Movies - Spetters

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	Movies - Spetters

Spetters, a Dutch film released in 1980 directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Spetters led to many protests across the board about the caricatural manner in which Verhoeven portrayed gays, christians, the police, the press and more. Although Verhoeven made one more film in the Netherlands, it was the response to Spetters that led to his leaving the Netherlands for the more liberal film culture of the Hollywood of that day.

Maarten Spanjer's career was launched by this film, but the film did not do much for the other young lead actors, and Hans van Tongeren finally committed suicide in 1982.

Plot

The film, which is violent and sexually explicit, is a high-speed coming of age movie which centers on three young men who are dreaming of an escape from their provincial surroundings by means of a motorcross career. When they run into a young seductress (Renee Soutendijk) and her homosexual brother, and into national motorcross champion Witkamp (Rutger Hauer) and the national press that follows in his wake, their ability to change their lives into top gear determines their future.

The three friends are young motocross racing champion Rien (Hans van Tongeren), another racer who thinks he has the goods, but doesn't, Hans (Maarten Spanjer), and mechanic and Bible thumping Calvinist Eef (Toon Agterberg).

The film has been compared to Saturday Night Fever, because that movie also has young protagonists trying to overcome the grind of day-to-day life, and preceded Spetters by three years.

The original, uncensored version has an extended, very graphic, homosexual gang-rape scene, intended as punishment for a hustler who makes an illicit living by blackmailing homosexuals he spies on during their encounters in a local park.

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