Thoughts on 2007: Black Book (Zwartboek)

I've always really liked Paul Verhoeven. His earlier dutch career was marked with blisteringly vibrant films highlighted by Turkish Delight and Soldier of Orange. His style showed off a unique combination of frank sexuality, violence, and a thorough examination of moral ambiguity. But what made those films so engaging was his ability to ingrain these themes within his constantly compelling narratives. He tried his luck in Hollywood and thrived with wonderfully weird science fiction films like Robocop (hyperviolent!), Total Recall (grotesque!) and the most underrated film ever in Starship Troopers (satire-iffic!). He even threw in a couple way-more-fun-then-they- should-be sex thrillers with Basic Instinct and Showgirls. Then his experience with Hollowman nearly ruined his career and left him so bitter he said "fuck this shit." and went back to Holland.

His negative experiences apparently strengthened Verhoeven's resolve to commit to making truly interesting films again. The resulting Black Book is a resounding affirmation of that commitment.

Blackbook is many things: it's a WWII film, an action/suspense film, a relationship film, and it's a great mystery too. These elements combine seamlessly into a singular story with an inspired by real-events basis. Holland has always been an interesting part of the World War II. It represents the pinnacle of the great plunder of Europe, as it was an epicenter of wealth, tiny but densely populated, and relatively unarmed. It was really a hodgepodge of cultures and values, which became even more critical and divisive with the ensuing invasion. Thus, the spoils of war and profits establish themselves as the core subject here: who is benefiting and what does that say about man's values?

A great way to put the accomplishment of Black Book in perspective is to compare its thematic elements with Verhoeven's earlier work Soldier of Orange. They both explore the exact same themes only S.O.O. does it through the use of epic scope and an ensemble of characters (this character is the patriot, this character is traitor, etc). But in Black Book every character has different kinds of loyalties that are meshed into one story and fits consistently into the development of our heroine's arc. It's pretty remarkable and a sign or great storytelling.

Still, Black Book is undeniably a powerful Holocaust film. I feel odd talking about it like it's a genre, because I don't think that is an appropriate way to critique it. The Holocaust never deserves to be lowered to the status of "genre", but certainly deserves the regard of "subject". The aforementioned power comes from the way we get lost in this intricate WWII suspense film, and then really have the compelling moment come at the very end when we see that it's secretly been a Holocaust film all along. Trust me this isn't giving anything away, it's more abstract that that. See… CAUTION, THEMATIC SPOILER: After an entire life spent showing her resolve Rachel/Ellis finally breaks down asks, "When will it ever end?" A few scenes later we get a stark reminder that it never really has. END SPOILER.