Winter in Wartime (2008)

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, a teenage boy gets involved in the Dutch Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded RAF pilot.

Director:

Martin Koolhoven

Writers:

Martin Koolhoven (screenplay), Paul Jan Nelissen (screenplay)

Stars:

Martijn Lakemeier, Jamie Campbell Bower, Yorick van Wageningen

10 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martijn Lakemeier	...	Michiel
Yorick van Wageningen	...	Oom Ben
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Jack
Raymond Thiry	...	Johan
Melody Klaver	...	Erica
Anneke Blok	...	Lia
Mees Peijnenburg	...	Dirk
Jesse van Driel	...	Theo
Dan van Husen	...	Auer
Ad van Kempen	...	Schafter
Tygo Gernandt	...	Bertus
Ben Ramakers	...	Veerman
Tibo Vandenborre	...	Duitse Soldaat Redding
Jens Roth	...	Duitse Soldaat 1
Peter Eberst	...	Duitse Soldaat 2

Storyline

Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi occupied netherlands | nazi occupation | teenage boy | collaborator | horse | 

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Taglines:

In 1945 Holland, a boy must choose between good and evil.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the shot of the marketplace seen through the bell tower, the bell tower was a digital effect since no such building was present there.

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Goofs

When the boy opens the suitcase in the attic, he pulls out a Browning HighPower pistol with Pachmayr Signature rubber grips. The grips would be wood or hard plastic. Pachmayr grips would be made in the United States post WWII.

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Connections

References The Great Silence (1968)

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Soundtracks

BACCARA
Composer (Componist): Ferry Barendse
Performed by (Uitgevoerd door): The Ramblers
Publisher (Uitgeverij): Editions Charles Bens / Strengholt Music Group
Label: Dureco / Strengholt Music
© Isabella Films / Fu Works

User Reviews

Historically unrealistic

Aristides-2 and malcolmgw have already mentioned some of the holes in the plot that you can drive a truck through, such as Jack's leg being broken and rotting away one day but being magically healed when he clambers across a river along the underside of a bridge on the very next day.

Aside from absurd details like this, the historical premise of the movie is unrealistic. The events portrayed are supposed to have happened in January 1945, at a time when the Germans were running from the Russians in the East and mobilized their last reserves of manpower, weaponry, and fuel for the futile Battle of the Bulge in the West.

And yet this movie will have us believe that, just then, a whole company or so of German soldiers - all young men in their prime, well- fed, well-armed and -motorized, spic and span - are tasked with playing cat and mouse all day long with a bunch of hapless villagers in the Dutch countryside? And that, with 5 years of battlefield experience, none of them can hit a standing target at 50 paces?

I get that the makers of movies are more interested in human virtues and morals than in historical facts, but it nevertheless detracts from a move when the historical background is so poorly treated.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Netherlands]

Country:

Netherlands Belgium

Language:

Dutch English German

Release Date:

27 November 2008 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Winter in Wartime

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

EUR4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,937, 20 March 2011

Gross USA:

$543,100

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,275,806

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isabella Films B.V., Fu Works, Isabella Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1