Black Book (2006)

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven | 138 minutes | thriller, war | Actors: Carice van Houten, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Sebastian Koch, Christian Berkel, Waldemar Kobus, Michiel Huisman, Derek de Lint, Peter Blok, Ronald Armbrust, Dolf de Vries, Diana Dobbelman, Matthias Schoenaerts, Xander Straat, Frank Lammers, Rixt Leddy, Lidewij Mahler, Pieter Tiddens, Gijs Naber, Dirk Zeelenberg, Michiel de Jong, Jobst Schnibbe, Boris Saran, Jack Vecht, Jacqueline Blom, Seth Kamphuijs, Herman Boerman, Reinier Mulder, Bert Luppes, Marisa Van Eyle, Heleen Mineur, Bas van der Horst, Janni Goslinga, Wimie Wilhelm, Theo Maassen, Tjebbo Gerritsma, Timothy Deenihan, Nolan Hemmings, Garrick Hagon, Ronald de Bruin, Menno van Beekum, Marcel Musters, Hugo Metsers, Rian Gerritsen, Susan Visser, Maiko Kemper, Carsten Sasse, Liza de Weerd, Willem de Wolf, Oded Menashe, Gabriela Lewis, Emiel Jansen

Finally it is here: the new, long-awaited Verhoeven. This director’s first Dutch film since 1983, due to disappointing reactions and the narrow film climate in the Netherlands, left for America to spread his wings. The screenplay of ‘Zwartboek’ has been in preparation for at least twenty years and has now finally been adapted into a film, with a top cast and high “production values”. And, the film may have a distinctly local character, but it has international allure, not least because of the “event” that constitutes ‘Black Book’. The fact that this now internationally renowned director returns to his homeland after such a long time for a production that is close to his heart makes the film a true “event”, which explains that the film was already made before its premiere. has been sold to more than fifty countries. ‘Zwartboek’ will also be the Dutch entry for the Oscar ceremony in 2007.

According to Verhoeven, ‘Black Book’ should be seen as a correction to the heroic ‘Soldier of Orange’ in the sense that a more realistic approach has now been chosen. More shades of gray now, instead of a black and white approach where the good and bad are clearly defined. There are heroes who do questionable things and “bad guys” who aren’t as villainous as we’d like them to be. The most valuable example of these nuances is the central relationship in ‘Zwartboek’, between Carice van Houten’s Rachel Stein and Sebastian Koch’s SD chief Müntze. It is here where the emotional and intellectual anchor lies, which the viewer has to pull into the story, and then never let go.

This succeeds for a large part, and this is mainly thanks to the great Carice van Houten. She knows how to carry the film on her fragile, shapely shoulders with verve. This is truly the Carice show, and it only seems logical that ‘Zwartboek’ will mean her international breakthrough, even if this is a Dutch film. Her ability to convey subtle emotions through her face, and her eye-catching (camera) beauty simply cannot go unnoticed by all those movie buffs and producers from all over the world who will see ‘Black Book’. She impresses on many occasions. Like in the scene where she cold-bloodedly seduces Müntze when he realizes her true identity as a Jewess. “Yes, and?” she says, after a short startle reaction, when Müntze suggests that she pretends to be different in order to survive, only to place his hands on her breasts with the question: “Sind die Jüdisch?”. For a moment a shock goes through the viewer and everything seems to be lost, but Rachel knows how to manage the situation skillfully. Also in a scene on the train, in which she has to play the fiancée of Thom Hoffman, she manages to escape the Germans by thinking quickly, with a few expressive exchanges between the two at the end. But she also manages to convince in a violent emotional outburst towards the end of the film, as in several scenes in which she has to sing for the Nazis.

No, disappointments do not have to be sought from Carice van Houten. It is especially the script that leaves something to be desired in terms of emotional impact and immersion. With ‘Zwartboek’ Verhoeven wanted to make a film that offers both entertainment and a gripping and intense piece of historical drama, while in the context things come to the fore that have not really come to the fore before. However, the mixture of action, thriller, drama (on a personal and broader level), and humor is not always well balanced, and causes a dilution of the mutual parts, which is most regrettable in the essential dramatic element of the film. film that focuses on Rachel’s personal dilemmas surrounding her relationship with Müntze. Rachel’s inner conflict and the interesting dimensions within this relationship are insufficiently worked out for the viewer to be able to empathize enough with the emotions involved. Difficult situations for Rachel, such as when she has to dictate the profiles of her imprisoned resistance comrades, leave painful moments on Rachel’s face. They make her difficult position nicely clear and are important for the involvement of the spectator. The short scene in which Müntze talks about his own lost family and an interesting relationship develops between him and Rachel is also essential in this regard. Moments like this, which either show Rachel’s confrontation with her capacity as a resistance spy or her ever-growing bond with Müntze, are not frequent, however, so that Rachel’s emotional outburst later does not seem “deserved”. As a viewer you get the feeling that quite a few scenes have been cut from the film; scenes between Rachel and Müntze, but also moments of moral doubt or difficult decisions on Rachel’s side. This also means that Rachel’s comment that she is “afraid of the liberation” because of her association with Müntze, her confrontation with cruel actions by Dutch citizens against (suspected) collaborators, and an actual humiliation scene late in the film, are not so believable or intense. as they should have been.

Another related reason for the reduced involvement in Rachel’s situation is the externalization of her conflicts in the film’s final act. Around the time of the end of the war and the final decisive blows of our resistance friends, Rachel is forced to flee from her former mates due to a misunderstanding, turning the film into an action thriller that too easily ignores the real guilt of Rachel’s behavior. and interaction with Müntze in favor of simple action and thriller mechanisms, where chance encounters and discoveries reign supreme. This is unfortunate, especially since Van Houten is so good at communicating inner struggles and drama.

All of this results in just a decent screenplay that could have been grand and compelling with a little more focus on character scenes and a more consistent dramatic tone. The action and thriller scenes, which make their way especially in the last thirty minutes, are nothing special and prevent ‘Black Book’ from retaining the strong, unique character that it displays in the first half of the film. The dialogue is also sometimes a bit simple or obvious, and keeps the film from being great.

The production as a whole is very professional. There is atmospheric camera work and lighting, where the locations are effectively portrayed and characters are framed in an optimal way. The camera (Verhoeven) is clearly in love with Van Houten, who gets beautiful close-ups and whose charming (naked) body is also regularly in view. But the villains also get their share. In an iconic introductory moment, SD officer Franken (Waldemar Kobus) is slowly framed from bottom to top as he lights a cigarette, complete with threatening, bombastic music. Here we can already see that we are not only dealing with a serious drama, but that the tried and tested action film laws are also applied. The locations are also nicely chosen, such as the streets of The Hague and Haarlem station. The film features compelling music by Anne Dudley, and the beautiful costumes and props, including a specially flown B-17 bomber from England, add to the film’s atmosphere and authenticity.

The supporting actors are usually well cast, with an excellent Derek de Lint as the sympathetic communist Gerben Kuipers, who is one of the first persons within the resistance that Rachel becomes acquainted with. Hoffman, though slightly over-the-top, pairs well with Van Houten, and is amusing as the somewhat wild, but accurate shooting resistance man. And he’s apparently so impressive that some Germans just stand there waiting for him to shoot them, like in a scene where our friends have just been surprised by a group of Germans. These sudden raids by the Nazis, which occur several times in the film, are time and again surprising and often particularly shocking in their violence. Usually such a situation takes place while a carefree conversation is taking place between two characters, so that the viewer does not think about possible danger. Verhoeven knows how to surprise the viewer, together with the characters, in a very effective way.

Halina Reijn is good as the opportunistic free spirit, but has a role that is not very deep, just like most (side) roles. Waldemar Kobus is a deliciously bad, and repulsive, bad guy, in whom the contrast between his cruelty and ruthlessness in the “field” on the one hand, and his silliness in his private life on the other, is beautifully portrayed. When Rachel has to sing while he plays the piano, and we see him laughing sheepishly, it’s worlds apart from the monster we encountered earlier in the film. Christian Berkel perfectly plays the greatest Nazi villain in the film, SS General Käutner (in ‘Der Untergang’ he previously played a Nazi, who was once more sympathetic than Käutner).

Although ‘Zwartboek’ has not become the masterpiece everyone had hoped for and the gray tones intended by Verhoeven do little to benefit the drama because they mainly serve as thriller twists late in the story, it is a film that none of the makers can imagine. need to be ashamed. This – with seventeen million euros – most expensive Dutch film of all time is generally a strong piece of film art and shows, in addition to an excellent Van Houten, a Verhoeven in excellent form. Let’s hope he decides to stay for a while, because this movie makes you hungry for more.