''Camping Cosmos'' is a 1996 Belgian

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

film and a sequel to '' La Vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978'', directed by the same director: Jan Bucquoy. It stars Claude Semal,

Lolo Ferrari Lolo Ferrari (born Ève Valois; 9 February 1963 – 5 March 2000) was a French dancer, actress, and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breast implants in the world". She entered the international limelight in 1995, appearing in the F ...

(Miss Vandeputte),

Noël Godin Noël Godin (born 13 September 1945) is a Belgian writer, critic, actor and notorious pie thrower or ''entarteur''. Godin gained global attention in 1998 when his group ambushed Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in Brussels, pelting the software magna ...

( Pierre Mertens),

Herman Brusselmans Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans (; born 9 October 1957) is a Belgian novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He lives in Ghent. He is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders, but controversial at the same time for his profane language and o ...

(Herman) and

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...

(Harry). The movie's tagline is: ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, football, beer and frites''. It is an unconventional and non-conformist story of the sexual habits of Belgians.

Cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

refers to the eternity of heaven in full contrast with this little

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

where so many people live together with their problems and limited view of the world. It also refers to the Russian

cosmonauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spacecraft. Although generally reserve ...

who explored space, but who as

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

did not believe in an afterworld. And last, the name of this Campsite Cosmos is referring to the sky without limit above the heads of its residents. The picture became a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

Plot

In the summer of 1986, on a campsite on the Belgian coast where everybody wants to live in complete freedom and forget the obligations of everyday life, Jan Bucquoy, the delegate of the Ministry of Culture, must bring culture nearer to the working class. He presents things like

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's play, ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

'', or an interview with the famous writer Pierre Mertens, but the vacationers at this caravan park are more interested in low-brow distractions, like soccer, boxing matches or beauty contests, as well as sexual adventures and temporary romances. One of the actors is dressed up to resemble

Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...

Cast

* Jean-Henri Compère as Jan Bucquoy * Fanny Hanciaux as Eve Bucquoy *

as Mme Vandeputte * Jean-Paul Dermont as M. Vandeputte * Noe Francq (credited as Noé Francq) as Noé Vandeputte * Claude Semal as Claude Semal dit Tintin *

as Pierre Mertens * Jacques Calonne as Jacques Calonne * Arno Hintjens (credited as Arno Hintjens Hintjens) as Arno *

as Herman * Jan Decleir as friend of Arno * Patricia Dollez as Mme Janssens * Sabrina Leurquin as Ulrique, la terroriste * Catherine Claeys as Giselle Crapaud * Isabelle Legros as Isabelle Legros * Jean Pierre Coopman

Production

The production was entirely in the hands of Transatlantic Films and its director Francis De Smet. Because of the refusal of the

Flemish Government The Flemish Government ( ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President of Flanders, Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Par ...

to raise the capital fund of the equivalent of 200.000 Euro at that time, the film had a substantial delay and was not ready in time for the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

of 1996. This had consequences for the release later in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The film could not be released before 1997 in Paris.

Reception

The film was at the origin of a controversy about the policy of Flemish state subsidizing films not least because of the presence of main actress

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0115814
Transatlantic Films Official Site
1996 films 1996 black comedy films Belgian black comedy films Belgian comedy films Belgian independent films Belgian satirical films Belgian political satire films 1996 crime comedy films 1990s French-language films Dutch-language films Films about vacationing Films set on beaches Films set in Belgium Films shot in Belgium Films set in 1986 Films directed by Jan Bucquoy Tintin parodies French-language independent films