This film takes place in Holland near the end of the WWII with parts of the country under Nazi occupation and other parts liberated. Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) an attractive Jewish girl and former recognized singer, continues to hide awaiting an end to the war. Unfortunately her fate is a little more complicated then just hanging out and soon she finds herself on an unrelenting journey beginning with a rendezvous with her family who along with her hope to gain safe passage by boat to the liberated area. Eventually Rachel finds herself collaborating with the Nazi opposing Dutch resistance movement. Her mission status jumps into high gear when word returns of her unrehearsed flirtatious meeting with a high-ranking German officer.
I had the pleasure of seeing this at the Miami film festival where it played to a sold out auditorium. The director Paul Verhoeven and the lead Actress Carice van Houten were in attendance and both spoke briefly before the movie started.
Paul has directed such films as Turks fruit, Soldier of Orange, Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Hollow man, Basic Instinct and others. He began with an introduction to the time this movie takes place (1944) and the location (Northern Holland). This film took many years and rewrites to come to fruition and at one point it actually had a man as the lead character. Paul enjoyed the freedom of creating this movie outside the USA. No politically correct creative restrictions were imposed on him and it seems this was something he’d been subject to and not cared for previously.
After seeing the film I agree that some of the scenes would have been altered by a US studio due to there bare nature. Nothing out of line just male/female frontal nudity, graphic headshot wounds and up front personal attacks with firearms.
The thing I like most about this film is how it’s presented; up close and personal with a slight rawness that complements it’s adventurous tone. You constantly feel as if your moving forward no mater what the circumstance is. Someone is doing something or betraying/plotting against another and it all must be completed before the war ends. It’s far from a boring textbook history lesson. I think this helps separate it from the many other Nazi films.
Carice van Houten delivers a fantastic Ripley like performance as the lead lady who begins in hiding and ends with a tough as nails exterior firmly developed from her necessity to overcome the many setbacks that never seem to give her a break. I fell in love with her from the opening scene not only due to her physical beauty but also from her very strong and confident persona. In real life Carice van Houten looks totally different to the point that I could hardly believe it was she on the screen.
This film clocks in at 145 minutes but never slows or feels stretched. It actually reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark as it had so many areas it wanted to cover.
This is the best film I’ve seen this young year and it's definitely something I will add to my movie collection.
Subtitles in English are easy to read and the sound effects are very good.
A
Official Site http://www.sonyclassics.com/blackbook/
I had the pleasure of seeing this at the Miami film festival where it played to a sold out auditorium. The director Paul Verhoeven and the lead Actress Carice van Houten were in attendance and both spoke briefly before the movie started.
Paul has directed such films as Turks fruit, Soldier of Orange, Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Hollow man, Basic Instinct and others. He began with an introduction to the time this movie takes place (1944) and the location (Northern Holland). This film took many years and rewrites to come to fruition and at one point it actually had a man as the lead character. Paul enjoyed the freedom of creating this movie outside the USA. No politically correct creative restrictions were imposed on him and it seems this was something he’d been subject to and not cared for previously.
After seeing the film I agree that some of the scenes would have been altered by a US studio due to there bare nature. Nothing out of line just male/female frontal nudity, graphic headshot wounds and up front personal attacks with firearms.
The thing I like most about this film is how it’s presented; up close and personal with a slight rawness that complements it’s adventurous tone. You constantly feel as if your moving forward no mater what the circumstance is. Someone is doing something or betraying/plotting against another and it all must be completed before the war ends. It’s far from a boring textbook history lesson. I think this helps separate it from the many other Nazi films.
Carice van Houten delivers a fantastic Ripley like performance as the lead lady who begins in hiding and ends with a tough as nails exterior firmly developed from her necessity to overcome the many setbacks that never seem to give her a break. I fell in love with her from the opening scene not only due to her physical beauty but also from her very strong and confident persona. In real life Carice van Houten looks totally different to the point that I could hardly believe it was she on the screen.
This film clocks in at 145 minutes but never slows or feels stretched. It actually reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark as it had so many areas it wanted to cover.
This is the best film I’ve seen this young year and it's definitely something I will add to my movie collection.
Subtitles in English are easy to read and the sound effects are very good.
A
Official Site http://www.sonyclassics.com/blackbook/
