The Resistance Banker (2018)

 

The Resistance Banker is the English title of a Dutch historical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2018.

 

The topic is the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War Two with special focus on a Dutch banker (Walraven van Hall) who used his position to help the Dutch resistance movement in its underground war against the German forces.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** Original Dutch title: Bankier van het verzet

** Director: Joram Lürsen

** Writers: Marieke van der Pol and Thomas van der Ree

** Run time: 123 minutes

 

A note on language: in the original version the main language is Dutch, as it should be, since the story is set in the Netherlands. Netflix has a version which is dubbed into English. All dialogue is in English. All characters speak English: the Dutch as well as the Germans. This is a gross violation of historical truth. This is totally unrealistic!

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Barry Atsma as Walraven van Hall (1906-1945) – a banker

** Jacob Derwig as Gijs van Hall (1904-1977) – Walraven’s older brother – a banker – after the war a politician, mayor of Amsterdam 1957-1967

** Fockeline Ouwerkerk as Tilly van Hall (1907-1988) – Walraven’s wife (married 1932-1945)

** Ali Zijlstra as Jeanette Veentra – a member of the Dutch resistance movement

** Pierre Bokma as Meinoud Rost van Tonningen (1894-1945) – a Dutch collaborator – financial administrator during the German occupation

** Eline Havenaar as Miep – a courier (see the PS)

** Raymond Thiry as Van den Berg

 

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I could mention many of them here. But I am not going to do that. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.

 

While the drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. But the basic story is true.

 

There are many movies about Word War Two. What is so special about this movie? Here is the answer: What is so special about this movie is that it focuses on the economic aspect of the German occupation and the Dutch resistance movement.

 

When the German forces occupied the Netherlands, they decided that the Netherlands should pay for the German occupation. To the Germans, this was only fair.

 

To many Dutch citizens, who were against the German occupation, this was an added insult; a provocation.

 

Walraven van Hall and his brother Gijs van Hall decided to embark on a devious and dangerous plan: they used their position as bankers to finance the secret Dutch resistance movement.

 

I am not going to explain how they did this. They had several elaborate and sophisticated methods. One of these methods is explained in the drama.

 

Technically, they broke the law, for instance by robbing the Dutch National Bank, but they justified their actions by telling themselves that once the war was over, and once Germany had lost the war, a new Dutch government would understand their reasons and agree that they had acted for the greater good of their country and its people. 

They were right.

 

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of two review aggregators:

 

69 per cent = IMDb

75 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the general audience)

100 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the professional critics)

 

As you can see, the ratings range from good to great. If you ask me, the critics of Rotten Tomatoes are right. Why? 

I have three reasons:

 

# 1. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well.

# 2. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional.

# 3. The drama is based on a true story.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

 

Please note: this rating is for the original version of the drama in which the actors speak the language which corresponds to their nationality. The Netflix version, which is dubbed into English, cannot get more than two stars!

 

PS # 1. The following reviews are available online:

 

** Brian Costello - Common Sense Media

** Jonathon Wilson - Ready Steady Cut

** Bhaskar Chattopadhyay - First Post

** Greg Wheeler - The Review Geek

** Omar Sanchez - The Wrap

 

PS # 2. Hanneke Ippisch-Elkema (1925-2012) was a courier for Walraven van Hall using the code name Miep. In 1945, she was arrested by the Germans, but she was not executed; she survived the war in a prison cell. After the war, she left the Netherlands. First she moved to Sweden and later to the US where she lived for the rest of her life.

 

Many years after the war she wrote a book about her role in the Dutch resistance movement: Sky: A True Story of Courage during World War II (1996). The book is reviewed by Alex Baugh in the blog The Childrens War, 8 September 2011.

 

PS # 3. The following article is available online: Cnaan Liphshiz, “Film on forgotten Holocaust fighter rocks the box office in Holland,” Times of Israel, 23 October 2018.

 

PS # 4. The history of the Netherlands during and shortly after World War two is the subject of several historical dramas. Here are some examples:

 

** Black Book (2007)

** Riphagen: The Untouchable (2016)

** A Real Vermeer (2016)

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Walraven van Hall (1906-1945)

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