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Friday, 14 March 2008
Film: "Nightwatching" by/par Peter Greenaway
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Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Cliquer sur les images pour les aggrandir.
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Peter Greenaway, the film director who himself studied painting for four years in his early career, planned ambitiously for Rembrandt’s four hundred year centenary in 2006. Among the projects was Nightwatching, a feature film set in 1642, when the painter accepted a commission: a group portrait of a militia called the Harquebusiers, after the harquebus, a 16th century long-barrelled gun. The work which was to become known as Night Watch became celebrated for its remarkable use of light and shadow, the fact that the subjects are in movement rather than in the more usual static position for a military portrait, and – for its great size (363 x 437 cm).
Martin Freeman as Rembrandt
Martin Freeman dans le rôle de Rembrandt
The painting contains a certain number of enigmas that Greenaway extrapolated into a beautiful film of real technical mastery – his ability to reproduce the light in Rembrandt’s paintings is astonishing – and one of intricate costumed sleuthing that was so delightful in his Draughtsman’s Contract.
The painting Night Watch shows the company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch. Common interpretation of certain of the enigmas explains that Rembrandt employed the girl in yellow to carry the main Harquebusier symbols: the prominently shown claws of a dead chicken on her belt represent the clauweniers (Harquebusiers), while the dead bird itself represents a defeated adversary; she holds the militia's goblet, and yellow was often associated with victory at the time. Last, the man before her wears a helmet with an oak leaf, another Harquebusier emblem.
The Nightwatch, 1642, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Ronde de Nuit, 1642, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
But Greenaway’s version goes further to weave these and other clues in the painting into a 17th century murder mystery with Rembrandt in the role not of Hercules Poirot, but that of Agatha Christie, where a work of art is created to tease the intellect and lay bare the crime.
The Nightwatch, detail
Ronde de Nuit, détail
The film is undertaken as a theatre piece, with the event of painting consisting of players and costumes, light and sound, which Greenaway sets either in a bare artist’s studio, or around a canopied matrimonial bed. The bed is a picture frame and a couch of love, the place where Rembrandt’s biography plays out through his relationships to his three consorts of different social rank. But on a wider scale, Nightwatching studies power – that of sex, of higher birth, of greater wealth – and its impact on its victims and on art.
European film with Martin Freeman (Rembrandt), Emily Holmes (Hendrickje), Eva Birthistle (Saskia), 2 hours and 5 minutes.
By the way, this sumptuous movie has a sumptuous music written by Greenaway’s favourite for his films: Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima. Here is a Nightwatching “making of” video presented principally for the sheer pleasure of hearing another section of what is called in French Violoncelles Vibrez. Sollima’s website can be visited at:
http://www.giovannisollima.it/
Peter Greenaway, le metteur en scène qui lui-même a étudié la peinture pendant 4 ans en début de sa carrière, a planifié ambitieusement pour les quatre cent ans de Rembrandt en 2006. Parmi les projets était La Ronde de Nuit, un long-métrage dont le scénario est placé en 1642, quand le peintre a accepté une commande : un portrait de groupe d’une milice qui s’appelait les Arquebusiers, d’après le arquebuse, un longue fusil du XVIème siècle. L’œuvre qui est devenue célèbre sous le nom La Ronde de Nuit était connue pour son utilisation remarquable de lumière et de l’ombre, le fait que les sujets sont en mouvement au lieu d’être statique selon les habitudes pour un portrait militaire de l’époque, et – pour sa grande taille (363 x 437 cm).
Martin Freeman as Rembrandt
Martin Freeman dans le rôle de Rembrandt
Le tableau contient un certain nombres d’énigmes que Greenaway a extrapolé pour faire un beau film d’une maîtrise technique extraordinaire – sa capacité de reproduire la lumière des tableaux de Rembrandt est étonnant – et aussi un film policier en costume comme le génial Meurtre dans un jardin anglais.
Le tableau Nuit de Ronde montre la milice partant, mené par le capitaine Frans Banning Cocq (en noir, ceinture-écharpe rouge) et son lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch. Une interprétation commune de certains des énigmes explique que Rembrandt a utilisé la jeune fille en jaune pour porter les symboles principaux des Arquebusiers : les griffes d’un poulet mort, en évidence sur sa ceinture représentent les clauweniers (Arquebusiers), l’oiseau mort lui-même un adversaire mort ; elle tient la calice da la milice, et le jaune est souvent associé avec la victoire à l’époque. Enfin, l’homme devant elle porte une heaume décorée d’une feuille de chêne, encore un symbole d’Arquebusier.
Mais la version de Greenaway va plus loin pour tisser ces indices et d’autres dans le tableau en policier du XVIIème siècle, avec Rembrandt dans le rôle non pas d’Hercules Poirot, mais celui d’Agatha Christie, où l’œuvre d’art est créée pour interpeller l’intellect et pour exposer le crime.
The Nightwatch, detail
Ronde de Nuit, détail
Le film est entrepris en tant que pièce de théâtre, et l’évènement de peinture comporte des acteurs et des costumes, du son et de la lumière, que Greenaway place soit dans l’atelier nu, soit autour du lit à baldaquins matrimonial. Le lit est un cadre de tableau et un divan d’amour, le lieu où la biographie de Rembrandt se joue à travers ses relations avec ses trois consorts de divers rangs sociaux. Mais sur un autre plan plus large, La Ronde de Nuit étudie le pouvoir – de sexe, de rang social, de richesse – et son impact sur ses victimes et sur l’art.
European film with Martin Freeman (Rembrandt), Emily Holmes (Hendrickje), Eva Birthistle (Saskia), 2 heures 05.
Entre parenthèses, ce film somptueux possède de la musique somptueuse écrit par le préféré de Greenaway pour son cinéma: le violoncelliste et compositeur italien Giovanni Sollima. Voici un vidéo « making of » de Ronde de Nuit, présenté principalement pour le plaisir même d’entendre encore un bout de Violoncelles Vibrez. Le site de Sollima peut être visité à :
http://www.giovannisollima.it/
01:40 Posted in The Art of Film, Photo and Video/L'art de film, p | Permalink | Comments (6) | Email this | Tags: Greenaway, Rembrandt, Nightwatching
Comments
I've just added the film to my Netflix queue. Your description is intriguing and I recall The Draughtsman's Contractas well as your own passion for it.
Posted by: Ted | Friday, 14 March 2008
Deborah- What I was mentioning before is that you can change the object width, let's say by 5% from 425 to 404; you'd probably want to do it to ther height as well, for proportionality, say from 355 to 337. You have to do it in both places in the code below, and perhaps it wouldn't spill over your borders.
Posted by: Roger Green | Friday, 14 March 2008
Ted - I would be delighted to hear your reaction to the film! I am certain you will love it.
Roger - I thought specifically of you when I saw the frames on the videos, but I have no idea of how to go about adjusting the measurements as you advise. I literally rewrite some of the code that I have copy-pasted from You Tube?
D.
Posted by: Deborah | Saturday, 15 March 2008
Roger, I changed the numbers in two places in the code, but it doesn't seem to work...is the secret to try making it even smaller?
Deborah
Posted by: Deborah | Saturday, 15 March 2008
You have to do it in both places - change the 425 BOTH times to 404 (or whatever), change the 355 to 337 BOTH times, in the beginning and at the end. And I picked 404 and 337, because they're 5% smaller and work on my blog, but maybe you need to make it 7% or 10% smaller on Blogspirit; I dunno. Hey, if you come to America, maybe I can SHOW you!
Posted by: Roger Green | Thursday, 20 March 2008
Roger,
I only just found this follow-up - thank you! Yes, I hope to come over this summer, when I hope my banker will be a little more willing...
Deborah
Posted by: Deborah | Tuesday, 01 April 2008