"Black Book": or, the vulgarity of a Paul Verhoeven film

This is not the vulgar part (in fact, it's my favorite scene in the movie!)

I'll never forget Roger Ebert's reaction to David Lynch's "Blue Velvet": He was critical of the director for leaving his actress (the fearless Isabella Rossellini) so exposed and vulnerable (as if he owes a duty to his actors to honor the trust they have placed in him). She was definitely exposed, if you remember: but at the time I thought Ebert overreacted, and I still do: Rossellini's faith was rewarded in a shocking, memorable performance. (Much like Laura Dern in "Inland Empire" -- she put it all on the line for that movie. Would any actress do that for, say, Michael Bay (to cite the most obvious Hollywood hack)?

Lynch can get away with such things because he is an artist. Paul Verhoeven, on the other hand, is a crass, mass-market entertainer: and Elizabeth Berkley is still trying to overcome "Showgirls" as a result. So the lovely Dutch actress Carice van Houten had little chance to emerge from "Black Book" unscathed.
The things this cinematic sadist Verhoeven puts this poor beauty through is unforgiveable.

Let's get one thing straight: I've got no problem seeing the supple Ms. van Houten slip out of her clothes at the slightest provocation. But the escalating degradation she is forced to endure throughout this movie is prurient and unseemly, especially since the movie strives for nothing more than popular entertainment!

The apotheosis of this degradation is blatantly telegraphed: why else would a scene begin with a close-up of a communal bucket of shit? ("Oh, I wonder if that will play a part in the upcoming scene?") True to form, Verhoeven first strips and taunts the main character, Rachel Stein, before, oh so predictably, dumping the entire bucket of shit on top of her. Subtle, Paul .... ohsofuckingsubtle!

I won't dwell on the endless improbabilities and false endings that make this movie such a chore to sit through: at that point, I didn't care how it ended, I was just praying it would end--both for my sake and Ms. van Houten's.