ABSTRACT

In this chapter we analyze a trade conflict between the USA and the Netherlands that commenced directly after the Second World War. Two national organizations, the Motion Picture Export Association (hereafter MPEA) and the Netherlands Cinema Association (hereafter NBB, or Nederlandse Bioscoop Bond), clashed over differing interests. At stake was the Dutch cinema market, which had operated openly before the war when it came to the importation of foreign films (domestic production had always been negligible) but had been protective and closed when it came to allowing foreign companies to buy or establish theaters. The closed market had long been a concern for American distributors and exhibitors, and after the war, the MPEA tried to crack the Dutch market. The Dutch were not, however, willing to simply let the MPEA have its way, and the ensuing conflict led to mutual boycotts.