In Man with Cockerel the viewer's reverie is jolted by a montage of asynchronous sounds which struggle to attain verisimilitude and connect with the chimeric procession of events injected in the interstices left by the splintering pixels of the dissolving man. Sensory relief is afforded at the end of the loop, by the long silent lapping of waves on an empty screen.
This adventurous feature film is a sequel to Paul Verhoeven's legendary youth series from 1969. In this modern film version - the Middle Ages are more imaginative and larded with anachronistic jokes - the story revolves around Floris (grandson of Rutger Hauer's character from the series), a peace-loving bloke whose father despises him because he refuses to carry on the family tradition of stout-hearted knights defending freedom: Floris is an actor.
