Kulderzipken

Belgium, to put it VERY simply, mainly consists of a Dutch-speaking north called Flanders and a French-speaking south called Wallonia. Here we've got a series made by, and for, the Dutch-speaking north. It is a likeable series full of poetic nonsense and absurd humor, which mixes and reshuffles and subverts themes from fairytales.

The series doesn't take itself too seriously : the princess bride, for instance, is called "Prieeltje", which translates as "little gazebo", while the hero (a strapping young farmer catapulted into a life of high adventure) is called "Kulderzipken", which means nothing at all. The characters include creations like an invisible emperor addicted to cheese. His likeness contained in an encyclopedia is, logically enough, a complete blank : "A very faithful portrait !" Lovers of Belgian cinema will note that the role of King Joseph is played by the great Jan Decleir, one of the best actors of his generation. It is remarkable how Decleir, even when wearing ill-fitting robes and saying gibberish, strolls through his surroundings with all the power and charisma of a tiger strolling through the Indian jungle.

Much of the series' success is owed to Hugo Matthysen, a very funny (screen)writer with a liking for weird humor and nonsensical logic. (One of his stories, about The Man Behind Picasso, made me laugh so much that I nearly choked on a sandwich with fish paste. Aah, the memories !)