Bastille (1984) is the first feature film Van den Berg made. Based on Leon de Winter's novel La Place de la Bastille the movie is about Paul a historian who on a snapshot of his mistress discovers a man in the background. Paul gets obsessed by the idea that this could be his deported twin brother, and goes out on a journey of self-discovery. The movie was received with much acclaim. At the 1984 Grand Prix of the Dutch film Rudolf van den Berg won the price for best director for Bastille. The movie was also shown in the United States and received many positive reviews.
Rudolf van den Berg's notes: My first feature film, on a budget of 330.000 Euros, including a 10 day shoot in Paris. Film-making proved to be hard and complex. There are so many things, both on and off set, I never realized I would need to take care of. I will always remain grateful to my friend, the director George Sluizer who produced the film and helped to turn it into a success. Bastille was released in the USA.
