Black Book
Zwartboek
“To fight the enemy, she must become one of them.”
Synopsis
Israel, 1956: Jewish teacher Rachel Stein rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz. It brings back memories of her experiences in the Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. In September 1944, Rachel's hiding place is bombed by Allied troops; she makes contact with a resistance member and joins a group of Jews to be smuggled across the Biesbosch to the freed South Netherlands. Only Rachel escapes a massacre by patrol Germans, and is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers, whose son is captured trying to smuggle weapons. Kuipers asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze, a mission that she will soon learn that the boat attack wasn't a coincidence.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Official TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2007-01-17
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Carice van Houten
Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries
Sebastian Koch
Ludwig Müntze
Thom Hoffman
Hans Akkermans
Halina Reijn
Ronnie
Waldemar Kobus
Günther Franken
Matthias Schoenaerts
Joop
Derek de Lint
Gerben Kuipers
Christian Berkel
General Käutner
Dolf de Vries
Notary Wim Smaal
Peter Blok
Van Gein
Michiel Huisman
Rob
Ronald Armbrust
Tim Kuipers
Frank Lammers
Kees
Johnny de Mol
Theo
Xander Straat
Maarten
Diana Dobbelman
Mrs. Smaal
Rixt Leddy
Anny
Lidewij Mahler
Linda
Release History & Theatrical Window
Mar del Plata Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
May 18, 2007
Wide Cinema Exhibition
September 25, 2007
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$21M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$26.8M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1.27x
+$5.8M net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Paul Verhoeven
- Screenplay & Story
- Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
- Original Score
- Anne Dudley
- Original Title
- Zwartboek
- Country of Origin
- Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom
- Spoken Languages
- Dutch, German, English, Hebrew
- Runtime
- 2h 25m
- Production Budget
- $21M
- Worldwide Gross
- $26.8M
- Production Studios
- Fu Works, AVRO, VIP Medienfonds 4, Clockwork Pictures, Studio Babelsberg, Motion Investment Group, Motel Films, Hector BV, ContentFilm International, Egoli Tossell Film
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
Anne Dudley
Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Marc Felperlaan, Erwin Roodhart
Job ter Burg, James Herbert
Frans van Gestel, Jeroen Beker, Marcus Schöfer, Andreas Schmid, Adrian Politowski
Department Leadership Roster
Paul Verhoeven
Director
Yan Tax
Costume Design
Frans van Gestel
Producer
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Director of Photography
Paul Verhoeven
Screenplay
Job ter Burg
Editor
Jeroen Beker
Producer
Gerard Soeteman
Screenplay
James Herbert
Editor
Wilbert Van Dorp
Production Design
Hans van Helden
Visual Effects Supervisor
Olaf Wendt
Visual Effects Supervisor
Willem de Beukelaer
Stunt Coordinator
Adrian Politowski
Producer
Nadia Khamlichi
Producer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
Mature Accompanied — Restricted to persons 15 and older.
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Black Book.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Black Book.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Black Book
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Black Book about?
Israel, 1956: Jewish teacher Rachel Stein rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz. It brings back memories of her experiences in the Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. In September 1944, Rachel's hiding place is bombed by Allied troops; she makes contact with a resistance member and joins a group of Jews to be smuggled across the Biesbosch to the freed South Netherlands. Only Rachel escapes a massacre by patrol Germans, and is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers, whose son is captured trying to smuggle weapons. Kuipers asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze, a mission that she will soon learn that the boat attack wasn't a coincidence.
Who directed Black Book?
Black Book was directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Who stars in Black Book?
The principal cast of Black Book includes Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus.
When was Black Book released and how long is it?
Black Book was released in 2006 with a total runtime of 2h 25m.
What was the box office and production budget of Black Book?
Black Book had a reported production budget of $21M and grossed $26.8M at the worldwide box office (1.27 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Who composed the musical score for Black Book?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Black Book was composed by Anne Dudley.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Black Book?
Black Book holds official age classifications: AU: MA15+ (Mature Accompanied — Restricted to persons 15 and older.); DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: 12 (Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.); GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).