''Nightwatching'' is a 2007 film about the artist

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

and the creation of his 1642 painting ''

The Night Watch ''Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq'', also known as ''The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch'', but commonly referred to as ''The Night Watch'' (), is a 1642 painting ...

''. The film is directed by

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...

and stars

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most ...

as Rembrandt, with Eva Birthistle as his wife Saskia van Uylenburg,

Jodhi May Jodhi May (born 8 May 1975) is an English actress. Starting her career as a child actress, she is the youngest recipient (age 12) of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, for '' A World Apart'' (1988). Her other credits include '' ...

as his lover Geertje Dircx, and Emily Holmes as his other lover

Hendrickje Stoffels Hendrickje Stoffels (1626 – 21 July 1663) was the longtime partner of Rembrandt. The couple were unable to marry because of the financial settlement linked to the will of Rembrandt's deceased wife Saskia van Uylenburgh, Saskia, but they remaine ...

. Reinier van Brummelen is the

director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

. James Willcock, known for his esoteric sets, is the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

. The film is described by co-producer Jean Labadie as "a return to the Greenaway of ''

The Draughtsman's Contract ''The Draughtsman's Contract'' is a 1982 British period comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway – his first conventional feature film (following the feature-length mockumentary '' The Falls''). Originally produced for Channel ...

''." It features Greenaway's trademark neoclassical

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

s and graphic sexuality. The music is by Włodek Pawlik. The film premiered in competition, at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

. ''Nightwatching'' is the first feature in Greenaway's film series "Dutch Masters". The following film in the series is ''

Goltzius and the Pelican Company ''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'' is a 2012 historical drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway and starring Ramsey Nasr, F. Murray Abraham and Giulio Berruti. Plot The film is based on the life of Hendrik Goltzius, a late 16th ...

''. An associated work by the same director is the documentary film ''Rembrandt's J'Accuse'' (2008), in which Greenaway addresses 34 "mysteries" associated with the painting, illustrated by scenes from the drama.

Plot

The film is centred on the creation of ''

'', Rembrandt's most famous work, depicting civilian

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

men who wanted to be celebrated in a group portrait. The film posits a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to murder within the

musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...

regiment of Frans Banninck Cocq and

Willem van Ruytenburch Willem van Ruytenburch, ''lord of Vlaardingen and Vlaardingen-Ambacht'' (1600–1652) was a member of the Dutch gentry and Amsterdam patriciate of the Dutch Golden Age. He became an alderman of Amsterdam and joined the Schutterij (city guard) o ...

, and suggests that Rembrandt may have immortalized a

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

using subtle

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

in his group portrait of the regiment, subverting what was to have been a highly prestigious commission for both painter and subject. The film also depicts Rembrandt's personal life, and suggests he suffered serious consequences in later life as a result of the accusation contained in his most famous painting.

Cast

* Eva Birthistle as Saskia van Uylenburg *

as Geertje Dircx * Emily Holmes as

Toby Jones Toby Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his extensive character actor roles on stage and screen. From 1989 ...

Gerard Dou Gerrit Dou (; 7 April 1613 – 9 February 1675), also known as Gerard Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialised in genre s ...

* Michael Teigen as

Carel Fabritius Carel Pietersz. Fabritius (; bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style ...

Agata Buzek Agata Bronisława Buzek (born 20 September 1976) is a Polish actress and model. She began her career appearing in films ''The Ballad of the Windshield Washers'' (1998), ''The Gateway of Europe'' (1999), ''The Hexer (film), The Hexer'' (2001) and ...

as Titia Uylenburgh * Natalie Press as Marieke *

Fiona O'Shaughnessy Fiona O'Shaughnessy is an Irish film, stage, and television actress. She has appeared in ''Warlock III: The End of Innocence'' (1999), ''Goldfish Memory'' (2003), ''Alexander (2004 film), Alexander'' (2004), ''Until Death'' & ''Nightwatching'' ( ...

as Marita *

Adrian Lukis Adrian Leonard Fellowes Lukis (born 28 March 1957) is an English actor who has appeared regularly in British television drama since the late 1980s. Some of his most notable appearances have been as Sergeant Doug Wright in the police drama ser ...

as Frans Banninck Cocq *

Michael Culkin Michael Culkin (born 2 July 1954) is an English theatre, film, and television actor probably best known for his role as Judge Buller in the BBC drama '' Garrow's Law''. He appeared as Rab Butler in the first two seasons of ''The Crown'', in '' ...

as Herman Wormskerck * Christopher Britton as Rombout Kemp * Reimer van Beek as Titus (newborn) *

Maciej Zakościelny Maciej Gracjan Zakościelny (born 7 May 1980, in Stalowa Wola) is a Polish film, television and theatre actor. Life and career He was born on 7 May 1980 in Stalowa Wola. In 2004, he began his studies at the National Academy of Dramatic Art in ...

as Egremont

References

External links

*
''Nightwatching'' at AllMovie
* * 2007 films Films directed by Peter Greenaway Films about Rembrandt Films set in the 1640s Films set in Amsterdam Films set in the Dutch Golden Age 2000s English-language films 2000s British films English-language Dutch films Benelux Film Distributors films {{bio-film-stub