A dream of Peter R. de Vries has come true: what he claims is his best book has been made into a film. A Murder Costs More Lives has now become a Videoland series. Peter’s children Kelly and Royce kept a finger on the pulse throughout the entire process.
“The series had to do justice to his book,” Royce de Vries tells NU.nl. “But we realize very well that it is a drama series and therefore not a documentary. This means that you have to deviate from the book. Scenes are dramatized, but it should not become a completely different story.”
A Murder Costs More Lives tells the true story of 27-year-old Paul Spruit, who killed his stepfather in 1984. Spruit’s father was convicted in 1972 for the murder of two children. The series raises the question: does the nest you were born in determine what you do later in life?
Producer Lucio Messercola was in discussions with Peter R. de Vries about making the series. A few months after the death of the crime reporter, Messercola contacted the De Vries family. He wanted to work with the family members to ensure that Peter’s dream would still be realized.
The De Vries family with the producers and director of Een Moord Kost Meer Levens. Photo: NL Image
‘My father turned off the TV if there was no notepad during a police interrogation’
Royce says that his sister Kelly was closely involved in converting the book into a script. “We had a kind of veto. That turned out not to be necessary, because everything was done in good consultation. There were never any harsh words. But there were certainly moments when the script strayed too much or when we found elements unrealistic.”
Royce remembers that his father always commented on details that were not truthful when watching police series. The television was then simply turned off. A missing notepad during a police interrogation could be enough. Royce paid extra attention to these types of details, but only had to make few adjustments after the first version.
“There were a few scenes where I said: that’s not how it really works. For example, a conversation between Paul Spruit and the psychologist who examines him, who then makes a statement about the expected punishment. That’s not what someone like that is about. “They immediately adjusted it. I am well informed about the facts, but I do not go as far as my father did. To my great satisfaction, there was a notepad on the table during the interrogations,” he smiles.
‘Everyone wanted to do it as nicely as possible for my father’
Director Marco van Geffen took on the task of turning the 1994 book into a screenplay. The series, like the book, is told from Spruit’s perspective. “When reading, you are initially looking for scenes. Do I see this in my mind? That is your first point of reference.”
Van Geffen chose to tell the story by making many jumps through time. “It’s a layered story that stretches over a long period of time. Then you have to try things like that to keep that tension going.”
De Vries’ children have rejected an earlier version of the series that would have centered on a detective. It would detract from telling the real story. Van Geffen: “Kelly has quite good dramaturgical insight, so her comments were interesting to me. But they were largely minor comments on their part throughout the process.”
Royce praises the efforts of the entire cast and crew. “We noticed that everyone wanted to go the extra mile to make it as nice as possible for my father. That feels very good. And I think that is also reflected in the result.”
The four-part series A Murder Costs More Lives can be seen on Videoland from Tuesday.
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Watch the trailer of A Murder Costs More Lives
2023-11-14 12:51:00
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