Known in the Netherlands as Van de koele meren des doods and under the film titles Hedwig: The Quiet Lake, and The Cool Lakes of Death on other parts of the county, this 1982 Dutch film directed by Nouchka van Brakel, again focuses on touchy topics at the time. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Frederik van Eeden which also created a stir when released.
Taking place in the late 1800’s The Cool Lakes of Death is a melodrama about the plight of a wealthy woman, Hedwig Marga ‘Hetty’ de Fontayne (Renée Soutendijk, Spetters), who is struggling with her sexuality. She almost had a man to fulfill her desires in a young stud named Johan, but she was suppressed by her family and wound up not doing anything sexual with him. Poor Hedwig ends up in a sexless, loveless marriage with Gerard Johannes Hendrikus Wijbrands (Adriaan Olree). She still wants Johan, but he kills himself after he accuses Hedwig of being a prostitute. Her sexual desires continue to be unmet until she meets a romantic pianist Ritssart (Derek de Lint) and they have a love affair. After her first sexual encounter, she wants to leave Gerard for Rissart. Now living with Rissart, she gives birth to a child who unfortunately dies a few days later, leading to Hedwig having a severe mental illness. She goes to a psychiatric institution and once released, she becomes a prostitute that is addicted to morphine. Hedwig’s life has fallen to pieces, with still more crazy tragedies in store for her.
The Cool Lakes of Death is such an insanely tragic story, to see a woman completely fall to pieces right before your eyes was really something to behold. Renée Soutendijk was stupendous in her performance as Hedwig; it was truly unforgettable watching her going over-the-top bonkers as her life falls apart.
Cult Epics transfers The Cool Lakes of Death to Blu-ray giving the film as noted a “New 4K HD Transfer (from the original negative) & Restoration”. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:66:1, the 1080p transfer from Cult Epics is nothing short of remarkable as the picture quality for this movie absolutely is breathtaking. The 4K scan enhances the colors to be as vibrant and robust as possible on a consistent basis. Outdoor scenes look phenomenal and cheerful, even if the film is not! Black levels are balanced, film grain is present throughout and the skin tones of the actors are accurate. Interior and exterior shots show a lot of detail and rich textures. No DNR appears to have been applied on this release.
Cult Epics offers two audio tracks for their Blu-ray as they did with their other releases The Debut and A Woman Like Eve. There is the original Dutch LPCM 2.0 Mono track and a new Dutch DTS-HD master audio 2.0 mono track with optional English subtitles. The audio for both is excellent with spoken dialog and other sounds and musical scores by Erik van der Wurff coming in clearly. No hissing or drop-offs were detected.
Extras for this release include a Polygoon Journal Newsreel (A Dutch newsreel company focusing on cinema), a poster and photo gallery and theatrical trailers for The Cool Lakes of Death, A Woman Like Eve, The Debut and My Nights with Susan, Sandra and Julie.
Kudos to Cult Epics for releasing a few fantastic, unforgettable films from the Netherlands by director Nouchka van Brakel. You can now view the film considered to be her masterpiece, The Cool Lakes of Death with the best audio and video presentation possible, courtesy of Cult Epics. Highest recommendation!
The Cool Lakes of Death
Director- Nouchka van Brakel
Cast- Renée Soutendijk, Erik van ‘t Wout, Adriaan Olree
Country of Origin- Netherlands
Distributor –Cult Epics
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-5/25/21