Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Nightwatching (2007)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

10 reviews

Synopsis

Peter Greenaway has been vocal lately (not least in these pages) on the demise of cinema as a meaningful form, but he’s got a feature of his own in the works – a portrait of Rembrandt, starring the suitably squashy-nosed Martin Freeman. We’re promised romance and murder, though the nature of light will likely figure as prominently.

Movie review

From Time Out London

This intriguing and revelatory blend of human drama and art-history detective work argues that Rembrandt peppered the canvas of his masterpiece ‘The Night Watch’ with a cleverly coded attack on the Amsterdam bigwigs whose egos he was commissioned to flatter. Deftly combining character study and cultural documentary, it marks Peter Greenaway’s return to the cinema after years of museum installations and multimedia work. He’s been guilty of patience-testing pretension in the past, but this is impressively focused and accessible, shaped around a truly expressive balls-out performance from Martin Freeman as Rembrandt. What’s surprising (in the context of Greenaway’s often chilly past oeuvre) is the film’s genuine compassion for the sufferings of wives, maids and vulnerable orphans, adding an emotive underpinning to its sharp observations on the purpose of art and the nature of representation. It’s not just Greenaway’s best film in years, but one of his best films, period.

Author: Trevor Johnston

Time Out London Issue 2066: 25-35 March, 2010

Email Tweet Share

User reviews of this film

Tony said...

Posted on Jul 24 2010 15:09 Was prepared for a visual feast, but only got much inaudible dialogue which was an obstacle to the story line.

Report as inappropriate
marcel said...

Posted on May 17 2010 20:09 I agree totally with tora. Whatever the director's reputation this film is tedious and lacking any dramatic engagement.

Report as inappropriate
cal said...

Posted on May 13 2010 20:15 If this his "best", I'd damn well hate to see the worst. One word describes this film - ATROCIOUS.

Report as inappropriate
microe said...

Posted on Apr 10 2010 21:46 to get the best out of this film you need to bone up on the background politics. if you come to it without that background knowledge it takes a while to get into the swing..Loads of bad language irritate,

Report as inappropriate
roberto said...

Posted on Mar 26 2010 23:50 It is his best,most accessible film for over ten years and it is a scandal that a film by one of Britain`s best directors has taken three years to be shown when it has screened successfully everywhere from Paris to Tokyo

Report as inappropriate
s ford said...

Posted on Mar 26 2010 13:46 It's being shown at the ICA over the next week or so twice a day....

Report as inappropriate
Fiercehairdo said...

Posted on Dec 03 2009 18:08 Thanks very much for the info Dave. Keep up the good work!
There is a version available on DVD from the Netherlands (which is region 2) so maybe I'll try that... I'm a big Greenaway fan but the quality seems to have dropped off a little lately... Anyone seen this and have a view on it??

Report as inappropriate
dave Calhoun said...

Posted on Aug 16 2009 14:33 Fiercehairdo - thanks for your comment. It seems that this film won't be getting a UK cinema release at all. I haven't heard of it being available on DVD here either, although I'm guessing it must be available internationally.
Thanks
Dave Calhoun
Film Editor

Report as inappropriate
Fiercehairdo said...

Posted on Aug 16 2009 14:20 When is this film going to be released in the UK??
It says 2007 above but as of summer 2009 there has been no sign of it in any UK cinema?
Anyone know what is happening?

Report as inappropriate
tora said...

Posted on Mar 03 2008 10:44 This is a pompous & terrible film. I saw it in good faith and was disappointed.

Report as inappropriate