In 1943, one hundred thousand Dutch people were members of the NSB, the National Socialist Movement, the fascist political party that collaborated with the German occupiers of the Netherlands during World War II. Thirteen thousand men were part of the Weerbaarheidsafdeling, the paramilitary arm of the NSB. Thirty thousand Dutchmen joined the SS, the Schutz Staffe. Twenty thousand of them went to the Eastern Front. Ten thousand of them died.
These are a few, less pleasant facts that are presented at the beginning of this controversial documentary about NSB leader Anton Adriaan Mussert.
Paul Verhoeven was never shy from controversy and this documentary shows his early cinematic principles.
Paul Verhoeven wanted to explore who Mussert really was, or rather: how he became. He doesn't portray Mussert as pure evil, but as someone who was just somewhere at school and had friends and family who appreciated him. Someone with dreams and frustrations.
Paul Verhoeven shows everything in his documentary, an exceptionally balanced account of the life and social forces of Mussert, external events and personal ambitions that have made him this maligned person.
Paul Verhoeven does not approve Mussert's behavior but his approach to the person Mussert created a lot of opposition. The documentary could not be broadcast on television. The VPRO was of the opinion that there was too little balance in the film and demanded from
Paul Verhoeven that he would place some images of concentration camps in it. After this request was granted, the film could still be broadcast in 1970, two years later.
Interestingly, Mussert was convicted and executed as a traitor, while he was always proud of the national feeling, and stood up for the Dutch interest when it threatened to come into play. His work for Hitler, which he also describes as a prophet and as sent by God to save Europe, he sees as necessary evil. He had the misconception that the Netherlands could continue to play an independent role within a German federation of states. It is also interesting to see the ex-East front fighters without a glance or blush. They have fought for Hitler against the (Russian) Communists on the Eastern Front, but are still really behind their actions and the philosophy of Mussert.
The end of the film is, remarkably enough, comparable with the end of
La lista negra (2006). We see what was done with the traitors and NSB-ers by the people on the street, when the war ended. Heads were shaved, humiliating signs hung around the neck, and they literally had to bend their knees. This documentary, as in
La lista negra (2006), shows the 'less' positive aspects of 'our' participation and behavior in the war. Shades of gray, instead of a comfortable black and white.
