(The Alien's Place, De Plaats van de Vreemdeling). "The controversial nature of The Alien's Place gave rise to violent discussion in the Netherlands in 1979. At one moment the film might almost have been banned. The commotion was caused by the understanding Rudolf van den Berg shows in it for the position of the Palestinians. As the son of Jews who perished in a concentration camp, Van den Berg has from childhood on been painfully aware of his Jewishness. The question: ‘Are you a Jew?' irritated him beyond measure; at the same time he felt oppressed by the United Nations' resolution which stigmatizes Zionism as a form of racism. His aim was to report on the dualism which his being a Jew means at the present juncture. He goes back to the Thirties and shows us scenes of Hitler's speeches. He also examines the biological facts which are supposed to separate ‘being a Jew' from ‘not being a Jew': measurements of the nose, the ears, the circumcision of young boys. Then we see scenes of South Lebanon with the expelled Palestinians. The core of the film is formed by a discussion between four Jewish people about what it means to them to be a Jew. They do not agree with each other, but they do make a number of important statements. ‘Jews exist because they have a history' and ‘I am a Jew until the last anti-Semite has perished.' And then there are the Palestinian refugees again and Van den Berg's questions, ‘Is this a place of refuge for those who have fled barbarian Europe?' ‘Is Israel's role an imperialist one?' And this, in view of the close links which exist between the Netherlands and Israel, has been felt as an outright attack." --Dutch Film: 1979-1980