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"Black Book("Zwartboek")" has got to be Paul Verhoeven's best film to date. Its an old fashioned W.W.II story that's filled with fast-paced action, great dialogue, fantastic scenery, a script with a combination of romance, espionage and daring escapes that include twists and turns giving one a feel that this could have been a Hitchcock movie from the forties with one difference; its based on true events that occurred during 1944-1945.

Knockout Dutch actress, Candice van Houten portrays "Rachel;" a Jewish girl in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Holland. When her hiding place is accidentally destroyed, she seeks to escape the country with the help of a family barrister, reuniting Rachel with her family. During their escape, a double-cross leaves her as the only survivor and she joins the Dutch resistance going undercover with the new name of "Ellis" infiltrating the German high command. This is a woman that has nothing to lose and will do anything to survive.

Dutch actor, Sebastian Koch, is the sympathetic German officer, "Ludwig Muntze," who is torn between his duty in a war that Germany is losing and his love for Ellis after he has discovered her secret. His character is complex and well portrayed by a man who has personal demons to contend with. Morality or reality? Love or duty? Which to choose?

Every actor in this film commands a riveting performance and you never can take your eyes off Candace van Houten; a Dutch version of Grace Kelly and Eva Marie Saint combined.

Verhoeven is in his element here. Every scene is like a breathtaking picture he's painted. The good guys are shown to have flaws while some of the bad guys are not truly as bad as they seem. For a movie that runs two and a half hours, its never boring and moves like a racehorse.

I don't want to give too much away, but if you're looking for an old-fashioned adventure story, this is the one to watch.

After the screening, Mr. Grant Moninger, manager of the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, conducted an interview with Mr. Verhoeven.

Moninger: What was the genesis of wanting to shoot this movie and why in Holland?

Verhoeven: My friend and co-writer, Gerard Soeteman, came up with this idea twenty years ago. We felt that it was a story that needed to be told and originally had a young man, Rachel's boyfriend in the beginning, become the hero, but it didn't work. So, we centered the story on Rachel instead, who was based on a real person. It took 1-1/2 to 2 years to write the script which was completed in 2003. The film was shot in Isreal, Germany, England and Holland. We structured it on tax tables from those countries, though it was a financial nightmare. Still, I was happy to be shooting in Holland again. I was allowed more artistic freedom. The crew was great. Very professional.

M: What was the cost?

V: $21 million dollars.

M: Could you have made this film in the United States?

V: No. Everyone would be speaking English. Here, they speak whatever language is required of them during the scenes that are filmed. It adds to the realism of the movie.

M: What do you look for in casting?

V: As a writer, you have an abstract vision of what the character is. Something you have in mind. When I was casting in Holland, you ask the actors to show up, they show up. When you go through agents, they tend not to give the script to actors. In casting, we rehearse a few scenes and ask them to come back and rehearse some more until we get it right. Sometimes, I'll write the role for an actor that I have worked with in the past and cast them on the spot I know them so well.

M: Why are you the guy they go after when people complain about the amount of sex and violence in your films?

V: Don't ask me, ask them! Sex is normal for people. Without sex, none of us would be here. Sexuality is important to the animal called man. Violence? Violence is disgusting. Just open a newspaper and read. Violence is natural, to a degree. It surrounds us even into the universe. The stars, the planets exploding. Dying. Giving birth. The universe is an extremely violent creation, but then again, it just could be coincidence actually.

M: I've notice you have a central theme in your films....

V: You know the answer....me!

M: And sequels?

V: I don't want to do sequels. I want to do something different each time I direct that's why I never made any. I like the edge.

M: How did you go about your film's look?

V: A great production designer and director of photography. There are still plenty of places left in Holland to film. I have an apartment there. Sometimes I'll just get on my bicycle and ride scouting locations. You see things from a different perspective on a bicycle than you do in a car. Things you may miss.

M: The "Jesus Christ" movie you want to film...

V: According to James Cameron...that's a different story! (The audience got a laugh out of this.) Yes, I will film it, but it won't be like James Cameron's.

M: Why?

V: Because it will be the truth. What he has uncovered are the bones of a family, but its not Jesus and Mary.

M: What would you have been, if not a film maker?

V: My wife and kids keep me grounded. If not I would have been a pentacostal preacher!

M: Tell us about the "Houdini" film you wanted to do.

V: Houdini had this medium he could communicate with and after his death, strange things came out of her vagina that are documented with the School Of Parapsychology in New York. Its probably the reason why it never got made.

M: The look of "Black Book" is amazing. How did you acheive it?

V: I studied the films of the 40's. I wanted to recreate that time period and feel. You know how your movie will look after the first week of shooting when you do your homework.

M: Are peple attracted to fascism in your films?

V: Yes, I believe so. It will always be there. Germany, Italy, France...

M: I noticed that you used real World War II aircraft and ships in "Black Book." Were they hard to find?

V: The B-17, the "Sally B," is based in England. We just had them fly over one day and they did a marvelous job. We used an American T-6 to double for a German aircraft. The B-25 is based in Holland. The authentic German ships are here as well. Much was left over from the war.

M: Tell us about your other films...

V: The stars were attached first. Michael Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger...they came first, then they hired me to direct. Its a very star driven business.

M: Why choose "Black Book" to film instead of a science fiction film in the U.S.?

V: I wanted to tell a story that was realistic. Something that was near to my heart. A story that needed to be told. It took the Dutch a long time to look at their grey past. Some Dutch people were not so heroic and the bad guys were not so bad. There is a flip side to everyone. As people, we are all ambiguous. It's called being human.

M: Thank you for the interview and being with us tonight.

V: Thank you!