An epilogue
In one of his last reviews, John Larsen examines the Dutch WWII drama Black Book
By John Larsen 06/07/2007
Black Book (Zwartboek) Starring: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldermar Kobus. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Written by Verhoeven and Gerard Soeteman. Rated R. 145 Minutes. In Dutch, Hebrew and Italian with English sub-titles.
Before he became Hollywood’s go-to-guy for explicit violence (Robocop) and frank sexuality (Basic Instinct), Paul Verhoeven was one of Holland’s most audacious directors. Never one to flinch when it came to sex and gut-wrenching carnage, Verhoeven was equally skilled peeling back the layers of human nature to expose its raw nerve.
Verhoeven hits a predictable nerve in Black Book (Zwartboek), a harrowing WWII drama which proves once again Nazis make the best villains. Black Book plays like a Nazi greatest hits list, filled with one horrific moment after another, tied together by the true story of Rachel, a Jewish woman living with her family in Holland under Nazi occupation. After her family is murdered during an ambush, Rachel lands in the hands of the resistance, who transform her into Ellis, a blonde German cabaret singer.
Like all good WWII films, Black Book uses espionage and subterfuge to advance its plot, taking us behind enemy lines and into the belly of the beast. I’ve seen enough WWII films about Nazi persecution to realize where Verhoeven and co-writer Gerard Soeteman are headed, but their vision is so powerful you don’t mind taking the trip.
Verhoeven couldn’t have picked a better tour guide than Carice van Houten, a Dutch actress who instantly gains our sympathy and support as Rachel. It’s a brave performance, filled with raw, honest emotion. Like her character, van Houten undergoes major doses of human degradation, forced to surrender her morals and decency. In order to become Ellis, Rachel not only dyes the hair on her head, but also her pubic area. She knows the only way to exact revenge against those who killed her family is to sleep with the enemy, so crotch itch be damned.
As Black Book turns its page, we wonder if poor Rachel is ever going to get a break. It seems everything and everyone she touches dies, so at first she doesn’t mind warming up to Nazi commander Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch). What begins as a campaign to free her comrades blossoms into love, a relationship which becomes even more twisted and dangerous when Muntze reveals he knows she’s really a Jew. So is Muntze really a bad guy, or just someone taking orders? The writers help us accept his actions by making those around him even more vile, like the officer responsible for killing Rachel’s family.
Even though Black Book is a small story, the director paints it on a very large canvas, constantly surprising me with his scope and production values. Verhoeven recreates war torn Holland with bitter perfection, and the war scenes are as impressive and devastating as any large scale American film.
You know you’re watching a great foreign film when you forget you’re reading subtitles. Black Book sweeps you up into its story with such finesse and craftsmanship you find you’re watching rather than reading the film.
Filled with breathtaking suspense, powerful performances, and an impressive sense of history, this Black Book is a real page-turner.
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