Simply A Masterpiece

Fantastic!

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Let me start by saying that this brilliant movie is not just some war movie to The Dutch. Every year this movie is on Dutch TV at "Dodenherdenking" (Remembrance of the Fallen in WWII) on the fourth of May.Although the theme is typical Verhoeven, with a protagonist and an antagonist who both deserve our empathy, Soldier of Orange is actually based on the autobiographic book "Soldaat van Oranje" by Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema. The story is about a fraternity at Leiden University. Each student follows a different path and therefore has a different role in World War II, either as a collaborator or in the resistance.The film begins with an original newsreel about the return of Queen Wilhelmina accompanied by Erik, the protagonist of the movie played by Rutger Hauer (Nighthawks, Blade Runner). They're landing in the Netherlands from London shortly after World War II. After that the film starts in the late 1930s in Leiden, where freshmen undergo the humiliation of the initiation rites of their fraternity and the drama unfolds.Those who don't know the book will think that this movie is full of Verhoeven's trademarks: explicit violence and sex and social satire, but these scenes are personal memoirs of the writer. Also director Paul Verhoeven is strongly influenced by this time in history. Verhoeven's family home was located near a German military base, which was repeatedly bombed by allied forces. From this period Verhoeven remembers images of violence, burning houses, dead bodies on the street, and continuous danger. Impressions he used later on in several of his fantasy and drama movies.What more can I say about this movie that hasn't been said on this forum? It combines action, adventure and personal drama with the looks of a huge budget film like The Longest Day but even better, because it connects people to the real life characters. Last but not least this movie has a beautiful music score and its own funny moments. Watch f.e. the weird Tango scene (Danse Macabre) with the protagonist and the antagonist who is played by Derek the Lint (The Unbearable Lightness of Being).This movie has a nostalgic feel, but if you don't like old movies or you can't get a copy of Soldier of Orange, I strongly recommend Verhoeven's "Black Book" (2007). More or less the remake with Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones).

SOLDIER OF ORANGE is a nice, rarely known Paul Verhoeven movie, shot in his native Holland and starring his one-time favourite actor, Rutger Hauer. It's a story whose backdrop encompasses the Second World War, and the Nazi invasion of that country. Verhoeven is obviously fascinated by the whole era - he would later return to it with the similar, even better BLACK BOOK - and his fascination is ably transmitted to the viewer.This is an engaging little movie that remains well-shot, well-directed, and well-written. The running time is lengthy and there's not a real deal of action - sometimes the lack of a proper budget is all too apparent - but it's also never boring and instead very watchable. Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe (THE FOURTH MAN) make for an excellent double act as the idealistic students who find themselves drawn into a war of resistance against the Nazis.The sense of place in SOLDIER OF ORANGE is excellent, and the realistic portrayal of events - there's no gung-ho stuff here - makes it feel almost documentary-like at times. It's certainly a great little film, more mature and sensible than Verhoeven's later overblown Hollywood efforts, and is eclipsed only by BLACK BOOK, which was made some thirty years later and is even more thrilling and exciting.

This is Paul Verhoeven's best Dutch film. Do not get me wrong I still like Turkish Delight, Katie Tippal, Spetters, and The Fourth Man. I like the music. This is truly an epic film. Rutger Hauer stars in this film and the other Dutch films directed by Paul Verhoeven he starred in are Turkish Delight, Katie Tippal, and Spetters. In Soldier of Orange first you see Rutger Hauer with a shaved head. Plus this movie is about of course soldiers. The first time I saw this movie I did not like it but then it grew on me. The first Dutch film by Paul Verhoeven I saw was Spetters. This movie is 10 times better than Spetters. Jerome Krabbe also stars in this film and the other Dutch films directed by Paul Verhoeven he starred in was Spetters and of course The 4th Man. The first time I saw Jerome Krabbe was in The Fugitive.

I have enjoyed seeing this movie more than twice because:It's true. It includes humor and absurdity along with fighting the good fight. It doesn't flinch from the ugly. Great music. Fine acting. Well crafted in creating the historic atmosphere. Dense with character. Entertaining pace.The first time I saw it I was a little bothered by the way it seemed to just "walk along" -then he did this then they did that then this happened- like a diary. But I later came to like that style, maybe because war, like life, is "just one damned thing after another".I'd love to read the memoir it's based on, but the last time I looked it hadn't been translated into English.I wonder if Verhoeven ever looks back and wishes he could have/would have made more like this instead of Showgirls, Robocop, and such.