The Film Tulip Fever
The film Tulip Fever explores the price one is prepared to pay for love, but it leaves viewers with a bitter aftertaste. This is due to the fact that it is founded on delicate issues that are stigmatized by society as being wrong. The movie also follows a lady who is prepared to make significant sacrifices in order to find happiness. By investigating Tulip Fever through the eyes of Deborah (45) who is the author of the book which the movie is based on, we see how the main character in the film falls in love with the painter despite being a happily married woman. This is key because the movie outlines to its audience how love can knock on the wrong doors. Although viewers might assume that the romantic movie tulip fever is for pure entertainment, I consider its message is liberating and freeing (Moggach, 40).
Love that is not Discriminating
Although the romance between Jan van Loos who was the artist and Sophia Zandvoort, the wife of Cornelis Sandvoort is used to show how love is not discriminating. We see that Sophie abandons her marriage for a man who had been commissioned by her husband to paint her portrait. The society deems this act morally wrong, but the story reinforces the fact that one can find love from the unexpected places and should follow their hearts desires for personal happiness.
Courageous Sacrifices for Love
The movie was set up in the 17th century, and we see a courageous woman who abandons everything behind for the love she feels for a stranger. The viewers are shown how she sacrifices her excellent life with an ideal husband for a second-rate individual. These sacrifices include impersonating her housemaid so that she's able to leave her husband. Though seen as being foolish, deep courage and sacrifices for the things that one loves and desires are portrayed. A woman's role at that particular period was not as active and decisive as Sophia's.
Breaking Societal Norms
Traditionally a woman was meant to put every other person's needs before hers, take care of her household, offer their husbands a helping hand in the farms, prepare her family meals, but this is not the case according to this film. Leaving a marriage at the present times is considered hard, and so you can imagine the stigma that was faced and experienced when she took the bold step.
Pride and Care
Cornelis does not lord his status over Sophia as it was the case at that given period but he treats his new bride with pride, love, and care. The act of engaging an artist's services to paint her bride is an act of showing off and having pride that affirms his love for Sophia. Though not deserving the treatment he got, it's essential that Sophia took up the initiative of putting her needs first. Another high character that emerges from the film Tulip fever is how reliable and hardworking Sophia is. One will term her abandoning the wealthy merchant for a struggling artist stupid and unintelligent, but it strengthens Sophia's character as a strong go-getter woman who puts her happiness and wellness behind. This is shown when together with her new lover pull resources and invest in the tulip business in hopes of building their lives together.
Following Her Heart's Desire
The world looks at Sophia's character and actions as a betrayal of her husband and the social norms, but I cannot emphasize enough on her role being of a healthy, stable willed woman who risks her character and values to follow her heart's desire and find love and happiness with a stranger.
Challenging the Role of Women
I wouldn't criticize Sophia to have turned her back against her husband and marriage. Cornelis married Sophia to be a baby- factory. The term 'baby-factory' in itself is demeaning and derogatory to her. It depicts a marriage that is void of love, affection and emotion. She was there to give birth to kids irrespective of her feelings. Ironically, the baby making machines between Sophia and cornelis did not function well despite their prayers. Another irony in this movie is the fact that although cornelis was very wealthy man, he couldn't afford to buy babies. It is common practice today for wealthy people to disregard the not so wealthy and call them derogatory names.
Escape from an Unhappy Life
Sophia having grown up an orphan, she must have experienced her fair share of the crude society we live in. Every young child needs to grow up with their parents, be pampered by them until maturity. However, the movie depicts Sophia as an orphan that was staying in a convent. The burden of growing up in a convent must have had a toll on her. She couldn't have added another burden of an unhappy marriage. Also considering that she left a wealthy man for a struggling artist portrays a picture of someone that wants love, emotional fulfillment and companionship as opposed to wealth.
Pushed to the Wall
Sophia having been brought up in a convent, she must have been instilled in some Christianity values. Another fact that emphasizes her Christianity is the way they used to pray as a couple before embarking on the baby- making process. By the time a Christian woman cheats on her husband, she must have been pushed to the wall. The movie reveals that Sophia imprisoned herself due to shame of failing to bear children yet we know that infertility can be both sides! Maybe it is Cornelis that was infertile! The movie in this context portrays a patriarchal society that is numb to a woman's feelings.
A Desperate Act
I find it ridiculous that a married woman can stick a pillow under her dress for nine months to disguise as a pregnancy. Sophia was to do that while Maria the maid would carry a baby that Cornelis would think is his. How it was to be achieved is laughable. What if she forgot to stuff the pillow?, weren't Sophia and cornelis going to share a bed until nine months elapsed?, what if cornelis asked to talk to/ feel the growing baby bump?, I find the idea of a pillow comical and yet again shows a desperate woman that was willing to do anything possible to make the situation better.
Searching for Happiness
Sophia was a strong- minded woman. When Jan the artist came to make for them a portrait, the movie says they fell in love immediately. She must have been tired of the prevailing situation and was looking for the easiest way out/ escape route. She did not take her time to first learn the person before falling in love. She is surrounded by a passionate couple of Maria and Willem that openly show their affection in the kitchen. Every woman would love that, but unfortunately for Sophia, it is the opposite. She is determined at all costs to get out of selfish Cornelis life and search for her own happiness (Moggach, 59).
Themes Explored
In this movie we, we see themes of greed, vanity and lust combined together with a destructive force. We see lives of three individuals change forever when the young painter falls in love with Sophia despite her better judgment. In this movie we see other themes of disguise and deception, emptiness of vanity and beauty, role of art in the world and also the relationship between the servant and his master (kucharski, 131151).
Morality and Religion
Also we see religion versus belief in superstitions where by Sophia being a highly religious person knows and understands that starting an affair with Jan is morally inappropriate and knows that a severe punishment awaits her. This however, does not deter her from continuing with the relationship instead of avoiding or calling off the affair (Gonzalez, 130).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the movie shows a woman that sacrifices her happiness and livelihood for a marriage and man that does not appreciate. She was self-imprisoned because of shame of failing to bear children for three years. Also the movie reveals how miserable she looked every time they tried to conceive yet they kept trying for three years. The movie further reveals a patriarchal society that does not value women or their emotions. All Cornelis wants are babies and an heir. He even goes ahead to make portrait for them as a couple in anticipation for an heir.
Work cited
Gonzalez, Madelena, ed. Generic Instability and Identity in the Contemporary Novel. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009: 120₋367
Kucharski, Marek. "Intertextual and Intermedial Relationships: Deborah Moggach, Zbigniew Herbert and Dutch Painting of the Seventeenth Century." Studia Litteraria Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis 2015.2 (2015): 131151.
Moggach, Deborah. Tulip Fever, New York. Delacorte Press 1999 Print: 1₋186
