Le Choix du destin

War conceived as a wild youthful adventure that slowly demythologizes every aspect of the occupation. The German invasion is depicted here with a scene where enemy paratroopers pay a Dutch milkman for the milk they drink, or scared Dutch soldiers disturb a carefree romantic couple shagging behind a hay barn. Nor can the protagonists' resistance performances be attributed so much to their courage as to youthful indiscretion, a point amply made by a scene in which a pair of the protagonists in tails try to enlist while burning soldiers run behind them as the result of German bombing. And when, after the war, the angry mob cuts the hair of a collaborator's fiancée in the street, she somehow approaches it in a way that actually suits her quite well and, worst case, it’ll grow back. Of course, none of this would have worked so much if the relentlessness of the film's running time had been felt, but every scene in Soldier of Orange is so terribly rich, multi-plotted, dynamic, and punchy that it flies by like crazy. While writing about it I keep remembering more and more perfect parts, whether it's the "whores on the ground tug of war over the Iron Cross" sequence or even the final Christmas bombing of Germany ("Three, two, one, bomb dropped. Unlike me, they're not having a beer in Nuremberg today. Back to the party."). The resulting view of the whole concept of the occupation of the Netherlands is beautifully messy, morally ambivalent, and despite all the fatalities, torture, and executions, actually kind of exuberantly adventurous. This probably stems from a reluctance to portray the conflict in a one-sided way and how much it puts the spotlight on Dutch apathy and opportunistic tendencies towards collaboration. We would never be able to film something like that here. (30/03/2021)

If the first half hadn't felt like a five-hour TV series edited down to half the running time for cinema release, it could have competed with even the best resistance films. This way it "only" ably seconded them. (16/08/2009)

Rutger Hauer here proves his acting greatness, which I missed a lot in some of his American movies. Here is the reason why he made it all the way to Hollywood, just like Paul Verhoeven, who should be adored. I hope he still has enough time to shoot more because his films are simply powerful. (05/11/2015)