Curated Recommendations Seeking the Same Brilliance as Zonnetje: Cult Guide

Dir: Maurits Binger

A young woman is neglected by her husband, who devotes too much time to his business affairs. When he brings a friend to stay at their home, the housekeeper warns him of the danger of the situation by relating the legend of Castle Arco. It happened three hundred years ago that the owner of the castle, ever occupied with his studies, always left his wife alone. A young man who was to paint her portrait gained her affection. Feeling that his honor had been betrayed, the husband took a terrible revenge. It is said that a headless man lies somewhere in a dungeon beneath the ruins of the castle. The story is proved to be true when the married couple's little child falls through the rotting floor of the cellar and, after three centuries, the remains of the body of the headless man are found.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of As God Made Her perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Maurits Binger

A young woman, with her naive lies, causes some troubles marrying into an aristocratic family. At the end, good-heartedness wins over snobbishness and class barriers.

Dir: Maurits Binger

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of John Heriot's Wife perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A usurer cancels a woman's debt in return for wresting a financial secret from a minister's wife.

Dir: Maurits Binger

Tells the love tragedy of the young and insecure detective Joz, who, on the verge of getting married to Maryam, is assigned the high profile case of a murdered prostitute. His relationship is threatened when, as part of the investigation, he meets the alluring Carmen, a beautiful, free-spirited and ambitious young woman. Unable to resist her, he puts his entire future at stake. Setting all principles aside Joz becomes the one person he doesn't want to be...

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Carmen of the North perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Maurits Binger

A group of acrobats saves a girl from a burning windmill.

Dir: Maurits Binger

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of De levende ladder perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The secret from the title is the lost recipe for shiny Delft pottery, that Jan Vogel is desperately trying to rediscover. For his attempts he needs platinum, but the funds run out because the factory owner Van Haaften has lost his money in stock-speculations. Luckily for Jan, he finds a farewell letter in the park, including a large sum of money. Meanwhile, the owner's son Leo confesses his love for Jan's daughter Annie, but Van Haaften forbids their marriage. Because of Jan's nephew Willem Berg's ongoing spying attempts to gain knowledge of the secret recipe, Jan buys Van Haaften a gun to defend himself against the villain. One night, as Willem has secretly entered the factory, Van Haaften enters his office to find a letter from a friend with a sum of money, that is not nearly large enough to cover his losses. He writes a suicide note and shoots himself, after which Willem enters the office and steals the money and the note. When, on the following morning, Jan has finally succeeded in rediscovering the recipe and goes to show the result to Van Haaften, he finds him dead. With all circumstances against him, he is thrown in prison, but he manages to slip his daughter Lilly the just-discovered recipe. While Willem's attempts to gain hold of the recipe get more and more violent, Lilly tries to gather evidence of her father's innocence. When she has finally succeeded, she sends off a letter to her sister Annie, who by now is guarding the recipe. With the recipe she goes on her way to Lilly, but is chased by Willem...

Dir: Maurits Binger

A poor fisherman's wife sends the remaining family members, her two sons, out to sea on a boat that has seen better days.