Popescu1

SienaPopescu
Mrs.Hope
EnglishLPS
15January2016
ReturntotheHidingPlace
Analysis
Themovie
ReturntotheHidingPlace
,releasedin2011,centersaroundthejourneyof
youngindividualsresistingNaziforcesintheNetherlands.Bandingtogether,thearmyof
studentsimpactedthewarandpartisanstrugglebysacrificingthemselvestosaveothers.The
protagonistsresistanceagainsttheNaziswasaveritablerevolutionagainsttheGermanforces.
Infact,thereisnodoubtthattheycreatedandfueledtherevolution.Theirbraveactionsaffected
notonlythestrugglelocally,buttheDutchsocietyasawhole.

Theleadingcharactersinthemovie,fightingaspartoftheundergroundDutchResistance
movement,puttheirlivesonthelineeveryday,intheirrelentlessfighttoaidtheJewstargeted
forexterminationbyHitlerssoldiersintheNetherlands.Manytimesover,membersofthe
Resistancewereinfactkilled.Forexample,PietHartog,oneleaderoftherebellion,helped
Jewishorphanchildrenescapethewar,butwasexecuteddramaticallytowardstheend.Along
withthreeothermembersshotinthatsamescene,Pietssacrificesymbolizedtheyoungheroes
sacrificeintherebellionforthegreatergood.
UponPietsdeath,hisloveAty,aswellashisfriendHansPoley,themainprotagonistin
themovie,bothsufferedgreatly.Atyslife,forinstance,wasirreversiblychangedbytheevent,
sinceshewastobewedtohimonthatday.ShepresumablywentinsanefollowingPietsdeath,
writingtohimnearlyeverydayuntilherowndeath.Uponhisfriendspassing,Hansbecame

Popescu2

evenmoredeterminedtofreetheNetherlandsfromthegraspoftheNazis.Hansescapedprison
andcontinuedhismissionsrelentlesslytohelpthoseinneed,puttinghislifeonthelineonce
again,thistimealsointhememoryofhiscolleague.
TheDutchResistance,althoughitworkednonviolentlyasmuchaspossible,provedable
tosparkanentirerevolutionagainstHitlersreign.ItspurposewasmainlytosupplytheAllies
withintelligencefromtheinsidemembersweresentonmissionstoretrieveinformationfrom
thebasesandheadquartersoftheNazis.Withthecriticalinformationprovidedtothem,the
AllieswereabletoadvanceagainsttheGermans.MuchofEurope,includingtheNetherlands,
wasfreedofitsoppressorsduetotheeffortsoftheResistance.
Themovie
ReturntotheHidingPlace
tellstheimpassionedstoryoftheindividualswho
primarilyfoundedarevoltthroughtheirownstudentarmy,whichgraduallyevolvedintoa
globalrebellionagainsttheNazis.Thecharacterspresentedinthefilmwereinfluencedbythe
eventsdrivingtherevolutionallexperiencedpainandgriefasfriendsandlovedoneslosttheir
livesintheirstruggle.Intheend,theirsacrificespaidoff,associetywasreleasedfromtheharsh
graspofHitlersrule,andthesecondworldwarwasfinallybroughttoaclose.