Mlyn i Krzyz (2011)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 92 minuten
Alternative titles: The Mill and the Cross / Młyn i Krzyż
Country:
Poland / Sweden
Directed by: Lech Majewski
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling and Michael York
IMDb score:
6,9 (4.613)
Releasedate: 18 March 2011
Mlyn i Krzyz plot
"Behind every great painting lies an even greater story"
The Polish director and multimedia artist Lech Majewski and the American screenwriter and art expert Michael Gibson were inspired by the painting 'The Carrying of the Cross' by the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. In addition to a mill and the cross, the canvas from 1564 shows more than 500 people: from Jesus, Mary and John the Evangelist to all kinds of loose groups of figures. Majewski and Gibson take twelve characters from the painting, bring them to life and combine their stories with the creation of the canvas. The suffering of Christ is intertwined with the oppression of the Flemish population by the Spaniards in this film.
Actors and actresses
Peter Bruegel
Mary
Nicolaes Jonghelinck
Marijken Bruegel
Saskia Jonghelinck
Crucified
Wheelfied
Miller
Netje
Reviews & comments
blurp194
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- 5543 messages
- 4226 votes
An impressive visual tour de force.
Beautiful images, that somehow look very painting-like, in the not quite right painting style from the time of Pieter Bruegel and the strange incidence of light in his paintings. A few shots are really unrealistically beautiful and very cleverly made. The painting almost literally comes to life. The painterly image style remains very consistent - really incredibly beautiful.
It is all about the images. They are really special enough to keep me interested for the entire duration, but that will certainly not be the case for everyone. The story - which we already know of course - is told pleasantly slowly and occasionally falls silent for minutes to give you the opportunity to watch. There seems to be hardly any acting, the actors are just like everything else in the service of the image. The music is also subtle in the background, but still sticks in my head.
All in all an overwhelming film. For a small audience though.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
In 1564 Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted 'The Carrying of the Cross', an oil painting depicting the procession to Calvary, better known as Golgotha, where Jesus will be crucified. Hauer plays the Flemish grandmaster, Michael York his patron Nicolaes Jonghelinck and Charlotte Rampling is Mary in one of the scenes that feature twelve of the 500 figures on the canvas (124x170cm). The impressive opening is a tracking shot of a living version of the painting. What follows is a beautifully filmed and reverently and lovingly created depiction of characters on that canvas in which the dividing line between 'living' objects and landscapes and paintings is barely visible. The voice-overs provide more clarity about the connections between the characters and the symbolism behind the painting, but due to the (logical) lack of plot and the thoughtful pace it will not be for everyone. But as a film about art it is certainly successful and because of the many visual details it is worth seeing several times.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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