Black Book (2006)
“Zwartboek”.
Drama, Thriller, War |
Black Book is a war drama thriller film co-written and directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, and Halina Reijn. The film, credited as based on several true events and characters, is about a young Jewish woman in the Netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance during World War II after tragedy befalls her in an encounter with the Nazis. The film had its world premiere on 1 September 2006 at the Venice Film Festival and its public release on 14 September 2006 in the Netherlands. It is the first film that Verhoeven made in the Netherlands since The Fourth Man, made in 1983 before he moved to the United States.
The press in the Netherlands was positive; with three Golden Calves, Black Book won the most awards at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2006. The international press responded positively, as well, especially to the performance of Van Houten. It was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and was the Dutch submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007, but was not nominated.
In 1944, Dutch-Jewish singer Rachel Stein is hiding from the Nazi regime in the occupied Netherlands. When the farmhouse where she has been hiding is destroyed by an Allied bomber, she goes to see a lawyer named Smaal, who has been helping her family. He arranges for her to escape to the liberated southern part of the country. Aided by a man named Van Gein, Rachel is reunited with her family and boards a boat that is to take them and other refugees to the south. However, they are ambushed on the river by members of the German SS, who kill them and rob the bodies of valuables. Rachel alone survives, but does not manage to escape from occupied territory.
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Gerard Soeteman, Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus, Derek de Lint, Christian Berkel
Cast:
| Carice van Houten | … | Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries |
| Sebastian Koch | … | Ludwig Müntze |
| Thom Hoffman | … | Hans Akkermans |
| Halina Reijn | … | Ronnie |
| Waldemar Kobus | … | Günther Franken |
| Derek de Lint | … | Gerben Kuipers |
| Christian Berkel | … | Gen. Käutner |
| Dolf de Vries | … | Wim Smaal – Notary |
| Peter Blok | … | Van Gein |
| Michiel Huisman | … | Rob |
| Ronald Armbrust | … | Tim Kuipers |
| Frank Lammers | … | Kees |
| Matthias Schoenaerts | … | Joop |
| Johnny de Mol | … | Theo |
| Xander Straat | … | Maarten |
| Diana Dobbelman | … | Mrs. Smaal |
| Rixt Leddy | … | Anny |
| Lidewij Mahler | … | Linda |
| Pieter Tiddens | … | Herman |
| Gijs Naber | … | Cas |
| Dirk Zeelenberg | … | Siem |
| Michiel de Jong | … | David |
| Jobst Schnibbe | … | Driver Müntze |
| Boris Saran | … | Joseph |
| Jack Vecht | … | Mr. Stein |
| Jacqueline Blom | … | Mrs. Stein |
| Seth Kamphuijs | … | Brother Max |
| Herman Boerman | … | Skipper Willi |
| Skip Goeree | … | Ronnie’s Husband |
| Bert Luppes | … | Mr. Tjepkema |
| Marisa Van Eyle | … | Mrs. Tjepkema |
| Heleen Mineur | … | Stientje Tjepkema |
| Bas van der Horst | … | Jantje Tjepkema |
| Foeke Kolff | … | Children Tjepkema |
| Merel van Houts | … | Children Tjepkema |
| Charlotte Rinnooy Kan | … | Children Tjepkema |
| Maaike Kempeneers | … | Children Tjepkema |
| Janni Goslinga | … | Lady in Fur Coat |
| Wimie Wilhelm | … | Female Prison Guard |
| Theo Maassen | … | Prison Guard with Baret |
| Tjebbo Gerritsma | … | Prison Guard with Accordion |
| Timothy Deenihan | … | Canadian Colonel |
| Nolan Hemmings | … | British Intelligence Captain |
| Garrick Hagon | … | British General |
| Ronald de Bruin | … | Dutch SD in Train #1 |
| Menno Van Beekum | … | Dutch SD in Train #2 |
| Marcel Musters | … | Henk |
| Hugo Metsers | … | Shock Trooper |
| Rian Gerritsen | … | Drunken Woman in Prison #1 |
| Susan Visser | … | Drunken Woman in Prison #2 |
| Maiko Kemper | … | Siegfried |
| Carsten Sasse | … | German Sentry |
| Liza Seneca | … | Receptionist (as Liza de Weerd) |
| Willem de Wolf | … | Property Man |
| Oded Menashe | … | Husband of Rachel Rosenthal-Steinn |
| Roni Yedid | … | Daughter of Rachel Rosenthal-Steinn |
| Tomer Agami | … | Son of Rachel Rosenthal-Steinn |
| Gabriela Lewis | … | Tour Guide |
| Reinier Bulder | … | Farmer (uncredited) |
| Arno Hazebroek | … | MP (uncredited) |
| Emile Jansen | … | Miscellaneous (voice) (uncredited) |
| Paul Joosse | … | Dutch soldier (uncredited) |
| Patrick Kerkhof | … | German Chauffeur (uncredited) |
| Erwin Koremans | … | SS Guard (uncredited) |
| Dirk Marks | … | Deckhand (uncredited) |
| Bernard L. Montgomery | … | Self – On Radio (archive sound) (uncredited) |
| Rik Sinkeldam | … | Soldier (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia
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