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Movies & TV

Nightwatching

NIGHTWATCHING (Alliance, 2007) D: Peter Greenaway, w/ Martin Freeman, Eva Birthistle. Rating: NNNNN DVD package: n/a Rating: NNNNN


Peter Greenaway’s consistent fascination with mystery, fine art, social games and the pleasures of food, drink, low humour and sex is on display in Nightwatching.

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Executing a commissioned painting in 1640, painter Rembrandt van Rijn discovers murder among its subjects, a militia group made up of social-climbing businessmen. He inserts clues to the killer in his painting. The subjects seek revenge.

Greenaway tells the story with unabashedly theatrical settings, compositions and lighting that mirror Rembrandt’s own work. His cast, notably Martin Freeman as Rembrandt and Eva Birthistle as his sharp-minded wife, Saskia, make a meal of their plummy lines, and everything, even the complex theme of honesty in art, proceeds with playful energy.

Too bad Greenaway isn’t on the DVD to discuss his work. He’s good at it.

EXTRAS Widescreen. English, French audio and subtitles.

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