About this product

Product Information

Director Paul Verhoeven returns to his Dutch roots with BLACK BOOK. The story takes place during World War II and follows a Jewish woman who joins the Dutch Resistance.

Product Identifiers

EAN5023965372628

eBay Product ID (ePID)59530111

Product Key Features

ActorSebastian Koch, Carice Van Houten, Thom Hoffman

Film/TV TitleBlack Book

DirectorPaul Verhoeven

LanguageDutch

Subtitle LanguageEnglish

Run Time140 Mins

Aspect Ratio16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen

Release Year2007

FormatDVD

FeaturesInterview with Paul Verhoeven\Interview with Carice Van Houten\Making of Black Book Featurette, Widescreen, With Subtitles

GenreDrama, General

Additional Product Features

Number of Discs1

Certificate15

Country/Region of ManufactureNetherlands

Additional InformationDutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven made his name in Hollywood with films such as ROBOCOP, BASIC INSTINCT, and STARSHIP TROOPERS. But Verhoeven got his start in the industry by making films (the acclaimed SPETTERS and SOLDIER OF ORANGE among them) in his native country, and it's to Holland that he returns for BLACK BOOK--his first Dutch film in 20 years. The story is set during the final days of World War II in Holland, and follows a Jewish singer named Rachel Stein (Carice Van Houten). Rachel attempts to avoid the Nazis and remains in quiet hiding until her family is brutally slain, causing her to join up with a resistance movement. On a subsequent undercover mission, Rachel crosses paths with a smitten German general named Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch), with whom Rachel begins a relationship in order to feed vital information back to her colleagues in the resistance. But as the action and bloodshed escalate, Rachel realises that she has genuine feelings for Muntze, and soon she is in enormous danger. Verhoeven's film is wildly ambitious and takes many intriguing twists and turns during its 146 minutes. BLACK BOOK commanded the largest budget of any film to be produced in Holland, and it shows. Explosions litter the screen, plenty of car chases ensue, and wince-inducing injuries and deaths propel the action. The director isn't afraid to criticise his fellow countrymen and inserts a fascinating subtext about the actions of the resistance fighters, asking some uncomfortable questions about the similarities between their behavior and that of the Nazis. Van Houten lights up the screen throughout and is surely destined for bigger things, and while the tumultuous experiences her character undergoes might push the boundaries of reality at times, Verhoeven has pointed out in interviews that Rachel is a composite character who encompasses the merged experiences of many real people from the era.

ReviewsEmpire - Memorable and passionate. Worth seeing, Daily Mail - A cracking thriller [...] one of the most gripping war movies ever, Total Film - BLACK BOOK is brisk, frisky and glossed with a fine Hollywood sheen, Uncut - For all its feisty sense of fun, BLACK BOOK is too dark and smart to let its characters fade out into a soft-focus happy-ever-after

Sound sourceDolby Digital 2.0\Dolby Digital 5.1\DTS Surround 5.1

Movie/TV TitleBlack Book

Consumer AdviceContains very strong language, strong violence and nudity