Student 1
Jane Student
John Instructor
Eng 575
March
Black Book
For my new experience, I chose to rent a foreign film with subtitles. I was hesitant to watch one because I felt I could not really enjoy a movie while having to read every word for two hours. I reluctantly went onto my blockbuster.com site and started searching through the foreign film category, nothing seemed interesting. I was about to give up when a cover caught my eye, a picture of a beautiful woman with mysterious eyes and a war scene in the background, I read what it was about and it sounded good. The film I chose is called the Black Book by Dutch film maker Paul Verhoeven, based on a true story during World War II, about a young Jewish woman who through a chain of heartbreaking events becomes a spy.
This film was very enjoyable and kept me on the edge of my seat with its intense and suspenseful action, the actress who portrayed Rachel Steinn, was phenomenal throughout her many changing adaptions in each situation and the forbidden romance between the two from opposing worlds and beliefs.
The film begins in 1956 with tourists traveling through Israel, there is a very happy feel to the scenery; rolling hills, children laughing and playing in the streets, beautiful blue skies with the ocean in the back ground. Immediately into the movie it flashes back to Holland 1944, planes flying overhead, dropping bombs onto homes and farms killing anyone in its path. There are military soldiers who walk throughout the town holding onto their weapons ready to kill, no questions asked. Jews are in hiding fearful of just who they are can get them killed. The action is nonstop, and the intensity rises throughout the film. I could not imagine living moment to moment wondering if I will live another day. Throughout the movie I had a whirlwind of emotion for the pain these people endured.
There is a scene of wealthy Jews who trust a man who claims to be part of the resistance movement; these are Germans who are against the military and what Hitler was doing to the Jews and their country. He claims he will smuggle them across the border to safety, but he is a traitor really working for Hitler’s military and there is a graphic, violent scene of the Jews being shot to death and then their dead bodies are robbed of all their money and jewels. This is just one of many scenes that keep you in suspense.
Then there is the actress who plays Rachel Steinn, she is a young beautiful Jewish girl who is separated from her family and is put in hiding until the Germans find out the family she is staying with is hiding a Jew. Their home is bombed and Rachel gets away. She is very resourceful and soon meets a young man who helps her hide out again. She soon is reconciled with her family just to watch them executed before her. This puts her into a mindset to do whatever it takes to survive and get revenge on the Germans.
Rachel meets up with the resistance, changes her hair color and changes her name to Ellis De Vries to appear more like a German. Then becomes a spy and manages to charm her way into the Hitler headquarters where she takes many dangerous risks planting microphones, reporting information back to the resistance and helping the resistance sneak into the compound to release hostages. She will go as far as necessary to make the Germans believe she is one of them even by seducing a German commander. Throughout the movie you are biting your lip never knowing if Rachel will make it out alive in every frightening and daring scene. She adapts so well into every situation she gets in.
Muntze, is one of the highest leaders running the German headquarters, he meets Ellis on a train and is instantly infatuated by her alluring beauty and flirtatious personality. He invites her to his headquarters and shortly after offers her a job. Ellis is doing all she can to make him fall for her so she can get the information needed to help the resistance. As I watch, I can feel the love growing between these two and even though he is supposed to be the bad guy, there is a passion between them that I want to see them happy together. When the evidence is revealed to him he faces a dangerous dilemma, turn in the woman he loves or risk being put to death for a forbidden romance with the enemy.
This movie is full of twist and turns that will keep you intrigued throughout. It has something for everyone; there is action, suspense, drama, mystery and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, even having to read the subtitles and I highly recommend it to both men and women.