[7]

Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Turkish Delight) draws upon his memories growing up in 1940s war-torn Holland for this adaptation of Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema’ autobiography. When the Nazi’s occupied the Netherlands, Roelfzema and several classmates left college to join the resistance. Soldier of Orange begins with fraternity initiation, shortly before war was declared. Rutger Hauer plays Roelfzema’s alter-ego, Erik, who spends the first half of the picture dodging the Nazi’s and escaping to England. The second half finds him an agent of the exiled Queen Wilhelmina, infiltrating his way back into Holland to retrieve fellow compatriots at the Queen’s behest. The film is bookended with scenes of Erik serving as the Queen’s personal aid, making Soldier of Orange one of those ‘rising through the ranks to greathood’ sort of tales.

Not all of Erik’s classmates survive the ordeal. Jeroen Krabbe (The 4th Man, Spetters) and Huib Rooymans are very good in tragic supporting roles. Susan Penhaligon is memorable in a ‘Hawksian woman’ sort of role, playing an English servicewoman who gets intimate with both Hauer and Krabbe’s characters without any jealousy or judgments being passed around. (Verhoeven has always been progressive that way.) The film kept me engaged for the most part, particularly with the supporting players and in the second half. While Hauer is certainly passable in the leading role, I have to wonder if the film might not have been significantly more engaging with a different actor in the lead. When you see Hauer and Krabbe on-screen together, Krabbe clobbers him in a charisma contest.