< Home / Interview / Critic / Bio / My articles in Japanese >

Black Book

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

Roundtable interview with director Paul Verhoeven, actor Sebatian Koch, actress Carice Von Houten

The words one might use to describe Paul Verhoeven's work seem always synonymous with sex and violence.This time, he gets back to his home turf in The Netherlands where he made his mark. The film begins on an Israeli Kibbutz in 1956.  Rachel (Carice van Houten), a stunning woman and former singer,is teaching at a Jewish school where she meets an old friend from W.W.II. From there, the story unfolds entirely in flashback.

It is 1944 in Nazi-occupied Holland where she is being sheltered in a Christian household. After a series of dangerous encounters, she contrives to cross over into liberated territory with her family. Just when they are taking a boat down the river, they are mowed down by a machine gun fired from an S.S-skippered boat. Rachel was the only survivor, and is now forced to find a new way to survive, spurred by revenge.

Rachel hooks up with the resistance movement, whose people are dedicated to freedom, and soon gets involved in undercover missions. Unfortunately the operation ends in disaster, with three members of the group detained by the Nazis. This circumstance leads her into a grave and dangerous mission of beguiling a high-ranking S.S officer named Muntze (Sebastian Koch), hoping it will all lead to the release of some fellow resistance fighters.

In approaching Muntze she dyes her hair and even goes far as to colorize her pubic hair in order to pass as an Aryan singer. Now begins a game of intrigue in which romance, though unexpected, becomes inevitable. She traps herself into falling for the dashing and electrifying man. While keeping viewers on their toes, she also goes about planting hidden microphones to bug enemy headquarters, singing at a German party, and spying for the resistance. If those things aren't enough for entertainment, you will be left stunned by what she endures.

Throughout, the film is wildly entertaining, for the script grabs you by the throat. The chemistry between Van Houten and Koch is intriguing: Paul Verhoeven certainly knows how to handle the actress as a protagonist without pressing this into our faces. The film is also surprisingly intriguing for its lack of documentary footage and newspaper headlines to give any sense that there is a war going on. But its most notable impression is in the performance of Carice van Houten. The film is pretty much centered on her acting. With her charm and fearless approach tothe Nazis, this film is surely destined to be a star-making vehicle!

Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Written by Gerard Soeteman and Mr. Verhoeven
Based on a story by Mr. Soeteman
Director of photography:Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by Job ter Burg and James Herbert
Music by Anne Dudley
Production design by Wilbert van Dorp
Produced by Fu Works Productions (San Fu Maltha)
Hector (Jos van der Linden) and Motel Films (Jeroen Beker and Frans van Gestel)
Released by Sony Pictures Classics.
Running time: 145 minutes.

Cast: Carice van Houten (Rachel/Ellis)
Sebastian Koch (Ludwig Müntze)
Thom Hoffman (Hans Akkermans)
Halina Reijn (Ronnie)
Waldemar Kobus (Günther Franken),
and Derek de Lint (Gerben Kuipers).