 | | |
| Black Book | 
 enlarge | Director: Paul Verhoeven
Actors: Carice Van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy New: $6.50
You Save: $8.44 (56%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $6.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (92 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1457
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Dutch (Original Language), English (Original Language), German (Original Language), Hebrew (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 146 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD18495D
UPC: 043396184954
EAN: 0043396184954
ASIN: B000TGCR38
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
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 Myntze (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.
Amazon.com
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 Muentze (Sebastian Koch, The Lives of Others), then she falls in love with him. Muentze, 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
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 87 more reviews...
 VERY GOOD MOVIE December 21, 2008
this is a very intriguing movie with a great storyline. also, i believe it is based on an actual event. the action scenes do get a little unbelievable, however the main movie theme is delivered in great fashion. that theme would be that it is hard to know who to trust in a wartime situation. who was really on your side and who was not. it is taking place during german occupation of holland during ww2. i highly recommend this movie.
 WWIIrom European view December 20, 2008
This is an excellent film, taking place in Holland in the closing days of WWII it shows the chaos, betrayal, and desperation in the waning hours of the war. Well shot, acted, and with a view from the European occupied view this film is a must see.
Unstoppable adrenaline! December 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Paul Verhoeven has built another epic portrait of the Dutch resistance. After his well reminded "Soldier of orange", this time the story focuses around the lives and times of Rachel Stein (Carice von Houten) who will have to face the horror to presence the painful slaughter of her own family, after being ambushed.
She will join with a resistance command and she will have to get inside the entrails of the Nazi Army using her intuition and something else to achieve the final purpose.
A thrilling and moving film that will capture your full attention from start to finish. Powerful realism, admirable stages, engaging tension al the way through, fluid dialogues and fine direction will involve you.
Without hesitation, one of the bet films of the year.
Great Film, somewhat stereotypes Christians like Jews were December 7, 2008
This film really fleshed out occupied Holland from someone who was there. It was thrilling and fast paced. The plot was in one place somewhat implausible. I think the German officer would have told the girl to disappear no matter how much he loved her. But that would spoil a beautiful film.
I speak to the director: Why on earth do you use the same stereotypes that eventually killed 6 million Jews to create your Christian characters? Yes, the director's commentary says there really was a girl made to recite scripture before she could eat oatmeal in hiding, but I will bet there was really a hook-nosed selfish Jewish banker in history. You would have to scour the world to find such an idiot Christian. We don't portray a Jewish banker because it is bigotry. Europe already rants about fundamentalists and Christians in blogs. I also found it utterly implausible that a Christian resistance fighter would sit by while the heroine was being beaten to death not shooting until the collaborator swore, even after the other resistance fighter was already incapacitated. Yes, you tell us in your commentary that a Christian resistance fighter did not shoot until a Nazi swore, but you added a women being beaten. A Christian guy would protect her. This once again shows bigotry and stereotyping. Europeans just about want to kill Christians right now if you read their blogs. Jews were blamed for capitulation in WWI, and now Christians are falsely blamed for Iraq. I loved this film for the story though.
I disagree in the commentary that we as Americans were terrorists in WWII and Vietnam. We DID target military sites in WWII and Vietnam, it was not terror. Auschwitz was terror. But we even were not allowed to target Shell oil refineries in Vietnam. They broke every bone in our officers' bodies. And after we left South East Asia, 2,000,000 people were killed by Pol Pot and in reeducation camps. Simply a No-Fly Zone to inforce the North Vietnamese adherence to the peace treaty would have saved 2 million allies without a full war.
I did not agree with the comparison to Guantanamo in the commentary. These detainees were trying to kill us and prisoners are normally held until the end of the war. About a hundred released prisoners already returned to the battlefield to try and kill us again.
Excellent film, terrible cover art November 30, 2008
I just watched this OnDemand, and made me want to see "Soldier Of Orange" again. Unfortunately, when I came to Amazon to check availability, the cover art looks like the horrible Michael Douglas/Melanie Griffith stinker "Shining Through". As always, like almost all Verhoeven films, this is well crafted and gripping. Highly recommended
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| | |