TV Show spotlight
The Black Tulip
The city of Haarlem, Netherlands, has set a prize of ƒ100,000 to the person who can grow a black tulip, sparking competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, honour and fame. Only the city's oldest citizens remember the Tulip Mania thirty years prior, and the citizens throw themselves into the competition. The young and bourgeois Cornelius van Baerle has almost succeeded but is suddenly thrown into the Loevestein prison. There he meets the prison guard's beautiful daughter Rosa, who will be his comfort and help, and eventually become his rescuer.
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Plot Summary
In 17th-century Holland, during the frenzy of tulip mania, Cornelius Van Baerle is falsely accused of treason by his rival, the scheming Colonel de Witt. Sentenced to death, Cornelius entrusts his beautiful daughter, Rosa, with a priceless, unbloomed black tulip bulb. Rosa must protect the bulb and her father's legacy from de Witt and the capricious mob.
Critical Reception
While 'The Black Tulip' is a lesser-known adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel, it was produced as a television film and has garnered a modest following for its period detail and performances. It's often viewed as a serviceable, if not groundbreaking, historical drama.
What Reviewers Say
Praised for its period atmosphere and costumes.
James Mason delivers a solid performance as the antagonist.
Some found the pacing to be a bit slow for a television production.
Google audience: Information regarding Google user reviews for this 1970 television film is not readily available.
Fun Fact
This television adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel "The Black Tulip" was filmed in Denmark, adding a unique European flavor to its production.
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