The Film
There have been several films that have chronicled how the Netherlands endured through the Second World War, and while many stories, including Paul Verhoven's Soldier of Orange and even the epic A Bridge Too Far have shown the celebration during the liberation, what is often forgotten is that much of the country remained occupied until the end of the war in May of 1945. The result is that the final winter of 1944-45 was actually among the darkest times for the Dutch people, as is seen in the recent Dutch import Black Book.
Now another film, based on a book also helps chronicle that the final months were very much the worst time in the occupied Netherlands. This is certainly seen in Winter in Wartime from director Martin Koolhoven, where 13-year old Michiel (Martijn Lakemeier) lives a generally carefree life. The end of the war seems just a matter of months away, he is free from attending school, and as son of the village mayor leads as comfortable a life as one can expect. This is turned upside down when he is drawn into helping a downed British flyer, and soon doesn't know who to trust. As the film progresses the tension rises; and what once seemed like a winter wonderland for this young man quickly becomes a season of despair and desperation.
The Picture
There is a subtle blue cast throughout much of Winter in Wartime, and this serves to show the direness and bleakness of the winter of early 1945. It likely also is there to help hide the fact that this film was actually shot in warmer months, which is noted in the bonus making of featurette. But otherwise, this 2.35:1 widescreen, MPEG-4 AVC encoded 1080p transfer is near picture perfect. The contrast levels are consistent, with deep darks and despite the bluish tint, generally realistic skin tones. The film is bleak however, until the final liberation sequences and here the oranges of the Dutch flags and the red in the liberating Canadian forces flags truly pop out.
The Sound
While a war film, this isn't one that is especially action packed - rather it is a film of resistance on many levels - and the sound works well to increase the tension. The sounds of gunfire are intense, more so because the film isn't especially action packed. The 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio provides clear dialog in Dutch and English, and offers the discrete sounds you'd hear in the winter months. This is complemented well by the score from Pino Donaggio.
The Extras
Where fans of the book may have a winter of discontent is with the fact that other than a making-of featurette, which is about a half hour long, and some previews for other Sony releases, this package is light on extras. Winter in Wartime is available as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack.
Final Thoughts
This tale of trust, betrayal and survival is high on tension and it really does make an excellent companion piece to other films set in the Netherlands in World War II. With the Allies ever closer and liberation just weeks away it was truly their darkest hour. Recommended viewing.
Product Details
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