Black Book (Zwartboek)
Paul Verhoven has had an interesting slew of films under his belt during his career. From the trashy rubbish of Showgirls to his Science Fiction epics Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers, there has been a consistency to his work, usually seen in the form of naked women and the gallons of fake blood strewn around the set.
His latest piece is a far more personal and down to earth film, set in Holland during the second world war. Zwartboek is the story of a naive but spirited and slightly callous Jewish singer, Rachel Ellis, who survives the massacre of her family and becomes embroiled in the workings of the Dutch resistance. In the process she falls in love with the SD Commander Muntze.
The film stands out in these idiot-friendly days of cinema, for having the gumption to shoot entirely in the native languages used. The actors seamlessly flitting from Dutch to German, Hebrew to English as required. The story also pulls no punches as bad luck and tragedy befalls each of the characters as often as they succeed. What Verhoven has done is managed to capture an uncompromising snapshot of his country during its darkest hours, and without the glamour and usual Hollywood whitewash has shown that the human spirit is as dark and wretched as ever.
The cinematography is, as ever, flawless and the choice to make the special effects practical rather than computer generated, given the film a grained sense which helps it all the more.
Strangely I felt more drawn to this tale than I usually am, even with the majority of war films touching me in some slight way. The relentlessness of the heroine and her unwillingness to ever give up in the face of adversity, to me holds far more meaning than the plight of say, Wzladyslaw Szpilman from the Pianist, because of the lack of Complacency in this tale.
His latest piece is a far more personal and down to earth film, set in Holland during the second world war. Zwartboek is the story of a naive but spirited and slightly callous Jewish singer, Rachel Ellis, who survives the massacre of her family and becomes embroiled in the workings of the Dutch resistance. In the process she falls in love with the SD Commander Muntze.
The film stands out in these idiot-friendly days of cinema, for having the gumption to shoot entirely in the native languages used. The actors seamlessly flitting from Dutch to German, Hebrew to English as required. The story also pulls no punches as bad luck and tragedy befalls each of the characters as often as they succeed. What Verhoven has done is managed to capture an uncompromising snapshot of his country during its darkest hours, and without the glamour and usual Hollywood whitewash has shown that the human spirit is as dark and wretched as ever.
The cinematography is, as ever, flawless and the choice to make the special effects practical rather than computer generated, given the film a grained sense which helps it all the more.
Strangely I felt more drawn to this tale than I usually am, even with the majority of war films touching me in some slight way. The relentlessness of the heroine and her unwillingness to ever give up in the face of adversity, to me holds far more meaning than the plight of say, Wzladyslaw Szpilman from the Pianist, because of the lack of Complacency in this tale.
posted by Graeme Strachan at
11:33 AM
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