O Ataque

In January 1945, during the second world war, the Dutch resistance kills a collaborator in the street where the 12 year old Anton Steenwijk lives. The man was shot in front of his neighbors house, but is moved by them to the house of the family Steenwijk. Because of this, his father, mother and brother are killed by the Germans, and their house is set to fire. During his life, Anton meets several people that tell him more about what really happened on the night of the assault.

What really makes this a great film is how it covers so much of the 20th century, at least the major war events. Vietnam, Stalin, Hungary and more... this is not just a story about the Netherlands in World War II, but really a larger tale of Europe. The balance between the personal and the international is what makes it such a notable film.

'De Aanslag' is an epic drama taking place in the final days of German occupation of the Netherlands in 1945.

A Nazi collaborator, Ploeg, was shot dead in Haarlem, and the corpse dragged to the front of a neighbouring house. When the Nazis arrived they assumed that the people in that house were responsible, arrested the occupants and set the house alight. Several other people were also rounded up and all executed. The exception is Anton, the 12 year old son of the family who lived in the house, who was taken to the military HQ and later sent to his uncle in Amsterdam.

These traumatic events had a serious psychological impact on Anton, particularly in his later life. Like a slow puzzle, the pieces began fitting together. As an adult Anton discovered who killed the collaborator, and who dragged the body to the front of their house, events that had such devastating effects.

It is an excellent film, but in my view a little too long. It loses momentum halfway through, but fortunately picks up again towards the end. Acting, cinematography and music score are top-notch. It brings a powerful anti-war message, and also explores the power of public mass protest to change the social order. I still score it a very good 8/10.

The film and the book, are really very much the same here. I read the book first and then watched the film and I have really not much to say about both. They are both of the same quality, for both book and film feature the same amount of accidental meetings which are after a while quite unbelievable and that is all the criticism I have. The film has of course certain things which are better than the book, for instance it is more exciting, but then again the film also has it's downsides, for sometimes the acting is not that great. But overall the better and worse things level each other out so my verdicts for book and film are the same: pretty good.

If you like Mulisch's books and are interested in World War 2 read De Zaak 40/61.

7 out of 10

I saw this movie in school for an asignment and I was suprised by the fact that this was a Dutch movie. This is one of those movies wich can stand the test of time. A involving story is told about Anton Steenwijk who we will follow through out this film. A must see film that tells the story of a typical dutch family in war time.

In the long run non-violence eventually overcomes violence. It is extremely difficult not to become an extremist. Being the center of the wheel requires great patience and understanding, as one is always tempted to take shortcuts in life via violence. A senseless, ill-planned act of sabotage in the Netherlands gets an entire innocent family killed. This is a prime example of how violence eventually falls down upon itself.

This film deservedly won the best foreign film of the year for 1986. The performances are first-rate, especially that of the child actor and the adult actor of the main character. This film is both a mystery and a tragedy at the same time; not an easy combination to put together for a director. The direction is impeccable. The screenplay is beautifully written, and in the final analysis, all of the events that take place after WW 2 just do not have the same significance and power as that horrible event. Truly a film classic.