Based on real events, Soldier of Orange tells the story of Dutchman Erik Lanshof (a star-making performance by Rutger Hauer) and a small group of students as they struggle to survive the Nazi occupation to the end of the Second World War. The destinies of the characters range from joining the German army to making for England, the OSS and the Resistance. Across a canvas lasting almost three hours director Paul Verhoeven unfolds a saga of friendship, espionage and romance with almost documentary realism--though not as graphically violent as his later American films the torture scenes are intense--crafting a deeply affecting film widely regarded as the greatest ever made in Holland. Comparable recent films such as Enigma (2001) and Charlotte Gray (2002) do not come close. Hauer is brilliant at the heart of what is a detailed and thoughtful drama made with integrity and passion. Co-star Jeroen Krabbé has gone onto a notable career in Hollywood, while Edward Fox and Susan Penhaligon provide more familiar faces for British audiences. The film is shot in Dutch, German and English and subtitled as necessary. Twenty years later Verhoeven made Starship Troopers in 1997, a satirical science-fiction companion to this modern European classic.--Gary S Dalkin
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
A bit dull Im a Verhoeven and Rutger fan, and a WW2 film fan also, so really wanted to like this film. However it is suprisingly lacking in tension or decent action scenes. The story meanders around a lot, and is too long - it couldnt have been edited down by about 20 -30 mins to make it tighter. The acting is pretty good, but they're not given much to work with, I was bored for most of the film. Maybe V should stick to his tongue in cheek actioners which he excels at.
Unforgettable I found this film utterly absorbing and very moving. I would rate it as one of the best war films I have seen. The film covers the fortunes of a group of university students in Holland just before the outbreak of the 2nd World War
How their lives are transformed and shaped because of the war and what happens to each one is fascinating. I found it very poignant.There is warmth tension and a lot of humour in the film. I would've liked a little more identification of the characters as I couldn't... more info
Dutch Courage This is an odd film, very much of its era, a number of chums at university in the Netherlands go down many different paths over the years of the war. At times it is a love story, then it is a spy story and then it is a war story. Entertaining enough but not something that you would go out of your way to see.
Great War Movie I first heard about this movie 30 years ago but only managed to see it yesterday.
I was stunned by it (ignore the negative reviews - they obviously missed the whole point of the film!)
This is one movie you should have in your collection.
One reviewer has said that the sub-titles were bad. This is not so (apart from one huge blooper when two Kreigsmarine officers are introduced as being from the "Greek" navy - or is this a Dutch joke that doesn't translate!)
The whole point of the... more info
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