One of the most divisive directors in Hollywood is Paul Verhoeven. His last film, 2006's Black Book
, was praised with multiple awards and nominations overseas. Here in the States the responde was tepid at best. You either love his quirky aesthetic or you hate it. I admit it works for cornball flicks like Hollow Man and Robocop
. For a movie about WWII and Jewish persecution like Black Book, his style is a little off-putting. After four years, the director is ready to jump back in the saddle by adapting Louis Couperus' novel, The Hidden Force, for the big screen. Verhoeven will re-team with his frequent writing partner, Gerard Soeteman, on the film. Verhoeven describes it like this..
Verhoeven: “[The movie is about] rebellion against colonial rule, the emergence of fundamentalist Islam, the behavior between people, adultery and psychic powers. It is a story about things that we do not understand but it does happen.”
The book was originally written in 1900, and a look at the novel's summary reveals that there's a lot going on here than in a normal Verhoeven flick. Hey, this is the same guy who directed Showgirls
! SUMMARY
In The Hidden Force the decline and fall of the Dutch resident Van Oudyck is caused by his inability to see further than his own Western rationalism. He is blind and deaf to the slumbering powers of the East Indian people and countryside. The black magic, bird calls, vegetation, heat and the mysterious, hostile attitude of their Javanese subjects prove stronger than the cool power of the colonials.
