Editing Paul Verhoeven (section)

==Career==

===Short films and TV series (1960–1969)===
Verhoeven made his first film ''Één hagedis teveel'' ("''One Lizard Too Many''") for the anniversary of his [[Student Corps|students' corps]] in 1960.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/TopFilms/Verhoeven/RegiseurVerhoeven.asp |title=Paul Verhoeven: Biography |work=gonemovies.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129125642/http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/TopFilms/Verhoeven/RegiseurVerhoeven.asp |archive-date=29 January 2007 |access-date=3 February 2017 |url-status=usurped |language=nl}}</ref> In his last years at university Verhoeven also attended classes at the [[Netherlands Film and Television Academy|Netherlands Film Academy]]. After this he made three more short films: ''Nothing Special'' (1961), ''The Hitchhikers'' (1962) and ''Let's Have a Party'' (1963).

Verhoeven has not professionally used his mathematics and physics degree, opting instead to invest his energies in a career in film. After his studies, he entered the [[Royal Dutch Navy]] as a conscript. He made the documentary ''Het Korps Mariniers'' ("''The Marine Corps''", 1965), which won the French 'Golden Sun' award for military films.<ref name="oorlog"/>

[[File:Floris1968Verhoeven3.png|thumb|Verhoeven on the set of ''Floris'' (1968)]] 
When he left the Navy, Verhoeven took his skills to Dutch television. First, he made a documentary about [[Anton Mussert]] titled ''Mussert'' (1968). His first major success was the 1969 television series ''[[Floris (TV series)|Floris]]'', starring [[Rutger Hauer]] in the title role. The concept of ''Floris'' was inspired by foreign series such as ''[[Ivanhoe (1958 TV series)|Ivanhoe]]'' and ''[[Thierry La Fronde]]''.

===First feature films (1969–1983)===
Verhoeven's first feature film ''[[Business Is Business (1971 film)|Business Is Business]]'' was released in 1971 and was not well received. His first national success came in 1973 with ''[[Turkish Delight (1973 film)|Turkish Delight]]'', starring Rutger Hauer and [[Monique van de Ven]]. Based on a novel by bestselling Dutch author [[Jan Wolkers]], ''Turkish Delight'' tells the passionate love story of an artist and a young liberal girl from a conservative background. It received an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] in 1974. In 1999, the film won a [[Golden Calf (award)|Golden Calf]] for Best Dutch Film of the Century. ''[[Katie Tippel]]'' (1975) again featured Hauer and van de Ven, but it did not match the success of ''Turkish Delight''.

[[File:V.l.n.r. Jeroen Krabbé, regisseur Paul Verhoeven en Renée Soutendijk, Bestanddeelnr 932-5420.jpg|thumb|Verhoeven (center) in 1983]]

Verhoeven built on his reputation and achieved international success with the [[Golden Globe]]-nominated ''[[Soldier of Orange]]'' (1977),<ref>{{cite web |title=Winners & Nominees: Soldier of Orange |url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/film/24971 |work=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |year=1980 |access-date=3 February 2017}}</ref> starring Rutger Hauer and [[Jeroen Krabbé]]. Based on a true story about the Dutch resistance in [[World War II]], it was written by [[Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema]]. ''Soldier of Orange'' received the 1979 LA Film Critics Award for best foreign-language film, and it was also nominated for a Golden Globe in 1980.

In 1980, Verhoeven made ''[[Spetters]]'' with [[Renée Soutendijk]] and Rutger Hauer. The story is sometimes compared to ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'', but it has more explicit violence and sexuality (in this case also homosexuality), which are sometimes seen as the director's trademarks. ''[[The Fourth Man (1983 film)|The Fourth Man]]'' (1983) is a horror film starring Jeroen Krabbé and Renée Soutendijk. It was written by [[Gerard Soeteman]] from a novel by the Dutch writer [[Gerard Reve]], and was Verhoeven's last Dutch production until ''[[Black Book (film)|Black Book]]'' (2006).
[[File:Verhoeven, Soutendijk, Krabbé and Houwer during the motion picture The Fourth Man, 1983.jpg|thumb|Verhoeven with actors [[Renée Soutendijk]] and [[Jeroen Krabbé]] and his longtime producer [[Rob Houwer]] during [[The Fourth Man (1983 film)|''The Fourth Man'']], the LA Film Critics Association Award Winner of 1984]]
''[[The Seattle Times]]'' praised Verhoeven by saying he "often appears to be a one-man Dutch movie industry".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hartl |first=John |title='The Fourth Man' is occult thriller that holds suspense |newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=7 June 1985 |page=22}}</ref> ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' called Verhoeven "a busy bee whose movies pollinate the festival circuit".<ref>{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=David |title='The Fourth Man' is half-baked film |newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |date=20 July 1984}}</ref>

===Filmmaking in the United States (1983–2000)===
Gerard Soeteman also wrote the script for Verhoeven's first English-language film, ''[[Flesh and Blood (1985 film)|Flesh and Blood]]'' (1985), which starred [[Rutger Hauer]] and [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]]. Verhoeven moved to Hollywood for a wider range of opportunities in filmmaking. Working in the U.S., he made a serious change in style, directing big-budget, violent, special-effects-heavy hits ''RoboCop'' (1987) and ''Total Recall'' (1990)⁠ — each of which won an [[Academy Special Achievement Award]]: ''[[RoboCop]]'' for Sound Effects Editing and ''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]'' for Visual Effects.

[[File:Basic Instinct Cannes 1992.jpg|thumb|right|Presentation of ''[[Basic Instinct]]'' at the [[1992 Cannes Film Festival]]. Left to right: [[Jeanne Tripplehorn]], [[Michael Douglas]], Martine Tours (Verhoeven's wife), Verhoeven, [[Sharon Stone]] and [[Mario Kassar]].]]

Verhoeven followed those successes with ''[[Basic Instinct]]'' (1992), an erotic thriller. The film's most notorious scene shows [[Sharon Stone]]'s character in a police interrogation, where she uncrosses her legs, briefly revealing her vulva (she does not wear underwear underneath her skirt). The film received two Academy Award nominations, for Film Editing and for Original Music, and was the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993/B?qt-honorees=1#block-quicktabs-honorees |title=1993 Nominees (B) |work=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=3 February 2017}}</ref>

During this time, Verhoeven also worked on creating an historical epic based around the [[Crusades]] that would have starred [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. It went into pre-production in 1993, but a year later the studio backing it, [[Carolco Pictures|Carolco]], pulled funding for the project. Verhoeven would continue to discuss it throughout the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brew |first=Simon |title=The 7 films that Arnold Schwarzenegger never made |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/14094/the-7-films-that-arnold-schwarzenegger-never-made |website=[[Den of Geek]] |date=3 March 2009 |access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Vigilla |first=Hubert |title=From Hell: Paul Verhoeven/Arnold Schwarzenegger's Crusade |url=https://www.flixist.com/from-hell-paul-verhoeven-arnold-schwarzenegger-s-crusade-207103.phtml |website=Flixist |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=25 October 2019 |archive-date=25 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025170518/https://www.flixist.com/from-hell-paul-verhoeven-arnold-schwarzenegger-s-crusade-207103.phtml |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Yakir |first=Dan |title=Starship Instincts |url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-223/page/n33 |journal=[[Starlog]] |issue=223 |pages=34–35 |date=February 1996 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

Verhoeven's next film was the poorly received, [[NC-17]]-rated ''[[Showgirls]]'' (1995), about a stripper in [[Las Vegas]] trying to make a career as a showgirl. It won seven [[1995 Golden Raspberry Awards|Golden Raspberry Awards]], including Worst Film and Worst Director; Verhoeven became the first director to accept his award in person. To date, he is one of the few people to have [[List of people who have accepted Golden Raspberry Awards|accepted their Golden Raspberry awards]] in person, and the first to directly attend the ceremony to receive it. ''Showgirls'' enjoyed a large amount of success on the [[home video]] market, generating more than $100&nbsp;million from video rentals,<ref>{{cite magazine |title='Showgirls': Paul Verhoeven on Greatest Stripper Movie Ever |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/showgirls-paul-verhoeven-on-the-greatest-stripper-movie-ever-made-54740/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=22 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611131729/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/showgirls-paul-verhoeven-on-the-greatest-stripper-movie-ever-made-54740/ |archive-date=11 June 2020}}</ref> and became one of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]'s top twenty all-time bestsellers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mgm.com/title_title.php?title_star=SHOWGRLS |title=Showgirls DVD |work=MGM |date=28 April 2007 |access-date=25 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428172642/http://www.mgm.com/title_title.php?title_star=SHOWGRLS |archive-date=28 April 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After ''Basic Instinct'' and ''Showgirls'', Verhoeven returned to the science fiction genre, utilizing the graphic violence and special-effects tropes that had marked his earlier films, making ''[[Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers]]'' (1997), loosely based on the novel of the same name by [[Robert A. Heinlein]],<ref name="gemsbok">{{cite web |last=Podgorski |first=Daniel |title=Poking Fun at Militarism: How Paul Verhoeven's Cult Classic ''Starship Troopers'' Willfully Discards Robert Heinlein's Novel |url=http://thegemsbok.com/art-reviews-and-articles/thursday-theater-starship-troopers-paul-verhoeven-robert-heinlein/ |website=The Gemsbok |date=4 February 2016 |access-date=7 December 2016}}</ref> as well as ''[[Hollow Man]]'' (2000). Each film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. He also served as an executive producer on an animated TV series called ''[[Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles]]'', which was based on the movie and novel of ''Starship Troopers''.<ref name=Perlmutter>{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |pages=518–519}}</ref> The series only ran for a single season, from August 1999 until April 2000.

===Return to Europe (2006–2021)===
After about twenty years of working and living in the United States, Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands for the shooting of a new film. Together with his screenwriter [[Gerard Soeteman]], Verhoeven made ''[[Black Book (film)|Black Book]]'' (2006). The director was hailed by the host of the [[Netherlands Film Festival]] with the words "The return of a hero".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmfestival.nl/index.php?id=591 |title=Gala van de Nederlandse Film |work=filmfestival.nl |date=6 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104232431/http://www.filmfestival.nl/index.php?id=591 |archive-date=4 January 2007 |access-date=17 October 2006 |language=nl}}</ref> ''Black Book'' won six [[Golden Calf (award)|Golden Calves]] at this festival, including Best Director.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmfestival.nl/index.php?id=122&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=163&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=103&cHash=80798b911c |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312070151/http://www.filmfestival.nl/index.php?id=122&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=163&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=103&cHash=80798b911c |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 March 2007 |title=Winnaars Gouden Kalveren 2006 |date=6 October 2006 |access-date=17 October 2006}}</ref> When the shooting of ''Black Book'' was delayed due to financial issues, there was speculation about a new production. ''[[Beast of Bataan]]'' had been announced, but once the shooting for ''Black Book'' resumed, the other film was not made.

[[File:Paul Verhoeven International Jury Berlinale 2017.jpg|thumb|left|Verhoeven at press conference at [[Berlinale 2017]]]]
Verhoeven was knighted in the [[Order of the Netherlands Lion]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.omroepwest.nl/nieuws/27-04-2007/paul-verhoeven-geridderd-den-haag |title=Paul Verhoeven geridderd in Den Haag |work=Omroep West |date=27 April 2007 |access-date=12 February 2015 |language=nl}}</ref>

Since ''Black Book'', Verhoeven has been connected to a large number of projects, but in the first decade after his return, none came to fruition. Some of those titles were produced with other directors at the helm, such as ''[[The Paperboy (2012 film)|The Paperboy]]''. In 2016, however, Verhoeven followed ''Black Book'' by directing a French film: ''[[Elle (film)|Elle]]'', an adaptation of a novel by [[Philippe Djian]]. A psychological thriller in which [[Isabelle Huppert]] plays a rape victim, ''Elle'' was selected for the Official Competition at the Cannes International Film Festival, where it obtained very favourable reviews.

In December 2016, it was announced that Verhoeven would be the president of the jury for the [[67th Berlin International Film Festival]], scheduled to take place in February 2017.<ref name="Berlin2017">{{cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/das_festival/preise_und_juries/preise_internationale_jury/index.html |title=Jury President of the Berlinale 2017: Paul Verhoeven |work=Berlinale |access-date=9 December 2016 |archive-date=13 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213193955/https://www.berlinale.de/en/das_festival/preise_und_juries/preise_internationale_jury/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In April 2017, it was announced that filming of ''[[Benedetta (film)|Benedetta]]'', his next French film, would begin in August of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/global/paul-verhoeven-approaches-blessed-virgin-with-elle-star-virginie-efira-1202399023/|title=Paul Verhoeven to Direct 'Blessed Virgin,' Based on True Story of Lesbian Nun|first1=Robert|last1=Mitchell|date=26 April 2017|work=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ecrannoir.fr/blog/blog/2018/03/06/virginie-efira-retourne-chez-paul-verhoeven/|title=Virginie Efira retourne chez Paul Verhoeven|publisher=Le Blog d'Ecran Noir}}</ref> It is a biopic about the life of [[Benedetta Carlini]], portrayed by ''Elle'' co-star [[Virginie Efira]], and is an adaptation of the non-fiction book ''[[Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy]]'' by [[Judith C. Brown]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Virginie Efira en Sainte Vierge pour le prochain Paul Verhoeven|url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18663523.html|date=26 April 2017|work=[[Allociné]]|access-date=22 March 2018|language=fr}}.</ref> In May 2018, it was announced that [[Charlotte Rampling]] would play a key supporting role.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/charlotte-rampling-set-to-join-paul-verhoevens-erotic-thriller-blessed-virgin-1202380019/|title=Charlotte Rampling Set To Join Paul Verhoeven's Erotic Thriller 'Blessed Virgin'|first1=Andreas|last1=Wiseman|date=1 May 2018|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> The film premiered at the [[2021 Cannes Film Festival]] in competition for the [[Palme d'Or]].<ref name=Lachasse>{{cite web|last1=Lachasse|first1=Jérôme|title=Festival de Cannes: un film déjà sélectionné pour l'édition 2021|url=https://people.bfmtv.com/cinema/festival-de-cannes-un-film-deja-selectionne-pour-l-edition-2021-1926898.html|website=[[BFMTV]]|date=4 June 2020|trans-title=Cannes Festival: a film already selected for the 2021 edition|language=French}}</ref>
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===Return to filmmaking in the United States (2022–present)===
Verhoeven is currently preparing his next film, ''Young Sinner'', which reunites him with ''[[RoboCop]]'' screenwriter [[Edward Neumeier]]. An erotic political thriller, it is set in Washington DC and is about a "young staffer who works for a powerful Senator [and] is drawn into a web of international intrigue and danger."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/global/paul-verhoeven-young-sinner-edward-neumeier-1235128023|title=Paul Verhoeven Reteams With 'RoboCop' Writer for Women-Led Erotic Thriller 'Young Sinner'|last=Keslassy|first=Elsa|date=7 December 2021|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref> Verhoeven hoped to begin shooting ''Young Sinner'' in 2024,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zilko |first1=Christian |title=Paul Verhoeven 'Wouldn't Hesitate' to Make Another Blockbuster |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/paul-verhoeven-new-blockbuster-1234940841/ |website=IndieWire |date=6 January 2024 |access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref> but in November of that year, he was still trying to secure financing. 
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/7/1/verhoeven|title=Paul Verhoeven's ‘Young Sinner' Still Looking for Financing [Updated]|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|date=25 November 2024|website=[[World Of Reel]]|access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref>

===Unrealized projects===
{{main article|Paul Verhoeven's unrealized projects}}