This French-German-Dutch biopic on the life of 17th century Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn is told in flashbacks from the point-of-view of the aged artist. Soon after establishing his career as a painter in Amsterdam, he marries the radiant Saskia. As he makes a name for himself, he can soon afford to buy a large house by teaching wealthy aristocrats how to paint. However, the couple's happiness is short-lived; Saskia dies soon after bearing their son, Titus. Crushed, van Rijn seeks comfort first in the arms of his maid Geertje and then with his second wife, Hendrickje, who gives birth to a daughter. In spite of his genius, van Rijn's determinedly eccentric behavior alienates the very members of the elite who were paying his bills. At one point, the artist's home and belongings, including many of his paintings, are seized and sold for humiliatingly low prices in a rigged auction.
Acting
Brandauer's volcanic, petty, magnificent descent into ruin.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like it was lit by actual 17th century windows.
Production
Obsessive period detail—down to the correct shade of rotting herring.
Director
Charles Matton
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Rembrandt van Rijn
Romane Bohringer
Hendrickje Stoffels
Jean Rochefort
Nicolaes Tulp
Johanna ter Steege
Saskia Uylenburgh
Olivier Brocheriou
Marten Soolmans
Jean-Philippe Écoffey
Jan Six
Richard Bohringer
Le prêcheur
Franck de la Personne
Hendrick Uylenburgh
Jacques Spiesser
Joost Van den Vondel
Caroline Silhol
Maria Tesselschade
François Delaive
Govaert Flinck
Léonard Matton
Titus Van Rijn
Aymeric Demarigny
Carel Fabritius
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Klaus Maria Brandauer learned to paint left-handed for months since Rembrandt was left-handed; most of the brushwork in close-ups is actually his.
The film deliberately echoes Rembrandt's own lighting techniques—notice how faces emerge from darkness exactly as they do in his portraits, making the audience complicit in his vision.
FR
