SYNOPSIS
This is the tragic love story between the young Russian Nicolai and the beautiful courtesan Elise. Their love was obstructed by materialism, wealth and the threat of death. He’s on the way to Paris and intends to spend a night in the pension hotel where Elise “works”. Then, he encounters the enchanting girl and falls in love in a heartbeat. But there’s still her protégé… Nicolai returns to the old hotel, the place where he first met his great love half a century ago and relives his romantic tragedy.
Awards
Golden Calf (Best Film, Best Camera, Best Sound) | Dutch FF, Netherlands, 2012
CAST & CREW
Netherlands
Director
Producer(s)
Jos Stelling, Anton Kramer
Script
Jos Stelling, Bert Rijkelijkhuizen
Director of Photography
Goert Giltay
Production designer
Gert Brinkers
Music by
Bart van de Lisdonk
Sound
Bert Rijkelijkhuizen
Edit
Bert Rijkelijkhuizen
Cast
Sylvia Hoeks, Leonid Bichevin, Sergei Makovetsky, Renata Litvinova, Svetlana Svetlichnaya, Dieter Hallervorden, Maxim Kowalewski
Production company(ies)
TVINDIE Film Production
Netherlands
Born 1945 Utrecht, Netherlands) Stelling studied Fine Arts and Graphics. His first feature, Mariken van Nieumeghen, was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 1975. Stelling has been awarded many international and national prizes: four Golden Calves in The Netherlands, a Golden Rose in Montreux, two Golden Gryphons and the prize of the city of St. Petersburg. In 1999, Stelling received a lifetime achievement award in Waterville, Maine (USA), and in 2001 an award of the Association of Czech film clubs for major achievement in world cinema. In 2001, The Gas Station was awarded the Grand Prix of the Mediawave Festival in Gyor, Hungary. Stelling is the owner of an art house cinema and has received the royal decoration of Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion for his cultural achievements.
Filmography
Mariken van Nieumeghen (1974), Elckerlyc (1975), Rembrandt fecit 1669 (1977), The Pretenders (1981), The Illusionist (1984), The Pointsman (1986), The Waiting Room (1995), The Flying Dutchman (1995), No Trains No Planes (1999), The Gas Station (2000), The Gallery (2004), Duska (2007), The Visit (2010, short), The Girl and Death (2012).
