8 unmissable movies about the Netherlands in WWII

Being at home on Liberation Day is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some Dutch war flicks. Snuggle in and delve deep into the trials and tribulations experienced during the last major war. 

We’ve done the legwork to find the top Dutch war movies that you can’t miss. They’re available on major (Dutch) streaming platforms, and the majority of these are in English or have English options, but there are a few chances to use your Dutch too. 

There are many great films about the war in the Netherlands, our list would become too long if we would all mention these. So here are our suggestions:

1. A Bridge Too Far

This is perhaps one of the most famous WWII movies to date. Released in 1977 and directed by Richard Attenborough, this movie features an all-star cast, including Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Ryan O’Neale.

The plot is based on the true story of Operation Market Garden, the Allies failed operation to speed up the end of World War II.

Thousands of paratroopers were dropped over the Netherlands in an attempt to take the towns of Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem before British forces arrived by land. The movie itself is gigantic and mostly shot in the Netherlands.

2. Oorlogsgeheimen

Translated as ‘War Secrets’, this is the perfect movie to watch if your Dutch is up to scratch (or you have a very patient Dutch speaker in your house).

Oorlogsgeheimen follows the story of Tuur and Lambert, two best friends in Limburg in 1943. A new girl, Maartje, begins her new class and makes friends with Tuur.

Maartje shares a terrible secret with Tuur, which Tuur cannot reveal to anyone — even his best friend Lambert, whose father has become mayor.

Tuur’s family joins the resistance, but as the situation heats up, Tuur and his family are forced to flee.

3. Anne Frank: The Whole Story

We can’t write an article about Dutch WWII movies without including arguably the most famous victim of the Holocaust, Anne Frank.

While there have been a huge number of movies made about the Jewish teenager who hid out with her family in a secret room in Amsterdam before ending up in Auschwitz. Anne Frank: The Whole Story captures the story incredibly well.

This movie starts in 1939, while Anne writes in her diary about typical teenage life and pre-war fears, the invasion of the Netherlands, her hideout in Amsterdam, deportation to Auschwitz, and the eventual survival and return of Anne’s father, now alone.

The major downside to this film is that, for some reason, all the Dutch people unexplainably have British accents.

4. Memories of Anne Frank (Anne Frank: Mijn Beste Vriendin)

Another Anne Frank movie? Naturally. This one is a little different, though, because it’s told through the eyes of her close school friend, Hanneli Goslar.

Hanneli was also Jewish and was eventually deported with her family to the Westerbork transit camp, but was briefly reunited with Anne at Bergen-Belsen where she passes her some bread and socks.

One particularly special thing about Hanneli’s story is that she survived the war. She’s appeared in multiple documentaries about her experience and her knowledge of Anne, while this movie is based on her memoir.

It’s worth noting that this movie was inexplicably produced by Italians, with Italian actors — but it’s ridiculously well dubbed in English. Bonus: it has Dutch subtitles, so you can practice some Dutch along the way.

5. Riphagen

A film not so much about remembering the victims of the Holocaust as revealing the crimes of a Dutchman, Riphagen (The Untouchable) is based on the true story of a man who apparently profited from the war.

Dries Riphagen was a Dutch gangster who collaborated with the Nazis to locate Dutch Jews and deliver them to concentration camps — or was he playing the Germans and actually helping the innocent?

6. Band of Brothers

It’s not a movie but a series, and only about 2.5 episodes play out in the Netherlands. But Band of Brothers is undeniably an unmissable piece of work about the war.

Episodes four and five, about the boys from the 101st landing in the Netherlands, are as good as it gets. The Spielberg & Hanks production is also already nearly 20 years old, meaning that many young people still need to see it.

7. Soldier of Orange

There’s no other movie that shaped the Dutch collective memory of WWII as much as Soldaat van Oranje.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring the late Rutger Hauer, it’s a movie about a group of students from Leiden joining the resistance and their journey through the war.

It’s an iconic movie for the Dutch with scenes that make you understand the Netherlands (Scheveningen!).

It spawned a musical that went on forever and is a riveting watch for everybody.

8. The Forgotten Battle (De Slag om de Schelde)

We can’t end this list without mentioning one of the most expensive Dutch films to ever be produced.

The Forgotten Battle is a film about the battle of Scheldt in 1944 which took place in German-occupied Zeeland.

It follows the tensive story of a British glider pilot, a Nazi soldier and a Dutch resistance fighter whose stories intertwine under extreme circumstances in one of the longest and most violent battles in the Netherlands.

Honourable mentions

As said before, this list of movies about WWII in the Netherlands could have been different and longer, much longer. So here are some that definitely could have made the list as well:

Oorlogswinter (2008)
De Aanslag (1986)
Zwartboek (2006)
De Tweeling (2002)
Bankier van het Verzet (2018)

What other WWII movies about the Netherlands would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments below!