Olympics 2012 Film Part 4 - Norway, Denmark, Cuba, South Korea, Netherlands & Canada

Netherlands €“ 246 Medals

Unfortunately, I€™m not that knowledgeable when it comes to Dutch cinema. Often seen as quite a small industry, the Netherlands has not mounted a meaningful attempt in creating a strong domestic output. Unluckily, when the industry did show signs of improving, Hitler invaded and for the duration of the war, only propaganda films were given any importance, with funding extremely limited by its occupiers. After the war, money was funneled into rebuilding the country and thus film came far down in its priorities. This understandably affected the domestic market and justifiably imports dominating their cinemas became the norm. This was until the 1970s, when a man who would come to give us Robocop started to make waves in the industry. Paul Verhoeven, created a handful of box office hits in the 1970s which helped to rejuvenate their cinema. This was of course, until the creation of the VCR which affected every national cinema during the 80s, leading Verhoeven to jump ship to Hollywood. And although his stock has improved with his transition to America, Dutch cinema lacked an imposing voice. It still lives in the shadows of its dominant European neighbors, but many films made domestically are beginning to gain attention within the country. Bronze €“ Black Book (Paul Verhoeven, 2006) Having the tag of most expensive Dutch film ever made, can bring with it, a lot of expectations. Bring with that tag, a director who helped rebuild Dutch cinema, and you could say that expectation levels reach unprecedented heights. And while the film doesn€™t quite reach the heights it seemed destined for, it gives it an almighty try. Rachel, a young Jewish girl living in Nazi occupied Holland, has to flee her safe house when bombing attacks her town. With her family killed in a flurry of gunfire she barely escaped, she swims in grief to her relative safety. To gain revenge on the Nazi regime, she joins the resistance, shedding herself of her previous identity both figuratively and physically, dying her hair an Ayran blonde. With her hair now blonde, she is placed into the German ranks as a spy but has to give up her body as a sexual object to the Nazi commanders. Although the film signals Verhoeven€™s return to his homeland, he brings with him the highly sexual and extremely violent style he honed while in Hollywood. It is far from a realistic take on the war but it never claims to be. Instead it is the work of an auteur in his attempts to bring his Hollywood techniques back to his stuttering Dutch cinema. He succeeded with a dutch narrative streamed through an impressive female lead, unheard of in a country, where the majority of its war films were once led by the boisterous machismo of Rutger Hauer. Silver €“ Interview (Theo Van gogh, 2003) An extremely simple sounding film on the surface, Interview is an intriguing take on the relationship between a popular actress and the role the media plays in shaping her personality. A war correspondent, Pierre, is sent to interview Katya, the actress of the piece. Katya is not a brilliant actress, but in the media€™s eye she is seen as news; she is essentially a tabloids dream. And it is as simple as that, the film is a conversational piece, going back and forth between them in their separate power plays to control the interview. For a film about two characters, there has to be some outside interest in them, luckily both have that. Pierre is played by Pierre Bokma, a straight laced actor more known for his theatre and serious cinema. His persona as an actor is similar to his character; he probably would have a disdain for her work and I highly doubt he would have watched her performances. Katya is played by Katya Schuurman and pretty much plays herself, a famous female actress but perhaps not for her acting roles, but rather for her identity in the media as a Dutch celebrity. The dual identities of the characters and their actors makes it a fascinating watch, the film may be tedious at times but it provides many interesting points about the media and the role it plays in an actor€™s life. Gold €“ Spoorloos (George Sluizer, 1988) Please, please, please ignore the American remake. I honestly cannot stress this enough. I only say this because Spoorloos (The Vanishing), is for me one of the finest and most disturbing thrillers ever made. Rex and Saskia seem to be just a normal couple, they enjoy each other€™s company, they make each other laugh and most of all they seem to be falling in love. Whilst holidaying in France, they have a small minor argument, but thanks to the strength of their relationship they kiss and make up. However, when they stop at a gas station, she leaves the car to buy some drinks and mysteriously never reappears. Three years after the event, Rex is still searching for her and regularly receives postcards from the abductor asking to meet. The abductor never appears to show up, but Rex is not willing to give up as his obsession begins to affect his everyday life. The brilliance in Sluizer€™s direction is how he allows the audience to know the abductor of the piece. We are introduced to him almost immediately, we know of his existence and gradually his life, but we don€™t know what he€™s done to Saskia, nor do we know why. So as Rex starts his search, we are placed as an audience with a guilty conscience, we know more than our mystified and concerned protagonist but not enough to help him. It is an interesting take on the thriller genre. In the end its simplistic plot is shown up for what it is, making its depressing ending all the more shocking as it unfurls. With the thriller genre sodden with mediocre attempts, Spoorloos in my eyes is the benchmark on the world stage.