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Black Book

Posted by jamesgarvin (A) on November 8, 2007 at 14:17:21

2006 film from Netherland about life in Holland at the tail end of WWII and the German occupation. We've seen WWII films depicting France, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, why not Holland. This is allegedly based upon a true story. Femme Fatale, played by a very sexy Carise van Houten, is a Jewish woman who is informed by a local police officer that the Germans will be rounding her and her boyfriend up the next day, and that he is orchestrating the escape of other Jews, meet him back here tomorrow, etc.

Things do not go as planned, watch the film to find out why, and she soon finds herself among the Dutch resistance. She dyes her hair blond, complete with dying her pubic hair, and she is now a bona fide German. On a train smuggling contraband, she placed the goods next to an SS officer, cozies up to him using her wiles, discovers he is an avid stamp collector, and escapes discovery from the stormtroopers.

She is soon asked to infiltrate the local SS officer's headquarters. She some becomes romantically involved with the SS officer, who, using his keen eyesight to see her roots, concludes that she is Jewish, but, hey, she is hot, the sex is good, so why not? She developes affectionate feelings for him, and he, in turn, attempts to negotiate the continued survival of resistance prisoners for no more terrorist attacks.

However, a rescue attempt goes horribly wrong, and it becomes clear that there is a mole in the resistance. They blame her. The Nazis discover who she is, and now she is wanted by both sides.

The film works on so many levels. On the one hand, we learn a little of the German occupation in Holland, and the resistance in that country. The story works as a very tight thriller. More than one time during the film I found my heart beating fast as our heroine escaped a tight situation, or I was wondering whether one of the sadistic Nazis commanders found her out, and, during some scenes where they were singing, whether he would or would not lower the boom on her. The film also works as a good love story - this Jewish woman whose family was murdered by the Nazis, falls in love with a Nazi SS officer, who eventually is willing to risk his life for her. It is also a good whodunnit, as we wait to see who was the mole in the resistance, and what is in store for them.

The film runs about 2 hours, 20 minutes. Eventually, the allied forces, led by Canada, take over Holland. Curiously, the Canadian military allowed Nazi leaders to give them advice, and carried out Nazi military executions. This left me a little incredulous, as I would have suspected that anyone in a Nazi uniform would have been immediately incarcerated. I guess I am not as understanding as the Canadians.

The last act of the film sees some turn of events, the discovery of the spy, etc. More information would be spoil the film. I did feel that the ending was a little truncated, as a lot gets wrapped up in a little time. I cannot help but feel the last act was edited to get the film down to a certain run time. But it did not spoil a very good film.

The film was directed and co-written by Paul Verhoeven - the gent who brought us Showgirls - what I think may have been the worst film I have seen, until I saw 'Because I Said So' last week. The film is in German, subtitled, and a complete departure from his prior work on these shores, which includes Basic Instinct, the underrated Total Recall, and the goofy fun of Starship Troopers. I am not sure how long this film was germinating in his head, but he pulled out a dandy.

The acting is very good. The actors are able to build real suspense, and do not rely on a soundtrack, or special effects. The material provides the suspense, and they do not overplay their hand. And did I mention that Ms. van Houten is very sexy? Highly recommended.

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