''Soldier of Orange'' (, ), released in the United Kingdom as ''Survival Run'', is a 1977 Dutch romantic

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed and co-written by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...

and produced by Rob Houwer, based on

Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Siebren Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema (3 April 1917 – 26 September 2007) was a Dutch writer who became a resistance fighter and RAF pilot during the Second World War. Near the end of the war he was adjudant (assistant) to Wilhelmina of the Netherl ...

's autobiographical book of the same name. Starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. H ...

and

Jeroen Krabbé Jeroen Aart Krabbé (; born 5 December 1944) is a Dutch actor, film director and painter with a successful career in both Dutch- and English-language films. He is best known to international audiences for his leading roles in the Paul Verhoeven ...

, the film is set around the

German occupation of the Netherlands Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of ''Fall Gelb'' (Case Yellow). On 15 May 1940, one day after the Rotterdam Blitz, bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and shows how individual students have different roles in the war. With a budget of ƒ 5 million (

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

2.3 million), it was, at the time, the most expensive Dutch film ever. With 1,547,183 viewers, ''Soldier of Orange'' was the most popular Dutch film of 1977.Soldaat van Oranje
at www.filmtotaal.nl The film received a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nomination for

Best Foreign Language Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

in 1980.Soldier Of Orange
at the website of the

Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who reported on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conduc ...

At the 1999

Netherlands Film Festival The Netherlands Film Festival () is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht. During the ten-day festival, Dutch film productions and co-productions are exhibited. Besides feature films, the prog ...

, it was voted the second-best Dutch film of the twentieth century. In 1979, the film was edited into a

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

and aired on TV as ''Voor Koningin en Vaderland''. Makers van Soldaat van Oranje in Tuschinski

Plot

Set during

, the film is about students in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

: Erik Lanshof, Guus LeJeune, Jan Weinberg, and Alex. Robby Froost is Erik's friend; Esther is Robby's girlfriend. Some

collaborate Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

; others join the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

. It begins with a

flashforward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

: a

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...

from the immediate postwar period of

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as ...

returning to the Netherlands. The film then moves to the late 1930s in Leiden, where freshmen undergo the

initiation rite Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

s of their

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

. Erik is picked out by Guus, the chair, who drops a bowl of soup on his head, injuring him. Guus apologises and offers a room in his student house. There, the students (Erik, Guus, Jacques, Jan, and Alex) drink to their friendship. In September 1939, an English radio broadcast interrupts their tennis, announcing the

declaration of war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the public signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national gov ...

against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Initially, they are unalarmed, believing the Netherlands will remain neutral as in World War I. Jan, a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

, and Alex, who is half German, join the

Dutch Army The Royal Netherlands Army (, KL) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised making the Dutch standing army one of the ...

. In May 1940, Germany invades. Erik and Guus try to join up, but are fobbed off. Soon, the Netherlands capitulates after the

Rotterdam Blitz In 1940, Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the German invasion of the Netherlands during the Second World War. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resi ...

. Robby is in contact with the

Dutch government-in-exile The Dutch government-in-exile (), also known as the London Cabinet (), was the government in exile of the Netherlands, supervised by Queen Wilhelmina, that fled to London after the German invasion of the country during World War II on 10 May 19 ...

via a radio transmitter in his garden and offers Erik a flight to London. Jan, a boxing champion, assaults two

fascists Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social h ...

harassing a Jewish hawker, so Erik offers his seat to Jan. However, the Germans intercept the pick up: Jan is captured but Erik escapes. Erik sees Alex marching in a departing

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

of the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

. Later, Erik is also captured. Jan tells him, based on his interrogator's comment, that a Van der Zanden in London betrayed them. Jan, who resists interrogation, is executed on the

Waalsdorpervlakte The Waalsdorpervlakte () is a clearing in the dune area "Meijendel" (The Hague, Netherlands), where between 250 and 280 members of the Dutch resistance were killed by the Germans during World War II. After the liberation of the Netherlands, Collab ...

dunes. Robby's radio is discovered, and he is forced to work for the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

by their threat of deporting Esther, a Jew, to a labour camp. Erik and Guus flee for London on the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

cargo ship ''St. Cergue''.ST. CERGUE History
swiss-ships.ch In London, Erik meets Van der Zanden (modelled after general

François van 't Sant François van 't Sant (11 February 1883 – 3 June 1966) was a Dutch head-commissioner of police, leading intelligence figure and confidant of Queen Wilhelmina and other members of the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau. In both World War I ...

) and tries to kill him. However he is not a traitor, but head of the Dutch Central Intelligence Service and a private secretary to

. Guus begins an affair with Susan, a secretary in British intelligence. Erik and Guus agree to rescue resistance leaders for post-war roles. Guus is taken ashore and meets the leaders. As Guus' radio has been damaged by seawater, they use Robby to contact London. Erik then follows to arrange Guus and the resistance leaders' departure by sea. However, Robby has infiltrated the group and so the Germans have followed them. Erik sees Robby with them and tries unsuccessfully to warn them. After ducking into the beach mansion party for cover, seeing Alex and dancing

ballroom tango Ballroom tango is a ballroom dance that branched away from its original Argentine roots by allowing European, American, Hollywood, and competitive influences into the style and execution of the dance. The present day ballroom tango is divided int ...

with him, Erik meets the others on the beach. When Robby realises Erik knows about his collaboration, he fires a signal flare. Despite German warnings, the group tries to flee but the leaders are killed. Guus escapes by swimming, but only Erik reaches the ship. Guus later shoots Robby in the street. He flees, but is caught and

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

d. On the Eastern Front, Alex is killed in a latrine by a

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

from a boy he had mocked when the boy begged for food. Erik becomes an RAF bomber pilot and is later appointed aide to Queen Wilhelmina, and accompanies her home. Erik finds that Dutch citizens have cut off Esther's hair as punishment for her and Robby's collaboration. She says she bears no grudge. Finally, Erik celebrates the end of the war with a fellow student, Jacques ten Brinck, who also survived.

Cast

as Erik Lanshof, a student in

who joins the resistance. *

as Guus LeJeune, a combination of

Ernst de Jonge Ernst Willem de Jonge (22 May 1914 – 3 September 1944) was a lawyer and Olympic rower who volunteered to serve in the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. He was captured in May 1942, interrogated and moved through several concentrati ...

Peter Tazelaar Peter Tazelaar (5 May 1920 – 6 June 1993) was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II and worked as an agent for the Special Operations Executive, SOE. Following the war he served in Dutch East Indies, before returning to Europe to ...

and Chris Krediet, a student and friend of Erik who also joins the resistance. *

Susan Penhaligon Susan Penhaligon (born 3 July 1949) is a Cornish actress and writer known for her role in the drama series '' Bouquet of Barbed Wire'' (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' (1981–1984). She appeared in the s ...

as Susan, a British soldier and secretary to Colonel Rafelli. * Edward Fox as Colonel Rafelli, the British officer who runs the missions Erik and Guus undertake to the occupied Netherlands. *

Lex van Delden Lex van Delden, born Alexander Zwaap (10 September 1919 – 1 July 1988) was a Dutch composer and the father of actor Lex van Delden. Early life and education Born Alexander Zwaap in Amsterdam, the only child of Wolf Zwaap, a school-teacher, ...

as Nico, another of the students. *

Derek de Lint Dick Hein "Derek" de Lint (; born 17 July 1950) is a Dutch film and television actor, known for playing the role of Derek Rayne in '' Poltergeist: The Legacy''. Life and career Dick Hein de Lint was born on 17 July 1950 in The Hague in the N ...

as Alex, a half-German student who is at first drafted into the Dutch army before joining the

after the German victory. * Huib Rooymans as Jan Weinberg, a Jewish student and boxing champion. *

Dolf de Vries Dolf de Vries (11 July 1937 – 5 December 2020) was a Dutch actor from The Hague. De Vries was best known for his television appearances, especially for his role as Verhulst in '' Dossier Verhulst'' (1986–87). He also appeared in several of P ...

as Jacques ten Brinck, a student friend of Erik who continues his studies at Leiden University. * Eddy Habbema as Robby Froost, a friend of Erik who operates radio communications for the resistance. *

Belinda Meuldijk Belinda Meuldijk (born 7 January 1955) is a Dutch actress, writer, and activist. She has performed in Dutch television shows and movies, and is also a songwriter. She first performed at age six in the ''Pipo de Clown'' television show, conceived ...

as Esther, Bobby's fiancée who assists Erik on several occasions. *

Peter Faber Peter Faber, SJ (, ) (13 April 1506 – 1 August 1546) was a Savoyard Catholic priest, theologian and co-founder of the Society of Jesus, along with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Pope Francis announced his canonization in 2013. Life Ea ...

as Will Oostgaarde, who accompanies Erik and Guus to London. *

Rijk de Gooyer Rijk de Gooyer (17 December 1925 – 2 November 2011) was a Dutch Golden Calf-winning actor, writer, comedian and singer. From the 1950s until the early 1970s, he became well known in The Netherlands as part of a comic duo with John Kraaijkamp ...

-man Breitner. *

Reinhard Kolldehoff Reinhard Kolldehoff (29 April 1914 – 18 November 1995) was a German film actor. He appeared in 140 films between 1941 and 1988. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Gasman'' (1941) - Polizeibeamter (uncr ...

Sturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...

Geisman, the German senior officer who gives orders to Breitner. *

Andrea Domburg Andrea Domburg (21 April 1923 – 23 July 1997) was a Dutch film, stage and television actress. She was awarded the Theo d'Or in 1968 for her stage work. Her screen appearances were mostly in Dutch film and television, although she appeared in t ...

as Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands. * Guus Hermus as Van der Zanden, head of the Dutch Central Security Service and trustee of Queen Wilhelmina in London. *

Bert André Hubertus Antonius Gerardus Maria "Bert" André (August 6, 1941 – May 21, 2008) was a Dutch actor who started his career in theater and later became known to the greater audiences through his roles in various movies and TV series. Biography He ...

as local man Gekke Dirk. * Hugo Koolschijn as a Sicherheitspolizei-lieutenant. * Brûni Heinke as an NSB member.

Reception

Critical response

''Soldier of Orange'' has an approval rating of 91% on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 11 reviews, and an average rating of 7.8/10.

Awards and nominations

The film won the

Los Angeles Film Critics Association The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles–based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organi ...

Award for Best Foreign Film in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. One year later, in 1980, it received a

nomination for

, but the French-Italian film '' La Cage aux Folles'' won the award. In the vote for best Dutch film of the twentieth century at the

in 1999 ''Soldier of Orange'' won second place behind ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight, or lokum () is a family of confectionery, confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often fl ...

'', another Paul Verhoeven film. The film was selected as the Dutch entry for the

at the

50th Academy Awards The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee. Golden Globe Awards

Stage musical adaptation

On 30 October 2010, a musical of the same name premiered in the Netherlands. It was shown in a special theatre converted from an old hangar at the former Valkenburg Air Base in

Katwijk Katwijk () is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands. The Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and i ...

. Instead of having the sets changing onstage, the area where the audience sits revolved to different stages (using a system named SceneAround), which included a set with a recreated beach and an artificial sea and a set containing a real

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

Dakota plane. The musical has since been performed in other cities, including London.

References

External links

* *

Reviews

Review
by

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Review
by Bill Warren at Audio Video Revolution (4.5/5)
Review
by Scott Weinberg a
Apollo Movie Guide
(7.9/10) (79/100) {{DEFAULTSORT:Soldier Of Orange 1977 films 1977 drama films 1970s Dutch-language films 1970s English-language films 1970s war drama films Anti-war films about World War II Cultural depictions of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Dutch action films Dutch war drama films Dutch World War II films Films about Dutch resistance Films adapted into plays Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Paul Verhoeven Films produced by Rob Houwer Films set in the Netherlands Films set in London Films set in Amsterdam Films set in universities and colleges Films set on the home front during World War II Films shot in London Films shot in Amsterdam World War II aviation films World War II films based on actual events World War II spy films Films scored by Rogier van Otterloo English-language war drama films