Peter Greenaway's story about Rembrandt and the painting of The Nightwatch.
As a huge Greenaway fan I've been disappointed by most of Greenaways films over the last few years. Pillow Book, 8and a Half Women disappointed me. The Tulse Luper films are much better but too cerebral to fully connect to. In all honesty this is the most alive film and most "emotional" film Greenaway has made in 20 years, since Drowning by numbers.(Greenaway makes films that are intentionally not going to make you feel, he wants to make you think). This is thanks to two things, first Greenaways best writing of his career. Here is a film where people interact like real people.They talk like real people, even when they break the fourth wall, they are living breathing characters. The other reason this works is because Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) is so good that he takes Greenaways lines and makes them real. he is of course aided and abetted by the rest of the cast, but ultimately this is a film about Freeman and he makes the most of it.
I really liked this film. I put the import DVD in to check to see how it loaded up (the menus and such are in Russian) and before I knew what was happening I was 45 minutes into the film. The film is so easy to fall into, it unlike almost anything Greenaway has done before. Its also very complex and it was clear that I was missing things. Greenaway has managed to pack the film with ideas and details many of which you can't catch on the first go through, several times I realized I missed a reference or a line earlier on...a second viewing is probably a must.
If you like Greenaway's films its a must see. Its also worth seeing if you like beautiful (it all looks like paintings) and complex films.
One of the best of Greenaway's films.
As a huge Greenaway fan I've been disappointed by most of Greenaways films over the last few years. Pillow Book, 8and a Half Women disappointed me. The Tulse Luper films are much better but too cerebral to fully connect to. In all honesty this is the most alive film and most "emotional" film Greenaway has made in 20 years, since Drowning by numbers.(Greenaway makes films that are intentionally not going to make you feel, he wants to make you think). This is thanks to two things, first Greenaways best writing of his career. Here is a film where people interact like real people.They talk like real people, even when they break the fourth wall, they are living breathing characters. The other reason this works is because Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) is so good that he takes Greenaways lines and makes them real. he is of course aided and abetted by the rest of the cast, but ultimately this is a film about Freeman and he makes the most of it.
I really liked this film. I put the import DVD in to check to see how it loaded up (the menus and such are in Russian) and before I knew what was happening I was 45 minutes into the film. The film is so easy to fall into, it unlike almost anything Greenaway has done before. Its also very complex and it was clear that I was missing things. Greenaway has managed to pack the film with ideas and details many of which you can't catch on the first go through, several times I realized I missed a reference or a line earlier on...a second viewing is probably a must.
If you like Greenaway's films its a must see. Its also worth seeing if you like beautiful (it all looks like paintings) and complex films.
One of the best of Greenaway's films.