PAUL VERHOEVEN - VERHOEVEN HAS POSITIVE MEMORIES OF WAR

VERHOEVEN HAS POSITIVE MEMORIES OF WAR

BLACK BOOK director PAUL VERHOEVEN insists his memories of Holland during the Second World War are positive because of the goodwill and loyalty which held his country together. The Dutch filmmaker lived in The Hague - close to the German Army headquarters - during the Nazi occupation and was just seven years old when Holland was liberated by Allied forces in 1945. He spent twenty years planning his new film but insists his childhood experiences have never caused him any emotional damage. He says, "Strangely enough I have a positive feeling about that period. "Even my parents - who are dead now - said it was possibly the most beautiful time of our lives because we were surrounded by people who were loyal. "We were all trying to survive and everybody was giving food to each other. It was very Christian. "When peace came, everybody became individuals again and that feeling disappeared."