Description
Book SynopsisThe German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II left a lasting mark on Dutch memory and culture. This book is the first to explore depictions of that period in films made a generation later, between 1962 and 1986. As Dutch public opinion towards the war altered over the postwar decades, the historical trajectory of Dutch recovery and reconstruction-political, economic, and, most complicated of all, psychological-came to be revealed, often unconsciously, in the films of the period.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction 1 Representation, occupation, and Dutch war films Representing the past: the case of film Nationhood and identity Myth and memory: the re-writing of history The Netherlands and World War Two: German occupation Post-war considerations Dutch film history: an overview Dutch war films: historical and cultural perspectives 2 The image of the enemy Who is the enemy? The end of forgetting: image of the enemy in the early 1960s After the absence: war again on the agenda Growing ambiguity: portrayal of the occupiers in 1986 3 Dutch identity and 'Dutchness' Big skies, far horizons: Dutchness in early 1960s films Speaking the same language?: Blurred boundaries in 1977 Bitter cold, fading Communism: portrayals from the 1980s The legacy of the Dutch landscape, in painting, and in film 4 Life under occupation We're all in this together: images of family life in 1960s films Division, suspicion, and the war against Dutch Jews Fractured lives, crushed hopes: trauma and the disintegration of family and friends in the 1980s 5 Resistance and collaboration Irresistible resistance: heroic resistance in the 1960s Pushing the boundaries: collaboration breaks through, 1977-1978 Shattered myths, bleak truths: assimilating collaboration and resistance in the 1980s and beyond Conclusion Filmography Bibliography Glossary of Dutch and German terms Appendix Top Dutch films by box office admissions
