The Assault (film)

For the 2010 French film based on the hijacking of Air France Flight 8969, see The Assault (2010 film).
The Assault

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Fons Rademakers
Produced by Fons Rademakers
Screenplay by Gerard Soeteman
Based on The Assault
by Harry Mulisch
Starring Derek de Lint
Marc van Uchelen
Monique van de Ven
Music by Jurriaan Andriessen
Cinematography Theo van de Sande
Edited by Kees Linthorst
Production
company
Fons Rademakers Produktie
Distributed by Cannon Films
Release dates
  • 6 February 1986 (1986-02-06)
Running time
 144 minutes
Language Dutch
English
German

The Assault (Dutch: De aanslag) is a 1986 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Harry Mulisch. The film was directed and produced by Fons Rademakers. The main character is played by both Derek de Lint (in the present) and Marc van Uchelen (as a youth), whereas Monique van de Ven plays two different roles, one after the war (his first wife) and one in the war (a woman who participated in the assault and whom he meets later the same night in a dark police cell).

Plot

In January 1945, as the Second World War in Europe is reaching its end, much of the Netherlands remains under Nazi occupation. One night, a Nazi collaborator is shot dead on his bicycle. The family whose house he falls down in front of moves the body in front of the neighboring house, where the Steenwijk family lives. The Nazis, assuming that the Steenwijks killed the collaborator, execute the parents and older brother together with a large number of hostages. Burning the Steenwijk's house to the ground, they imprison the younger brother, Anton. The other person in his unlit cell is an older woman. Anton can see only her mouth. She spends the next few minutes comforting him until he is removed from the cell.

After the Netherlands are liberated from Nazi occupation, Anton remains shaken by what has happened. The story moves between the end of World War II and the 1980s, following Steenwijk's often reluctant quest for the truth about the events of that traumatic night.

Cast

Awards

The film won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[1] the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Space Needle of the Seattle International Film Festival.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The 59th Academy Awards (1987) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
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