Paul Verhoeven is rightfully considered one of the most controversial filmmakers in cinema. Each of his paintings becomes a discovery for the viewer, although Verhoeven adores Hollywood clichés. Today, it is difficult to find a movie lover who has not heard of this Dutch American filmmaker.
From the biography of Paul Verhoeven
The future famous screenwriter and film director was born in Amsterdam on July 18, 1938. His father was a village teacher. Paul's childhood was spent in the context of World War II and was filled with despair and fear: in 1940, Holland was occupied by the Nazis. Before the boy's eyes were the bloody bodies of people, burning airplanes. He woke up at night from the roar of bombing. The war left an indelible mark on the soul of the child. That is why many of the scenes of cruelty in his future films look so realistic.
At school, Verhoeven was frankly bored and entertained himself with drawing most of the school time. After classes, Paul often went to the cinema: he saw his first film when he was 10 years old. The teenager was greatly impressed by the fantastic picture "War of the Worlds". Already at that age, Verhoeven had a good idea of what a good movie should look like.
After graduating from school, Paul became a student at Leiden University, entering the physics and mathematics department. He received his diploma in 1960. At the same time, Verhoeven studied at the Netherlands Film Academy.
Creativity in cinematography
The former student was soon assigned to military service in the navy. Here he was lucky: he got into the film department, where he worked on propaganda videos for the Marine Corps. Experts from television, who saw the work of Verhoeven, invited him to create the series. This predetermined the career of a filmmaker.
Working on films in the Netherlands, Verhoeven, by his own admission, had more opportunities for self-expression than later in Hollywood.
Verhoeven's first full-length film was Deed is Deed (1970). The comedy tells the story of a woman who earns her bread by an ancient profession. The meaning of film narration: "business" and love are incompatible things.
Three years later, Paul directed the drama Turkish Delights. There are many explicit scenes in the film: the director was never afraid to be shocking. The relationship between a man and a woman Verhoeven presented to the public without Hollywood sugariness, very realistic.
Later, Verhoeven showed himself to be a versatile director. In the piggy bank of his works are the films "Clockwork" (1979), "Robocop" (1987), "Total Recall" (1990). In 1992, "Basic Instinct" was released with Sharon Stone. This picture is still being discussed by critics.
In 2006, Paul created the Black Book film drama. The idea for the film dates back to 1977. Here, Verhoeven tried to convey the horrors of World War II as realistically as possible.
Paul Verhoeven's personal life
The director prefers to keep the details of his personal life secret and does not present it to the public. His wife is Martina Verhoeven, she is the mother of Paul's three children. The wife is actively involved in the creative process, gives her husband valuable advice, criticizes him for mistakes.
For example, at first the director considered the script of the film "Robocop" worthless and threw it into the trash can. But Martina took out the manuscript, read it and convinced her husband that there are many allegorical elements in the story about the adventures of the robot policeman that will certainly interest the viewer. It was his wife who forced Verhoeven to finish reading the manuscript and take up the film.
