1. Van der Zanden isn't the traiter, Jan is told he is, then given a chance to meet up with a known accomplice [Erik] who is then released. Van der Zanden specifically explains this after the initial altercation. Erik believes him [correctly] based upon Van der Zandens' actions (he didn't try to kill Erik, he has a much higher position than Erik initially imagined, he allows Erik to make his claims/repeats Eriks claims in front of everyone, etc), and the clear validity behind his reasoning on why Erik believed the initial claim.
2. Something along the lines of 'I want you to be in London with me'.
3. Yes. She was Jewish, and they threatened to send her to a Polish concentration camp. Again, this was explicitly stated numerous times. And there is no "if" about Robbie. He was the traiter. He was shown in the car with a German officer, he was shown pretending to shoot Germans - then lying to his friends saying the Germans were dead - in order to lead the others into a trap, he was shown getting presents from Germans, his wife/fiance was given false papers by the Germans, he was released after being found out spying by the Germans, etc etc etc. Quite frankly I'm astonished that you would think it was at all in doubt. Half the film is based upon the fact that we KNOW he's the traiter.
4. Watching the movie will answer these questions.
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gattocinese
18 years ago
lgron000, don't be so astonished that someone caught the subtlety of betraying identitie(s).
You're wrong that anyone should doubt. You're partially right that half the film is based upon the fact the we know that Robbie is "the traitor." But I use "a," and not "the."
The ambiguity that I picked up was in the beginning when the Dutchmen were trying to rendezvous with the English pontoon plane. It was intimated that someone betrayed them and that's why the Germans arrived at the same time in their boat.
Robbie did not betray them because it was later in the film that the German woman who had the tracking device finds Robbie. The Gestapo types put Robbie in a car and threaten to send Esther off to Poland. Robbie was genuinely surprised and frightened.
So up to that point, we don't know who sold them down the river (no pun intended) when they were trying to get on the plane. It is entirely possible that there was no earlier "traitor." A plausible explanation that is hinted at is that the Germans simply intercepted Robbie's radio messages since they do so later. He was an amateur who did not understand complex crytography.
Don't assume.
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legrandcox
18 years ago
On October 14, 1940 at the lake (called the Tjeukemeer) they were "betrayed" by a local farmer's wife (she saw the men carrying a heavy suitcase and was convinced it contained dynamite to blow up her eel traps!). She therefore called the Dutch police, who informed (!) the infamous German SD ("Sicherheits Dienst"). The people arrested were Jean Mesritz ("Jan" in the movie; he died on March 31, 1945 in the Nazi concentrationcamp Neuengamme), Hans Hers (1917-2006; who survived the war after almost 5 years in Nazi concentrationcamps), Lodo van Hamel (the first Dutch agent; he was shot by the Germans on June 16, 1941), Marion Smit (Lodo's girlfriend) and Professor Becking. Marion and the professor were acquitted.
Pasdeloup ("Robbie" in the movie) had nothing to do with it.
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