1. Soldier of Orange (1977)
It is testament to Verhoeven's skills as a director that he can make war films exciting and that I placed this film number one on the list (I'm sorry guys but I just can't get into war films that much). Along with Turkish Delight, this is considered to be one of the best Dutch movies ever made. The film follows a group of students in the Netherlands during World War Two and the roles they take. Some are collaborators and some are Resistance fighters. A lot of the action takes place in Queen Wilhelmina's residence in London (I think Verhoeven is a bit of a Dutch Royalist, the various queens are always popping up in his films). The plot is quite complex to explain but the baddie collaborators all get their comeuppances and Erik, the resistance fighter (played by the indomitable Rutger Hauer) has many close shaves but at the end of the film, he accompanies the Queen back to the Netherlands as her official escort. Soldier of Orange shows Verhoeven at his most restrained - there is no liberal nudity and you will not find the combat gore of Platoon or Saving Private Ryan. Instead, he is content to sit back and let the story unfold for itself with minimal directorial interference. At times you feel like you could be watching a documentary. The story is an absorbing one, the music is well chosen and very stirring. The acting is flawless and a who's who guide to the cream of Dutch acting talent. Ar the beginning I said that I didn't like war films. Well I actually know a lot about them. I wrote my Senior Honours Dissertation on the Aesthetics of War Films. I have sat through oodles of war films, and I would put Soldier of Orange up there with Paths of Glory and Patton.