The Hell of 63 is a Dutch movie from 2009.
The film focuses on the 'Eleven Cities Tour', a skate competition that only takes place when it freezes long enough to have safe ice between eleven cities in the Netherlands. In the particular cold winter of 1963, this tour was held, resulting in many injured and exhausted skaters.
Since this tour can't take place most years because it's not cold enough, the participants are fanatical about it.The main focus is on a soldier who deserted just to skate the race, a doctor who lost her lover to the ice before, a guy who is officially too young to skate and a man who keeps losing his jobs and who is afraid that he loses his wife.
Another focus point is the committee that decides whether or not the Tour will go through.
The Hell of 63 provides examples of:
- Badass Driver: Averted with Kees, who seems to be comfortable in his truck, but manages to land it in the ice because he doesn't pay attention to the road while singing.
- Chase Scene: soldiers come after the skaters that are too slow, to get them off the ice. Since the tour is often not happening and seen as the most prestigious long tour in the world, many skaters tried to avoid them.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: Kees thinks that finishing the Eleven Cities Tour will endear him again to his estranged and pregnant wife. It works in the end, especially when he promises to get her a television.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Kees is the happy, extraverted Red Oni, to Henk's introverted Blue Oni.
- The Smart Guy: Annemiek is not just a doctor, but comes up with two of the plots to stay out of the hands of the soldiers.
- Uptown Girl: Downplayed. Annemiek, a doctor, is viewed this way by farmer's son Sjoerd. She points out that running a farm is no mean feat.
- Villain Respect: When his superior officer finally catches Henk at the finish line, he gives his respect to him, after chasing him for most in the movie. Downplayed in that he's not really a villain, but more of an antagonist.
