Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California

    The Black Book, a movie review

    So! Ya like movies about Nazis, Jews, spies, betrayal and sex? Of course you do. And, you’d like this movie even without the sex. It’s called “The Black Book’ and it tracks the time and place … and mood of Anne Frank.

    It stars a bunch of Europeans I never heard of. And they are great, even with the subtitles. Dutch is such a wonderful language… Anyway, it is directed by Paul Verhoeven, who directed “Basic Instinct” and “Showgirls,” so you kind of know what are getting.

    The verisimilitude of this 1944-45 period piece is really something. One of the early episodes is a remarkable scene where a damaged American bomber, trying to escape some fighter planes, looses some bombs to gain altitude. The bombs come skipping right toward the camera in the most realistic way. I thought it more remarkable than the bombs falling in “Letters From Iwo Jima,” which I had never seen depicted in a movie before. It also explores the divide between Dutch Christians and the Dutch Jewish population to find a more harsh reality than Anne Frank’s diary led us to understand.

    The star – and I mean STAR, is a beauty named Carice van Houten. She is the most amazing actress I have seen in a long while. The range of emotions she must project is remarkable. And the director uses her and abuses her in a way that few actresses have been treated. I can assure that you will see things in this movie you have never seen before on film. Yet it perfectly recreates what it must have been like in the Low Countries as the Nazis began to realize the war was lost…and as the survivors begin their reprisals against the collaborators.

    I cannot describe the plotline without going into a major spoiler, but let me assure you that this movie never stops. It’s got twists and turns that you’d think were beyond the realm of reality. Yet, it never requires you to suspend your belief. It is all too real.

    I saw this in the Bay Area, having been released about a week ago. It seems to be in limited release. If it’s near you, GO. It is a little long at 2:25, so be prepared for that.

    Oh. Concentrate on the 1956 characters so you know who they are in 1945. I missed it, but my wife did not.

    This has to be a candidate for the best foreign film of 2007. Even so, it will require a strong stomach but not due to the violence, which is actually fairly moderate, at least as far as Nazi cruelty is concerned.
    Last edited by Jim3k; 04-24-2007 at 08:42 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim3k View Post
    So! Ya like movies about Nazis, Jews, spies, betrayal and sex? Of course you do. And, you’d like this movie even without the sex. It’s called “The Black Book’ and it tracks the time and place … and mood of Anne Frank.

    It stars a bunch of Europeans I never heard of. And they are great, even with the subtitles. Dutch is such a wonderful language… Anyway, it is directed by Paul Verhoeven, who directed “Basic Instinct” and “Showgirls,” so you kind of know what are getting.

    The verisimilitude of this 1944-45 period piece is really something. One of the early episodes is a remarkable scene where a damaged American bomber, trying to escape some fighter planes, looses some bombs to gain altitude. The bombs come skipping right toward the camera in the most realistic way. I thought it more remarkable than the bombs falling in “Letters From Iwo Jima,” which I had never seen depicted in a movie before. It also explores the divide between Dutch Christians and the Dutch Jewish population to find a more harsh reality than Anne Frank’s diary led us to understand.

    The star – and I mean STAR, is a beauty named Carice van Houten. She is the most amazing actress I have seen in a long while. The range of emotions she must project is remarkable. And the director uses her and abuses her in a way that few actresses have been treated. I can assure that you will see things in this movie you have never seen before on film. Yet it perfectly recreates what it must have been like in the Low Countries as the Nazis began to realize the war was lost…and as the survivors begin their reprisals against the collaborators.

    I cannot describe the plotline without going into a major spoiler, but let me assure you that this movie never stops. It’s got twists and turns that you’d think were beyond the realm of reality. Yet, it never requires you to suspend your belief. It is all too real.

    I saw this in the Bay Area, having been released about a week ago. It seems to be in limited release. If it’s near you, GO. It is a little long at 2:25, so be prepared for that.

    Oh. Concentrate on the 1956 characters so you know who they are in 1945. I missed it, but my wife did not.

    This has to be a candidate for the best foreign film of 2007. Even so, it will require a strong stomach but not due to the violence, which is actually fairly moderate, at least as far as Nazi cruelty is concerned.
    the previews shown here in europe looked great. Unfortunately I don't speak Dutch, and the subtitles are only in French (which I can't read nearly well enough to follow along with a film) - so I'll have to wait to watch it on DVD.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California

    Only a few screens

    A check with Rotten Tomatoes shows that Black Book is not in the Triangle, though there is a house in Charlotte. Atlanta is the only other Southeastern city. Miami is the only city in Florida. DC of course. It's all over NYC and LA. So it looks like big cities only -- Seattle, Portland, San Diego and SF Bay here in the West, though Phoenix has a screen. That's unfortunate. This is a very good film.

  4. #4

    Agree with Jim

    Black Book is a very good movie.


    SoCal

  5. #5
    I saw it yesterday and fully concur. I also saw Spidey 3 and was underwhelmed - would rate it a D!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim3k View Post
    A check with Rotten Tomatoes shows that Black Book is not in the Triangle, though there is a house in Charlotte. Atlanta is the only other Southeastern city. Miami is the only city in Florida. DC of course. It's all over NYC and LA. So it looks like big cities only -- Seattle, Portland, San Diego and SF Bay here in the West, though Phoenix has a screen. That's unfortunate. This is a very good film.
    This has been playing at the Rialto Theatre (arthouse/indy film place) in Raleigh for at least a week. Hope it's still on this weekend...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by SoCalDukeFan View Post
    Black Book is a very good movie.


    SoCal
    We saw it this past weekend; I agree with your assessment. Although I've been known to nod off when sitting in a comfy chair in a dark theatre, I was awake and on the edge of my seat for the whole 2 hrs. 25 min. of Black Book. See it if you have the chance.

Similar Threads

  1. Monroe Review
    By BD80 in forum Elizabeth King Forum
    Replies: 21
    Last Post: 04-03-2008, 09:25 AM
  2. Black Sunday
    By Lotus000 in forum Elizabeth King Forum
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 03-28-2008, 09:17 PM
  3. Movie Review: National Treasure 2
    By JasonEvans in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 01-07-2008, 10:59 AM
  4. Movie Review: Charlie Wilson's War
    By JasonEvans in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 12-19-2007, 02:57 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •