Directing
Walter, the son of a shipowner, tries to seduce Rika, engaged to the rough fisherman Wan. When Wan sees Walter kiss her, he leaves in anger, only to be caught in a storm at sea. Believed dead, Rika refuses Walter’s proposal. Wan is rescued by Icelandic fishermen and returns months later to marry Rika. Later, the shipowner schemes to commit insurance fraud, but Wan is killed trying to stop a fire. Grief drives Rika mad, until a new storm strands Walter on the shore. Rika revives him with a kiss, healing herself, and a new romance begins between them.
In 1430, Philip the Good founded the Order of the Golden Fleece, a prestigious order of knighthood, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal and to boost his political power. Filmmakers Buyse and De Craeke built a story around this history, shooting parts of it in Bruges and around Tillegem Castle. They also managed to capture footage of the unique Golden Fleece procession, which marched through Bruges on July 13 and August 17, 1930, to mark the centenary of Belgian independence.
