London Film Festival goes Dutch

Monday at the 50th London Film Festival saw the premiere of Black Book, the latest production from director Paul Verhoeven.

Originally from Amsterdam, Verhoeven has returned to his roots with the film which he co-wrote with Gerard Soeteman.

Based on true events, it follows a Jewish woman at the end of the second world war who gets lost in a web of intrigue when the Holland is fractured by Axis forces.

The movie signals a move away from Hollywood blockbusters for Verhoeven, whose last feature film was Hollow Man in 2000.

"I wanted to go back to realism and I just couldn't find anything better in the States," he told Empire Online.

"I was looking, and looking, and looking, and I couldn't find anything that was personally dear to me. But this project was."

The director's roster of films also includes Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, RoboCop and Showgirls.

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