Rembrandt's J'Accuse (Sunday, October 25, 2009) (153)

Peter Greenaway is an interesting filmmaker - and by interesting, I mean that he makes weird, off-beat movies that are not always successful and sometimes are downright bad. It is no surprise then that a documentary by him would also be non-standard and a bit cheeky.

In this film, Greenaway presents a case for how Rembrandt's The Nightwatch is actually an artistic indictment of the painting's subjects having murdered a man to enhance their political power. He presents 31 pieces of evidence and unusual variations in the painting that lead him to this conclusion and he tells a very compelling story that leaves us totally convinced about Rembrandt's motives and the guilt of the accused men.

Formally the film is very interesting. Throughout most of it, Greenaway appears in a box at the bottom of the screen talking directly to us as he makes his arguments. We do not see art or academic historians, but Greenaway makes points from the point of view of those experts. In the background are close-ups of the painting itself as well as dramatic re-enactments of Rembrandt speaking to the men he was painting getting them set up in costumes and staging them. There are also scenes where Greenaway questions and cross-examines the historical figures (again, actors in period costumes) as if in a murder trial.

Of course, the film is is it's own formal work of art - and reminiscent of how modern and contemporary artists (Roy Lichtenstein, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, etc.) have re-examined the old masters in their works. It is a fresh look at a somewhat stuffy old work. It sounds totally dumb to say, but he really makes the work come to life - and not just because he has actors impersonating the characters on the canvas. He adds all sorts of behind-the-scenes drama that makes the dark background of the painting brighten for a moment. He does this with a tongue planted firmly in his cheek - though it is not silly, just self-aware. This is probably Greenaway's most successful work in a decade or more. It's a lot of fun!

Stars: 3 of 4