

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.
Direction
Greenaway's tableaux vivants—every frame is a painting arguing with another painting.
Acting
Martin Freeman's Rembrandt: petty, brilliant, and weirdly sexy about it.
Production
Candle-lit sets so authentic you'll smell the linseed oil.

Director
Peter Greenaway
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Greenaway spent years researching the theory that The Night Watch contains hidden accusations against Amsterdam's militia elite, though most art historians remain deeply skeptical.
The film's theatrical staging directly mirrors how Rembrandt's actual painting was designed to be viewed—by candlelight, from below, as dramatic spectacle.