The first movie version from the age of black white of Flemish heimatauthor Ernest Claes classical novel titled after the nickname Dutch the White referring to a blond male of the main character a smart but naughty farmhands son whose eternal mischief pranks and disobedience drive his elders especially teachers family and fathers grumpy employer a rich farmer and classmates to despair in a time when a boys punishment was still inevitable swift and often severe