Het meisje met de blauwe hoed (1934)

The hapless Daantje Pieters works in a grocery store in Schoonhoven when he is suddenly called up to serve in the Dutch army in The Hague. Neither Daantje nor his parents are happy about the news, but he has to enlist all the same, or he will be considered a deserter. Once he joins the army, Daantje becomes the target of teasing by his fellow soldiers. His roommate Toontje, in particular, takes great pleasure in making fun of him. The only thing that keeps him going is the thought of “the girl in the blue hat,” a beautiful young woman he noticed in The Hague. Despite their unfriendly start, Daantje and Toontje soon become good friends. While attending a revue by Lou Bandy, Daantje spots the girl in the blue hat again. He is too shy to approach her, but Toontje arranges for them to meet in a pub, much to the annoyance of her date. The girl, whose name is Betsie, is attracted to Daantje, and the two spend a romantic evening together. The next day, as a result of one of Toontje’s pranks, Daantje is made to look bad in the captain’s eyes. Feeling guilty, Toontje is now determined to bring Daantje and Betsie together. With Toontje’s help, Daantje is able to shower Betsie with gifts. They fall in love, and it is not long before Daantje proposes to her. She is enthusiastic, but insists that he first get permission from her parents. Time passes, and Betsie turns out not to be the perfect partner. To Daantje’s great frustration, she wants to go out every evening, which costs him a lot of money. He is even forced to borrow money to buy expensive things for Betsie. Mainly because Toontje keeps barging in without shame, Betsie’s parents are not impressed with Daantje, but Betsie gets engaged to him anyway. Even when Daantje makes it clear that he is nearly broke, she does not cut off contact with him. He takes her to his parents’ home in Gouda. Daantje’s mother is unimpressed by the sexually liberated Betsie and would rather see her son marry his next-door neighbor, Truus Jansma, a respectable young woman. Betsie realizes that people look down on her and confides in Daantje that he would be better off with Truus. Daantje assures her, however, that she is the only one for him. Once back in The Hague, Betsie realizes that she and Daantje are not suited to each other. She explains that she is too wild for him and breaks off the engagement.