The Black Book - DVD

Set in 1944–1945, the film tells the story of Rachel, a Jewish girl hiding in the occupied Netherlands. After witnessing the massacre of her entire family, she joins the local resistance movement. She is tasked with infiltrating Gestapo headquarters by seducing a charming German captain. Verhoeven presents his film as a grand action spectacle, yet one he views with ironic detachment. The screenplay is based on real events and centres on the female protagonist, who is the only anchor in the film. This is because the film depicts the era and its heroes in constant ambivalence, playing with traditional views of both the resistance and the Nazis, often subverting their established images.

Black Book is a war thriller inspired by true events. It took Gerard Soeteman and director Paul Verhoeven over twenty years to complete the screenplay for this film, which marks Verhoeven's return to the Netherlands. The main characters in this European co-production are played by Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Christian Berkel and Waldemar Kabus. It also stars Michiel Huisman, Derek De Lint, Peter Blok, Dolf de Vries, Diana Dobbelman and others. The film is predominantly in Dutch, but also features German, English and Hebrew. The film's budget is 17 million euros. Filming took place in The Hague, Giethoorn, Biesbosch, Berlin and Israel.