1682
Synopsis
How the Cape was won
A historical drama in 8 episodes built around the First Governor of the Cape 1679 to 1691.
"History is written by old men, invariably about battles they never fought and victories they never won.
Women are spectators and little is written of the sex that builds societies."
A Love Story between CATHARENA RAS and SIMON VAN DER STEL that centres on the deep irony that the Cape originally a populated by fierce primitive tribes that faught vehemently against
slavery,
was transformed into a dynasty of racism that would last for 350 years. Transformed at the hands of a black man!
Protagonist is Catharina Ras the first woman landowner in the Cape.
Catharina is born in Germany and moves to Holland where she marries. Her husband dies under mysterious circumstances and she is forced to flee to the Cape in the disguise of a man.
She gets to the Cape under the Command of Jan van Riebeeck and starts to climb the social ladder.
And then she meets Simon ...
Themes
Freedom and Slavery
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was a trading company with a monopoly on trade in the East. The VOC was a slave trading company.
Destructive Love
A strong black man is no match for a strong white woman.
The one who loves most in a relationship loses the most.
The Glass Ceiling
Both Catharina and Simon are outsiders. They are both ambitious and want to climb the social ladder.
His blackness and her femaleness are barriers to their ambitions.
Witchcraft
In the 17th century strong or independent women would be accused of witchcraft. Catharena is a whitch that desposes of people who get in her way, five husbands and more.
Characters
Narrator
A Female Narrator creates the historical framework, from which the story is told.
Catharina Ras
She is born in Germany, moves to Holland, Marries young
Strengths
Ambitious, ruthless risk taker
Weaknessess
She is the consumate outsider. Her femaleness is a barrier to her ambitions. Falls in love into destructive relationships
Talents
Charming and charismatic, able attract supporters and followers. Skilled in witchcraft. Can talk to animals.
Faults
Has no compassion for the weak and the poor.
Simon van der Stel
He is born at sea, grows up in Holland, Moves to Batavia and back to Holland. He marries a rich mans daughter and gets sent to the Cape as Commander and then first Governor.
Strengths
capable of deep and strong affection, fearless, loyal, and generous to a fault.
Weaknessess
He is the Byronic Character : proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind,
implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection
archetype of the tortured antihero whose all-consuming rage, jealousy and anger destroy both him and those around him;
He is vengeful on the aristocrats who isolate him. He has Othello style jealousy for his women.
Talents
Charming and charismatic, able attract supporters and followers.
Faults
He is the ultimate cocoanut. Black on the outside, white on the inside.
Despises his own.
His colonial background and his blackness are barriers to his ambitions.
Catherina's five husbands
These are foil characers with cameo roles. We get the best that we can buy. They all follow the same path - an older man that is able to offer Catherina social advancement, This is accepted by Catherina as long as they do not try to dominate here.
inevitably happens and they are all killed by Catharina.
Budget Summary
The Draft Budget for 1682 is Euros 22.5 M. This si still flexible and will depend on the path that the producers take.
The script and the budget are based on 8 episodes at Euros 2.5 M per episode. This has great fleixibility.
Cape Town is one of the cheapest locations to film in the world. Amsterdam is one of the most expensive. We cab mix according to the budget.
Development Budget
3 months
Euros 100 000
Pilot
3 months
Euros 400 000
Preprodution
3 months
Euros 500 000
Production
6 months
Euros 20 000 000
Post Production
3 months
Euros 1 000 000
Launch
3 months
Euros 500 000
Total
21 months
Euros 22 500 000
Executive Producers
The budget for this series is generous to Executive Producers, offering 40% of the backend profits. Initial budgets are based on 8 episodes at Euros 2.5 M per episode.
South African
SA Producer
SA Male lead
Locations in Cape Town
Steenberg, Constantia, Cape Town Castle, Simonstown, Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Cape Town Studios, Cape Town Beaches, Gardens, Mountains,
South African Actors, Productions Crew
Dutch
Budget is also for Dutch Locations.
Dutch Director
Dutch Female Lead Catherina
Dutch Actors and Production Crew
Card Template
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Script Summary
The script is firmly influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, DH Lawrence, Henry Miller, JK Rowling.
It is written in the first person and is narrated by Catharina Ras.
Episodes are 60 minutes and each follows a classic structure of exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
Scenes take place between The Cape various venues, and the Netherlands. Scenes at sea are used to transition between the two.
Episode 1
Opens at a gala dinner for the new Governor at the Castle.
Catharina Meets Simon van der Stel for the first time. The Attraction is instantaneous
Catharinas backstory in Holland is told in a series of flashbacks.
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Cape History
1510
Dom Francisco de Almeida and 64 men were killed at the Battle of Salt River by the Goringhaiqua tribe. The Battle was over Cattle and children.
So while the Portuguese expanded to monopoly control of the slave trade in the Indian Ocean in the sixteenth century,
the Europeans never returned to the Cape for 150 years until Jan van Riebeeck opened a trading station in 1652.
1588
England with Dutch Allies defeat the Spanish Armada. OPens the golden Age of Dutch History. Wouls last 100 years.
Spanish sea power was equally impressive, at least until Philip II got the idea to invade England. After the Spanish armada met its untimely end in 1588, it was a different story.
The loss of the armada and with it much of Spain’s naval power was a gap gleefully exploited by a number of powers, not the least among which were the Dutch.
1653
The Cape remained as a low scale trading place until the introduction of the first slaves from Java and Madagascar in 1653.
1679
Simon van der Stel is appointed as Commander of teh Cape Colony. He arrives at the Cape in 1679 and is promoted to Governor in 1691.
1684
Martha van Wetteren became the last person to be executed for sorcery in Flanders, and after 1692 no more witch trials were held.
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Interviews
Womens Weekly
14 February 2024
WW:
What is the story of 1682?
Copeman :
It's a love story, written for women and set in the Dutch Golden Age, the story is about the first Governor of the Cape and the first Woman Land Owner.
WW:
What do you mean by "Written for Women"?
Copeman :
Every writer must begin with an audience in mind. I have written this story for an audience of women.
Our protagonist is a woman who faces the same challenges as most women today, but amplified in Dutch Seventeenth Century society.
Freedom and Slavery.
WW:
History Monthly
14 February 2024
Africa is big.
The Cape is small,
Like Taipei, Monte Carlo or Singapore.
It is still run by the Regenten.
Script
1682
How the Cape was Won
Written by Philip Copeman
2 February 2024
Episode 1
Episode 1
EXT. CAPE TOWN CASTLE- EVENING
Camera approaches fron the beach over small dunes and the castle is right on the beach.
On the cobble stones outside the Castle. A woman and her husband dressed in colorful formal dress are in a carriage. They are being driven to the Castle.
Catherina:
History is written by bald old men.
Politics, war, battles the writers' never waged and victories they never won.
Little of women, love, and the emotions that build societies.
And so it is with the Cape.
How was it that a primitive society without race or class, that faught vehemently against slavery was transformed into a dynasty of racism that would last for 350 years?
Simon:
Our story starts in 1679 when Simon van der Stel arrives at the Cape as the new Commander. A gala dinner is held at the Castle to welcome him.
Johnny C Rhodes
Johnny C Rhodes, our villainous hero, lives in the newnormal, on the edge of reality and a near future dystopia. Borders are blurred by pschopathic villains, drink, drugs and fast women.
He was born as a response to my revolutionary comrades, who picture Capital
as a monopolist beast run by a cabal of conspirators. Johnny C sits at the head of the table.
The adventures of Johnny C picks its ideas from
facebook and web blogs. Contributions are most welcome as we try to
expose and thwart the exploitations of our Heinous Hero. Readers get
a chance to meet and interact with the Master of 'the Square'.
Many of the characters are composites taken from my experiences, but
you should at all times bear in mind that this story is merely a figment
of imagination and no slander on real people is inferred or implied.
If you see yourself and feel that you can correct the dystopia,
feel free to email Philip Copeman a contribution.
This is, after all, merely - fiction.
A caution for sensitive readers - the fictional nature is not always
obvious - at times reality bends just a little and thenewnormal emerges
as a genre which preys apon the fake news and conspiracy theory
industry. A worm hole to the nineteenth century history of South
Africa.
Enough of the small talk. Without further ado, let me introduce you to
our Protagonist – Johnny C.
Johnny Cecil Rhodes is the great nephew, twice removed, of the
nineteenth century diamond magnate of similar name and Johnny is the
sole trustee to the diamond fortunes. It is little known that he is one of
the richest men in the world, even though he has never worked a day in
his life. He lives with Innocent, his Zimbabwean chauffeur, at
Genadendal. This arrangement comes courtesy of The Rhodes Trust
agreement that gave ”usufruct” on the main house to South Africa's
sitting Prime Minister, but reserved the cottage for Rhodes'.