessed, he was chased by a policeman and, eventually, taken into custody. The article also mentioned that Alberts Frères (the brothers Albert and Willy Mullens) had caught the incident on camera and the film would soon be shown at the Olympia Palace. The story was then picked up by a number of Dutch newspapers. None of them mention, though, that the Mullens brothers had been filming the event: so the story spread as if it was a factual event, and not the plot of a movie.
The Alberts Frères’ films had been part of the full-length programme presented at the Olympia since 15 July 1905. Every evening Albert and Willy Mullens offered a vast selection of shorts to the audience. And, twice a week, they managed to change and update the programme, inserting new hits. An ad in the Zandvoortsche Courant mentioned that more than 50 films would be shown during Alberts Frères’ stay in Zandvoort. The shorts in their programme could be divided into three genres: actualities, natural sceneries or exotic images and short fiction films. The Mullens’ brothers mixed films from Pathé Frères, then very famous, with their own productions: local films that they shot in the places they visited with their travelling cinema. These films were often the most popular: the film about the French gentleman with no trousers belonged to this category.
On 27 July 1905, De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort premiered at the Olympia. Preceded by a major advertising campaign in the local newspaper, and boosted by a clever ante-litteram media and PR stunt, the film was most likely destined to be a success. And a success it was. The film undoubtedly had a good comic quality, but what made it really popular with the audiences in Zandvoort, even more than the fuss in the news, was the fact that many locals would recognize themselves, or relatives, or friends in the picture. Alberts Frères had struck the right chord with their audiences by combining fictional comedy with a local movie.
The Zandvoortsche Courant of 29 July 1905 gave the film full marks:
"The screening on Thursday was a success, yes, even beyond our expectations. Why? Because it was the first public presentation of De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort, shot right here in Zandvoort on Saturday (…) The show couldn’t start exactly at half past eight because of the massive crowds at the door. But the long wait was soon forgotten and rewarded (…) The announcement of the film was received with a gigantic applause and, at the end, the ‘encore’ was so loud that Mr. Alberts himself thanked the audience and allowed the short to be screened again. Fortunately, this film will still be the gem of the programme in the coming days. (…) We have to say that we enjoyed it: it was jolly good fun. Several people recognized themselves in the picture and every now and then we heard: “Look, there’s him... or her”. We don’t dare to mention any names, because the people involved might not appreciate that, but it is nice to see them on the screen, exactly as they are. (…) The beach scene, depicting the rising water and the fear of the gentleman was especially striking. The waves rolling in from the sea alone would be worthwhile seeing. (…) The Mullens’ brothers deserve all praise for what they’ve done. We also want to thank them for their idea of shooting ‘something’ in Zandvoort, and we believe that ‘that something’ will be a great advertisement for our town. To all people that weren’t at Thursday’s show, we strongly recommend to go and see it: you will have a jolly good laugh.”
The Mullens´ brothers were also keen to let their Zandvoort audiences know that their film was a big success outside their town, as many copies had been sold to other showmen. And during the farewell show, on 8 August, Willy Mullens even announced that the film had been presented in the Jardin de Paris on the Champs Elysées in Paris. For the Mullens all this was good advertising for future screenings in Zandvoort. Truth is that there never was a show in Paris - it was a white lie - but the film had indeed been sold to other fellow filmmakers like Benner and Hommerson who, after Alberts Frères, were the most popular travelling showmen in the Netherlands. Both showed the De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort to great public acclaim. This was the first Dutch fiction film that was not only shown by those who made it but also by other film exhibitors. Only the films about the coronation and the marriage of Queen Wilhelmina had reached such a wide audience before.
For nearly one year, De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort was part of Alberts Frères´ programme. The film was received with enthusiasm everywhere. What fascinated the audience was not so much the local element of the picture, but the made up news story that the brothers used to promote it. Willy exaggerated the story even further by mentioning that one of the Zandvoort police officers had been unaware of the staged nature of the pursuit, and that he had genuinely chased the French gentleman. Little of these words were true, but they were not without effect: the audience always filled the theatre.
