Nightwatching (2007)

Calificación de los usuarios:

6.7/10   

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Guionista:

Peter Greenaway (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

2 noviembre 2007 (Poland)

Género:

Biografía | Drama | Historia | Misterio

Plot:

An extravagant, exotic and moving look at Rembrandt's romantic and professional life, and the controversy he created by the identification of a murderer in the painting THE NIGHT WATCH

Plot Keywords:

Rembrandt | Dutch | Painter | Night Watch | Group

Premios:

6 wins & 4 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Flawed but it's a start.

Reparto

Martin Freeman	...	Rembrandt van Rijn
Emily Holmes	...	Hendrickje
Eva Birthistle	...	Saskia
Jodhi May	...	Geertje
Toby Jones	...	Gerard Dou
Jonathan Holmes	...	Ferdinand Bol
Michael Teigen	...	Carel Fabritius
Kevin McNulty	...	Engelen
Agata Buzek	...	Titia Uylenburgh
Natalie Press	...	Marieke
Fiona O'Shaughnessy	...	Marita
Reimer van Beek	...	Titus - newborn
Robert Zalecki	...	Titus - 4 months old
Kacper Kasiecki	...	Titus - toddler
Anna Antonowicz	...	Catharina

También conocida como:

La ronde de nuit (France)
Nocna straz (Poland)
La ronda Nocturna (Argentina) (cable TV title) [es]
La ronda de noche (Spain) [es]

Duración:

134 min | Canada:141 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

País:

Netherlands | Canada | UK | France | Poland

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby Digital

Clasificación:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Japan:R-15 | Czech Republic:15 | USA:Not Rated

Locaciones de Filmación:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Compañía:

ContentFilm International

Flawed but it's a start.

I've often said that Greenaway is my favorite living filmmaker. He is a true original and at least four of his feature films are outright masterpieces, especially Drowning by Numbers and A Zed & Two Noughts. That said he's gone too far up his own method in the last 20 years and his work has been less and less effective with each passing film.

Nightwatching is a step in the right direction after the hugely disappointing Tulse Luper Suitcases. All the technical elements of a Greenaway film are in place -- gorgeous lighting, minimalist music, theatrical staging, etc. -- but this time we actually have a decent story. Despite his distaste for narrative, all of Greenaway's best films have at least provided us with characters we can care about and ideas we can sink our teeth into. Here, we have an extended thesis on art theory and a depiction of Rembrandt as a haughty, passionate artist who has just as many flaws as we do. Martin Freeman's energetic and vulnerable performance is the heart and soul of the picture, holding the whole thing together.

Nightwatching is 134 minutes long but at least 20 minutes could've been cut. Plus, after Rembrandt finishes the painting, the plot has no idea where it wants to go and mostly meanders for the rest of the film. Aside from Freeman, the cast is absolutely awful. There are a few exceptions but on the whole everyone is either painfully wooden or absurdly over-the-top. Worst of all, most of the plot is revealed through the dialogue, and it's hard to focus on a complex story when the storytellers are so appalling. Finally, there is a surprising amount of profanity in this film, which is so excessive that it eventually borderlines on self-parody. Okay, people probably swore in those days, we get it. It's not edgy or groundbreaking, it's bad writing.

Still, with all its flaws, Nightwatching is the best film he's made in a very long time. While this is slightly more accessible than most Greenaway films, it will nevertheless irritate most casual film goers, so those of you expecting the average biopic should stay away. But those of you looking for a unique and visually breathtaking experience could do a lot worse than Nightwatching. I really hope it makes it to America someday.