The Forgotten Battle

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source: The Forgotten Battle

De slag om de Schelde (2020) is a Dutch movie co-written and directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. It was shown in the U. S. with the title "The Forgotten Battle." The actual title translates as "The Battle of the Scheldt." We in the U. S. may never have heard of it. That's because Canadian troops bore the brunt of the battle against the Germans. I'm sure it's not a forgotten battle in Canada or Holland. Gijs Blom portrays Marinus van Staveren, a Dutch citizen who is fighting on the side of the Germans. He hates Jews--and probably Communists--so he volunteered to fight in the German army. When the movie opens, he's fighting on the Russian front, but he gets transferred to Holland. Jamie Flatters plays William Sinclair. He's a British glider pilot, but his glider is shot down and he lands in Holland. Susan Radder plays Teuntje Visser, a Dutch woman who works in the mayor's office. Jan Bijvoet portrays her father--Doctor Visser--who treats Germans and Dutch equally well. The complexity of the movie is the interaction among these people, as the Canadian forces try to overcome the German forces in the area called The Scheldt. (I checked, and it really was important for the allies to possess the region, and equally important for the Germans to prevent this.) Of course, in a war movie, there's going to be blood and carnage. However, what keeps this film from being just another WWII movie is the complicated plot, that goes in directions you may not expect. De slag om de Schelde has a pretty weak IMDb rating of 7.1. I thought it was better than that, and rated it 8.

From minute 1 till minute 124 this movie keeps you focussed. You can feel the battle, the pain and the suffer. Absolutely not over romanced. The effects were spectacular. One minor thing to mention. People from Vlisdingen, Walcheren don't speak the dialect from Zeeuws Vlaanderen like was spoken.

One of the best war movies I've ever seen. Acting is exquisite, masterful handling of emotion scenes, very VERY authentic. Hardly comparable to Hollywood style actor hams. Cinematography is also impeccable, direction splendid quite sublime. I particularly like that the direction of the movie has focused on characters, how key roles are somewhat all intertwined. Seriously....... JUST WATCH IT !!!!!

One of the most expensive Dutch films ever produced and streaming kingpin Netflix's first originally produced film from the Netherlands, The Forgotten Battle is the perfect type of film for the company to support as well as being one of the most well put together war films in their catalogue. Directed by native Dutchman Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. (whose dabbled in Hollywood efforts like the The Thing), Battle tells the story of the not overly well-known World War 2 battle of Schelde in which allied forces took it to a bare-bones but determined Nazi army that was hellbent on stopping the allied march across Europe capturing ports and cities on their way into the Nazi occupied heartlands. Splitting the film up into three separate stories that all combine into one cohesive narrative structure, Battle follows Gijs Blom's young Dutch German soldier Marinus who has been sent back to his home country to take part in the fight, Jamie Flatter's newbie British pilot William who has along with his squad been shot down over enemy lines and battling to get back to allied forces and Susan Radder's Walcheren Island native Teuntje who is trying her best to rescue her brother from the clutches of Nazi soldiers. Offering a wide ranging scope by telling his story this way, Heijningen Jr's film isn't your typical war film that is all battles and brothers and while it has plenty of in your face battlefront carnage and cat and mouse games of life and death, the film provides a neatly observed different lens on the World War 2 front with it far removed from the more Hollywoodized war films that can find themselves front and centre in the genre on regular occasions. Working with a budget that while significant is still merely catering for big time productions, Heijningen Jr wrings every last dollar out of his films coffers to ensure that Battle feels like a more prestigious than usual Netflix mid-tier release and while it may not offer the big emotional pay-offs or gravitas to make it a must-watch, Battle showcases to viewers and to Netflix as a company the exact type of films it should be investing in when its not throwing 100's of millions of dollars at releases like The Irishman, 6 Underground and the upcoming Red Notice. Far from a classic World War 2 tale, battle is still high quality war time drama that offers a firsthand look at a largely unspoken about component of the Market Garden operation. Final Say - The Forgotten Battle is an above average Netflix release that has rightfully proved to be a decent sized hit for the streaming company and should be sought after by anyone seeking out a quality World War 2 offering (or a chance to see Draco Malfoy battle Nazis). 3 1/2 biscuit tins out of 5.

For me, a Dutchie, this is a very difficult film to review. I am trying to figure out whether to see this as a war film or as a Dutch film. As a war film, this film does not stand out amongst others. Sure, it tells a relatively unknown story and it keeps its premise small and contained. However, it didn't invite me in. I don't know whether it's the characters or just the actors that played them, I just didn't have a solid point of reference. Of course, this could have been a purposeful decision, showing the audience that in those times, people (soldiers especially), were rather expendable. Not having one "hero" who everyone knows is going to survive is part of many a war film. If that is the case, I should definitely watch more war films to wrap my mind around which different choices each director makes in this genre. As a Dutch film, this is genuinely good. And that is saying something. As most fellow Dutchies will agree, Dutch films are just cinematic turd. Not bad or unprofessional or anything, just aggressively mediocre, forgettable, and predictable. Plus, the dialogue is always the verbal equivalent of wet socks. So, compared to those, this movie is pretty solid. Everyone speaks in their own native tongue, the production value is grand, and on a technical level, it is of convincing quality. I think that sums up what I think of the film. I would not say I had a bad time watching it, because I loved experiencing this in theatres. I just had a difficult time reviewing it.

September 1944. The Allies have captured the port of Antwerp but the Germans still control the Scheldt estuary, preventing supplies reaching Antwerp and the Allied forces. Walcheren Island is key to the German's defence. Operation Market Garden is launched, hoping to penetrate directly into Germany via Arnhem in Holland. A glider from this operation is forced to crash land on Walcheren, leaving a handful of British troops trapped behind enemy lines. Meanwhile a Dutch teenager accidentally kills three Germans, causing a tragic chain of events. On the German staff is a Dutch soldier who now starts to question where his loyalties lie. An interesting war drama. Covers a lesser-known campaign of WW2, the battles for the Scheldt Estuary (and the Battle of Walcheren in particular) and does so in reasonably entertaining and engaging fashion. A decent enough plot, covering the battle from many sides, with some good action scenes and CGI. Not brilliant though. The plot is a bit clumsy at times and some aspects seem dumbed-down. The focus of the film is also at a micro level so you don't much information on the bigger picture and the effort involved in the opening up of the Scheldt estuary. While the civilian aspect was interesting much of the time taken on it could have been better spent.

I was impressed with the quality of camerawork, acting and action. Three storylines coming together in an impressive story about the battle of Zeeland of the Canadians, that was so important for the taking of the harbour of Antwerpen.

This is a human interest story set against the backdrop of Operation Market Garden in the Fall of 1944, in Holland. This was Field Marshall Montgomery's titanic screw-up based on his ego and a catastrophic underestimate of the retreating German Army's capabilities. If you want to see a good film on this subject watch 'A Bridge Too Far' or 'Band Of Brothers.' This film suffers from sub-par acting and from trying too hard to intersect its principle players. The sound is excellent. The battle scenes are well-staged. But, the film sort of lags along and due to the poor performances, the characters don't drag you in and hold your attention. Also, the music choices are ridiculous. Now, you will read some 8, 9 and 10 star reviews, but you can bet they are Netflix paid reviewers.