Redeemed By A Little Black Book

In 1985, Paul Verhoeven left his home in the Netherlands on bad terms. The 48-year-old director had sold 9 million Dutch cinema tickets and won plenty of acclaim, as well as an Academy Award nomination, for the offbeat love story "Turkish Delight." But when he made "Spetters," the taboo-breaking feature about rebellious motorbike racers coming of age in a provincial Dutch town, public opinion turned against him. Angry at the lack of support from his compatriots, he abandoned the Dutch film world and headed to Hollywood. In the weekly Dutch newspaper Vrij Nederland, the director's longtime collaborator Rob Houwer expressed skepticism about his future: "As regards [his] making it in America, I'll believe it when I see it."

It didn't take long for Houwer to become a believer. Verhoeven's 1990 blockbuster "Total Recall" earned $109 million at the U.S. box office; he followed that up with the provocative--and lucrative--"Basic Instinct." Now Verhoeven has finally come home. His latest film, "Black Book," is a World War II thriller set in the Netherlands, and it has earned him back his country's affection--even though it portrays the Dutch Resistance in an unflattering light. After opening in September, "Black Book" became the highest-grossing Dutch film of 2006 and is the country's submission for the foreign-language Oscar. As it is rolled out around the world, the film is also winning international notice for its lush cinematography and skillful performances.

But for Verhoeven, domestic success is particularly sweet. The film mixes his legendary Hollywood brutalism with a slippery, character-driven plot that draws on the Netherlands' complicated history of Nazi occupation. Following the fate of a beautiful Jewish singer (the luminous Carice van Houten) who must seduce a Nazi officer, "Black Book" spotlights the double-crossing and treachery that crippled the real-life Dutch Resistance. The film is thrilling, provocative and surprisingly funny. Verhoeven himself says, "It's probably my best film, but then I've been thinking about it since 1967."

Back then, the young filmmaker was working on a documentary about a Dutch Fascist leader who collaborated with the Nazis during the war. While doing research, he came across the story of a lawyer from The Hague who kept a little black book detailing shadowy elements of the Resistance. That planted the seed for "Black Book," though it took Verhoeven and co-screenwriter Gerard Soeteman 40 more years to see it through.

There were other stories to tell first. In 1977 Verhoeven directed "Soldier of Orange," based on a Dutch Resistance fighter's best-selling memoir. Now he calls "Black Book" a "correction" to that earlier film. " 'Soldier of Orange' was much more of a tribute to the Resistance; in 'Black Book,' the characters are more ambiguous," says actress Halina Reijn, whose character, Ronnie, survives the war by sleeping with Nazi officers, one of whom massacres a barge full of Jews. "For Paul, she represents survival against all the odds. He's not concerned with judging her, just with showing what humans can be like."

That instinct has gotten Verhoeven into trouble before. In "Spetters," some critics and viewers were upset by what they considered gratuitous violence. And "Showgirls" was panned for being lewd and tasteless. Yet his impulse to show all sides of human nature only enhances the complex intelligence of "Black Book." "You have to be an idiot if you look at the world and don't see that everywhere is filth and violence," he says. But he believes that even the most disturbing art can be redemptive--a view he traces back to his Dutch heritage. "When my films look at violence or sexuality, I'm saying, 'This is what people do, this is how they really make love.' It's like the Dutch painters of the 17th century--they were revolutionary because they painted real life." With "Black Book," Verhoeven has arrestingly done the same.

© 2007