Soldaat van Oranje (1977)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema (book)
Kees Holierhoek (writer)

Release Date:

16 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

Plot:

This film depicts World War II through the eyes of several Dutch men. It covers the beginning of the war...

Plot Keywords:

Student | Resistance | Nazi | Fraternity | Gestapo

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Rutger Hauer	...	Erik Lanshof
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Guus LeJeune
Susan Penhaligon	...	Susan
Edward Fox	...	Colonel Rafelli
Lex van Delden	...	Nico
Derek de Lint	...	Alex
Huib Rooymans	...	Jan Weinberg
Dolf de Vries	...	Jack Ten Brinck
Eddy Habbema	...	Robby Froost
Belinda Meuldijk	...	Esther
Peter Faber	...	Will Dostgaarde
Rijk de Gooyer	...	Gestapo-man Breitner
Paul Brandenburg	...	SS Lt. Thelen
Ward de Ravet	...	Resistance Leader
Bert Struys	...	Resistance Leader

Also Known As:

In geheime opdracht van Hare Majesteit (Belgium: Flemish title) (poster title)
Soldier of Orange (USA)
Survival Run
Voor koningin en vaderland (Netherlands) (TV title)

Runtime:

Netherlands:152 min | UK:121 min | Netherlands:215 min (4 episodes) | Spain:103 min | USA:165 min

Country:

Belgium | Netherlands

Language:

Dutch | English | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Germany:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:15 | USA:R | UK:AA (original rating)

Filming Locations:

's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Excelsior Films

Trivia:

Was shot entirely on real locations with the exception of the short sequence in the RAF bomber.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The German aircraft used in the film were actually post war British Harvard fighters. The same planes were used in "A Bridge Too Far" to resemble American P47's.

Quotes:

[English officer gives Gus a cyanide pill]
English officer: Should anything go wrong, cyanide.
Gus: What flavor? Orange or lemon?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Allemaal film: De gouden jaren (#1.3)" (2007)

Outstanding story of people in war

I've seen a lot of good reviews from Dutch fans, and let me say as a viewer in the USA, I also thought this was one of the best portraits of people during war. Unlike most Hollywood war movies, the characters are complex and not exaggerated heros or villains. You have people who act, people who are passive, people who agree with the German side, people who are traitors. But even the principle traitor is someone forced into a difficult dilemma, as Verhoeven says about him in the commentary "let him without sin cast the first stone". I thought the character of Alex was interesting (yes the tango scene was remarkable), also a sympathetic character, who being half German, decided to join the German army (he tank infantry, not SS by the way, an important moral distinction). Verhoeven expresses regret about portraying him as a jerk in his final scene (throwing the bread in the mud), because once again he was not meant to be a villain, just a person making personal decisions during time of war.