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Black Book (Zwartboek)

Set during the end of WWII, Black Book is the story of a German Jewish girl who narrowly survives the war in Holland. She joins the resistance to find out who betrayed her family after all of them were killed in an attempt to reach the liberated south.

Critiques des membres

Captivating! - Quindog

For a foreign film well in excess of 2 hours, this movie never ceased to entertain.

Yes, as some reviewers have pointed out, there are a few screenplay gaps and a couple of Hollywoodish, "yeah, like that would ever happen" moments. But all in all it was great ride right to the end as the final "who is playing who" plays out.

The acting was solid. van Houten and Koch (who I'm becoming a big fan of since "The Lives of Others"; now I can't wait to see "The Tunnel") were captivating as the Jewish girl and the German SS Officer who slowly fall in love despite their suspicions of each others' real loyalties. And overall, the casting was excellent too, especially Waldemar Kobus as Günther Franken (Thanks Stitch).

A cinematographic beauty of a film from Verhoeven. Surprised a bit that Hollywood hasn't jumped all over an English remake of this one.

A great movie for both of you; she gets the love story, he gets some flesh and violence, and you can share the espionage. Recommended.

Oh that Verhoeven. - cathyottawa

Say what you will about him, the infamous director of Basic Instinct and Showgirls never fails to entertain.

Ever wonder what would happen if you crossed a Spanish novella soap opera with a serious war movie? I think it would look something like Black Book.

This isn't nearly as campy or simplistic as some of Verhoeven's other outings; in fact, it was put up for, and very nearly received a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination.

But it does have those Verhoeven trademarks - lots of nudity, both male and female, and lots of sex. This film is more likely to be remembered as the one where the girl dyed her pubic hair blond (and yes, we see it), than as a serious war drama. Such is Verhoevens fate.

Big Dutch star Carice van Houten is beautiful and compelling as the protagonist of this story. I wouldn't be surprised if her career started to take off in Hollywood as a result of this film.

This has some violence (mostly people getting shot), but isn't a very bloody war movie. It stays centered on Carice's character, and her story of how she survived the war as a Jew in occupied Holland. It's a story told with flourish, that I enjoyed.

Nazis She Has Loved - Stitch

You might guess this romance will face an occasional bump in the road since the heroine is Jewish and the year is 1944 in occupied Holland. But she has commendable twin attributes to admire, the action is pretty well non-stop, and there are more twists to the plot than those legendary Amsterdam canals. The cinematography is excellent throughout. The supporting roles are competently handled in spite of the screenplay having more holes than Leerdammer cheese.

It reminds me a lot of Soldier of Orange, also by Verhoven. A convenient crutch is to announce up front that the story is derived from true events—but so is just about every movie ever made. His schtick is to pack a plethora of events into a visually appealing action film and then try to weave them into a semblance of believability. How about fewer events with more time and attention to related plot and character development? There are just so many players that, as in Soldiers, you never come to know any one character well enough to suffer along. Except for the lead, and that’s another story.

The moral grounding of the film, aside from resistance to a brutal occupying army, is the heroine's personal sacrifice for vengeance and to save others. Yet to me her character hasn't been given sufficient plot integrity so we can appreciate her reluctance to romance the enemy or later to empathize with her suffering. More convincing maturity and rectitude early on might have put us more firmly in her corner.

Waldemar Kobus as Günther Franken is a great choice for the villain. Absolutely detestable, best performance of the lot. Koch as Muntze has a tougher job convincing us of his irresistability. And the bit about occupation forces honoring SS court martial orders is a fabrication, a handy cop-out to resolve a plot conundrum.

In summary, a shoot-em-up masquerading as a true-story morality lesson. Sex, brutality and full frontal nudity, male included. Put the kids to bed first.

Critiques des membres Lire tous...

Captivating! - Quindog

Oh that Verhoeven. - cathyottawa

Nazis She Has Loved - Stitch

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Black Book (Zwartboek)

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