Black Book

Black Book
by Paul Verhoeven

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DVD details

Actor: Carice van Houten, Halina Reijn, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Waldemar Kobus
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: Dutch (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language); German (Original Language); Hebrew (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 146 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of Black Book

DVD Review: A WWII Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars

A fictional war drama based on a true story, this film unfortunately received only limited release in the USA. Full of action and truly entertaining. Carice van Houten plays a beautiful Jewish woman living in German-occupied Holland during late 1944 who enrolls in the Resistance to fight the Nazis who killed her family.

DVD Review: Missing the Forest for the Trees
Summary: 4 Stars

I have to say at the outset that I am generally a cinema snob who carefully checks out what the professional critics (Time Magazine, SF Chronicle, NY Times) have to say about a film before I view it. "Black Book" presented itself on my low-budget DISH TV movie package when I was channel-surfing. So, no chance to vet this one. Not much familiarity with Paul Verhoeven's work, either. And how lucky for me that was. I watched, totally without preconceptions, what I found to be an exciting, mostly believable, totally well-filmed and well-edited, and brilliantly cast and acted movie. "Night and Fog" it was not, of course, nor was it intended to be, And, yes, there was that crotch-dying shot (which struck me as a signature European detail as much as a Verhoevian one), and, yes, the plot advanced at action-movie speed and sometimes strained viewer credulity and even comprehension (a newspaper review characterized the plot as "convoluted" rather than "complex," and I find some truth to that).

However, the reviewers who dismissed--often in tones of utmost sarcasm--"Black Book's" obsession with action and nudity, and decried Verhoeven's decision to portray the Nazis in something other than the usual simplistic black and white terms, missed, I am persuaded, this director's fairly honest attempt to incorporate people, events, and situations from his own childhood observations and later research, into a compelling, multi-faceted, and moving story. In obsessing over a few scenes of nudity, the sometimes excessive pace of the film, and the shape-shifting of its characters, these reviewers have missed precisely what gives this movie its greatest value (besides, of course, the incredible acting of Carice van Houten). History books tell us that in World War II Europe, noble behavior was too often a victim of raw human need, and of simple human weakness under the incredible duress of war. War is not ennobling, and suffering by no means always builds character, whatever our elders may have told us. Normal people can be--as in ordinary times--venal, or heroic, or both at once. After all, many people nobly helped Anne Frank and her family avoid Nazi discovery for two years, but at least one of those people basely reported them to the authorities.

This movie gets my vote, and apparently that of many Amazon reviewers. Anyone who still is unsure about seeing it might be further persuaded to do so by reading an interview by Salon.com with Paul Verhoeven himself, in which he discusses the genesis of "Black Book" at some length.

DVD Review: non-stop suspense
Summary: 5 Stars

Great action, suspense, and terrific performance by all the leads make this a film that you can really get caught up in. It is fast-paced and perhaps too many things happen one after the other so there is no breathing room in the film between her setting up Koch as her mark and then becoming his lover and going to work for the Nazis, but her acting ability is first rate and really carries the film through any little bumps.

DVD Review: Don't take it too seriously
Summary: 3 Stars

To begin with, I did enjoy watching this movie, but there were quite a few issues.

The main issue is that you just don't care: you don't care when anyone gets killed, you don't care when Tim is tortured (by the way, he did NOT start bickering with Franken; and his shirt must have had at least one tiny speck of dust on it), you don't care when Rachel/Ellis is being humiliated, you don't care when her family and friends are gunned down.

The only character I cared about remotely was Theo, and I loved his scene when he shot Van Gein. Johnny de Mol was great in that.

The next issue is that I can pretty well guarantee that this movie would not have been made, say, 20 years after the war. The whole "nice Nazi officer" concept would have been ridiculed in the Netherlands, let alone a big romance between a Gestapo highup officer and a Jewess. It's a fantasy, and a badly done one --- Rachel/Ellis must have a stomach of steel: you could skin a live puppy in front of that woman and she wouldn't move. I don't know if this was intentional or just lousy acting, but it kind of detracted.

The next issue is that none of it really made any sense, and sometimes it just went too far: I mean there is NO WAY she got that painting back up on the wall before M?ntze walked in. The movie was full of problems like that.

The torture was minimal --- the scene lasted less than 2 minutes. In certain scenes, there really wasn't enough blood (really, if you kill a guy via firing squad, there is going to be blood). It also was annoying that you already knew that Ellis/Rachel was going to survive it all, and that the whole movie was basically all a flashback --- any suspense that the movie might have had was defused completely.

I did enjoy watching the movie, but it was definitely below my expectations.

DVD Review: Elegant, provocative, not riveting
Summary: 3 Stars

Black book has a good deal of visual appeal, compelling performances, and the story is fairly well-paced and interesting. However, it could have been much, much better. Artistic eptitude was far outweighed by the story's quick chronology and concise characters. Story development lacks depth and significant detail. At times, the movie dips into the realm of silly. A viewer's tolerance for graphic sexual scenes and subtitles are a prerequiste. The nudity is definitely accompanied by overt sexuality. Unlike other reviewers, I felt little emotional impact while watching.

Particularly, I was enamored by the acting of Carice van Houten. As the central character, the young Jewish woman working for the Dutch resistance, primarly by infiltrating the Nazi ranks, van Houten is able to command a variety of situations with skillful acting, and not just the difficult nudity scenes. Most of the actors were well chosen. What I feel are weaknesses in the character development are indicative of screenwriting and story. The set was fairly convincing and the soundtrack complimentary. Technofiles will not be let down by the Blu-ray video quality and 5.1 uncompressed audio offering. The story gives subtle hints of what may come and some of the "lines" hold prophecy as the movie progresses. Near the end of the movie a "who did it" plot twist evolves. The movie was able to hold my attention well enough.

However, I was let down by the relative thin development of story and character, which left emotional impact to a minimum. Sure, there is killing of family and friends by the ruthless Nazi machine - at times with spurting blood and gore. Yet, the film was a little too standard fare for my tastes. Set and script have a little too much veneer. Some scenes are borderline credible at best. I should have been squirming at the ugliness or sitting on the edge of my seat, but wasn't. Erotic bedroom scenes give nuance to the movie, but, as much as they might have been enjoyed by some viewers, are not entirely essential. It helps distinguish the difference in the relationship between two women and their respective Nazi lovers as well as reveal the avenue used to gain the company of the Nazis. Yet other scenes better illustrate the difference in the women's aims and approach.

I felt that the naturally deep level of loathing and revilement between the Nazis and the young Jewish woman was not established. Of course, the movie does not let us down in providing the standard issue villain - seamlessly repulsive. Yet, even the Nazi villain is digested relatively painlessly.

Treachery within the ranks of the resistance adds depth, but, like other facets of the script, was not highly compelling. In no way are we given more than a casual invitation to the workings of the Dutch resistance.

I would recommend viewing the movie, especially if you are a fan of World War II genre, but disagree with the opinion that it ranks with the all time World War II genre greats. I have read and viewed enough World War material to understand that a wealth of amazing events occurred during this time period. This film seemed to borrow more from the War than it do to reveal the fascinating, if not horrifying, events that actually happened. It doesn't contribute much to the legacy of Dutch resistance as much as the Resistance provides a good backdrop for a Hollywood type movie formula.

Description of Black Book

In the darkest days of World War II, Jewish fugitives attempt to escape occupied Holland - only to face a Nazi ambush. Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) alone survives the attack and joins the Dutch Resistance to avenge her family. She soon confronts the ultimate test: she must infiltrate German headquarters by tempting Captain Ludwig M?ntze (Sebastian Hoch). In the heat of passion, he uncovers her duplicity...but keeps her secret. Then Rachel's espionage reveals that a murderous traitor lurks within Resistance ranks. Unable to fully trust anyone, Rachel navigates a minefield of deception and becomes an enemy to both sides. Epic, passionate, breathtaking, Black Book relates an untold story of World War II where the distinctions between good and evil become blurred by the complexities of human nature.

As in Basic Instinct, a lovely lady takes the lead in Black Book, but this time Paul Verhoeven has more than cheap thrills in mind. Towards the end of WWII, Rachel Stein (the vibrant Carice von Houten), a Jewish singer, is living with a gentile family in the countryside. When Allied forces bomb the area, she's forced to flee. On her perilous journey to The Hague (Verhoeven's hometown), brunette Rachel joins the Resistance and changes her identity to blonde Ellis de Vries. Her next order of business: infiltrate Gestapo headquarters. Like many Verhoeven heroines, Rachel aces her assignment--and then some. First, she seduces the handsome Captain M?ntze (Sebastian Koch, The Lives of Others), then she falls in love with him. M?ntze, who returns her affection, isn't what he appears to be, but their relationship puts both at great risk. At this point, the filmmaker expertly kicks the proceedings into high gear, before concluding on a bittersweet note. Naturally, since this is a Verhoeven picture, there's plenty of wry humor and uninhibited sexuality along the way. Starting with 1985's Flesh + Blood, the Dutch director released an American movie every two to three years. After the poorly received Hollow Man, however, Verhoeven took a six-year break. Black Book, a return to his native Holland, was worth the wait. (He began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.) It works triple-time as a thriller, a tribute to Holland's Jewish population, and a poison pen letter to the Dutch opportunists who would attempt to sell them out. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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