“Better Than Saving Private Ryan”: Acclaimed Dutch WWII Drama The Forgotten Battle Captivates Streaming Audiences on Netflix
A lesser-known European war drama has become a major word-of-mouth sensation on Netflix, with viewers hailing The Forgotten Battle (De Slag om de Schelde) as one of the most intense and realistic depictions of combat committed to screen.
Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. from a screenplay by Paula van der Oest, the 2020 film chronicles the pivotal 1944 Battle of the Scheldt—a crucial yet frequently overlooked Allied military campaign waged to liberate vital shipping routes into the port of Antwerp in northern Belgium and the southwestern Netherlands.
The Premise: Three Fractured Perspectives in a Brutal Campaign
Rather than focusing on high-level command decisions, the narrative weaves together three distinct, ground-level viewpoints whose paths inexorably collide:
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The Reluctant Axis Soldier: Gijs Blom portrays Marinus van Staveren, a Dutch volunteer fighting on the Eastern Front who is reassigned to the Scheldt estuary after sustaining injuries, growing increasingly disillusioned with the Nazi cause.
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The Allied Glider Pilot: Jamie Flatters stars as William Sinclair, a young British pilot whose Horsa glider crash-lands deep behind enemy-held marshland, forcing him into a desperate fight for survival alongside fellow airmen, including Tony Turner (Tom Felton).
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The Resistance Sympathizer: Susan Radder plays Teuntje Visser, a clerk working in the mayor’s office in German-occupied Zeeland who covertly assists the Dutch resistance after family tragedy strikes.
Production Scale: The Netherlands’ Second-Most Expensive Film
Made on a production budget of approximately €14 million, The Forgotten Battle ranks as the second-most expensive Dutch film production in history, behind only Paul Verhoeven’s 2006 thriller Black Book (Zwartboek).
The production is widely praised for its authentic tactical design, practical effects, and atmospheric cinematography—capturing the sodden dikes, muddy trenches, and claustrophobic airborne assaults that defined the flooded battlefields of Zeeland.
Viewer and Critical Reception: “Incredible Filmmaking”
Boasting a rare 100% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has garnered widespread acclaim from historical film enthusiasts, with many comparing its visceral realism to Steven Spielberg’s landmark Saving Private Ryan:
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Cinematic Realism: One reviewer highlighted the technical craftsmanship:“Quite simply incredible filmmaking. The cinematography is outstanding. (I think better than even Saving Private Ryan). The sets, costumes, and set pieces all so believable… In particular the airborne sections are the most realistic I’ve ever seen!”
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Ground-Level Human Drama: Another viewer praised the film’s ensemble storytelling:“Inspired by a little-known episode of World War II, the plot keeps the viewer captive throughout two hours, narrating the odyssey of unknown heroes and shocking battle scenes.”
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Critical Verdict: Industry reviewers echoed the sentiment, noting that the production “approaches the scope of a war epic in look and feel while keeping its focus” on the human cost of the conflict.
The Forgotten Battle is available to stream globally on Netflix.
