Zwartboek (2006)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (written by)
Paul Verhoeven (written by)

Release Date:

14 September 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

To fight the enemy, she must become one of them.

Plot:

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.

Plot Keywords:

Resistance | Hiding | Boat | Hiding Place | Netherlands

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 11 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Carice van Houten	...	Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries
Sebastian Koch	...	Ludwig Müntze
Thom Hoffman	...	Hans Akkermans
Halina Reijn	...	Ronnie
Waldemar Kobus	...	Günther Franken
Derek de Lint	...	Gerben Kuipers
Christian Berkel	...	General Käutner
Dolf de Vries	...	Notary Wim Smaal
Peter Blok	...	Van Gein
Michiel Huisman	...	Rob
Ronald Armbrust	...	Tim Kuipers
Frank Lammers	...	Kees
Matthias Schoenaerts	...	Joop
Johnny de Mol	...	Theo
Xander Straat	...	Maarten

Also Known As:

Black Book (Germany) (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence, graphic nudity, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

Netherlands | Germany | Belgium

Language:

Dutch | English | German | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | USA:R | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | UK:15 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Germany:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:MA | Spain:18 | Brazil:16 | Singapore:M18 | Ireland:18 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Fu Works

Trivia:

Carice van Houten did all her own singing for the movie.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: You can hear the sound of common swifts while they try to kidnap Van Gein. These birds migrate in august and are not present in the Netherlands during winter.

Quotes:

Rachel Stein aka Ellis de Vries: Does it never end?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Pauw & Witteman: (#3.111)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Als Op Het Leidseplein De Lichtjes Weer Eens Branden Gaan

Definitely worth seeing

I saw this film last night at the Toronto International Film Festival and enjoyed it quite a bit. I wouldn't describe it as excellent, but it's definitely entertaining, and my interest never waned despite the nearly 2.5 hour length.

The film concerns one young Jewish woman's attempt to stay alive during WWII by any means necessary. Through a series of allegiances which shift with dizzying speed, she does whatever she has to do to survive.

Without giving away any plot details, I'll briefly describe my impressions of the film. The lead actress was great - not only is she stunningly beautiful, but she completely made the movie for me. She's very easy on the eyes, and proves to be a remarkable actress, completely believable and sympathetic.

The plot moved along swiftly and never lost momentum, although the ever-shifting loyalties and allegiances became overwhelming after a while. Having said that however, the plot did seem a bit predictable and obvious to me, a sort of paint-by-numbers approach to script writing. I didn't find it very suspenseful, although our heroine is such a sympathetic character that I found myself rooting for her throughout, wondering how she'd make it through (since the film is one long flashback, one already knows she'll make it).

For a European film it was surprisingly Hollywoodesque, with lots of gratuitous violence and nudity - although I didn't mind the nudity. There were a few scenes which seemed particularly gratuitous and unnecessary: two words - "shit bucket". But luckily these didn't distract too much from the plot.

All in all it was an above average movie and well worth seeing if you're a fan of WWII films and don't mind watching a beautiful young woman light up the screen for two hours or so.