shunder

(2012-05-01 06:48:21)

A lusciously disconcerting work

It can be said that Lech Majewski's 2011 film depicts "art imitatinglife, imitating art, imitating life, which also typifies the layer uponlayer of meaning and implication to be found in the film. PieterBruegel the Elder's 1564 painting "The Way to Calvary" creates thestory line for this completely unconventional portrayal of life in the1600's and Bruegel's technique or the process he may of worked throughwhile creating the painting. Bruegal's painting is much more than aback drop and can almost be seen as a central character, perhaps even abrilliant supporting actor.As the film weaves in and out of scenes found in the painting, thecharacters are brought to life portraying their personal reality behindthe snippet of time in which they are actually portrayed. In a furtherlayer in the film consider the juxtaposition of good and evil, peasantsinnocently awaking to begin a day's work, the musicians playing anddancing with merry abandon, contrasted with the whipping and murder ofthe young husband by the Spaniards. As Bruegel considers thecrucifixion scene he actually begins to interact with the painting. Hesignals to the miller (a euphemism for God) to stop; and as the millerbrings the mill (and seemingly life itself) to a standstill the momentis so unsettling as the windmill, looking mysteriously like the crossChrist has suffered on, turns counterclockwise.The final shot in this lusciously disconcerting film pans out from thepainting "The Way to Calvary" as it hangs in Kunsthistorisches Museumin Vienna, and leaves one to ponder the art each of us has seen, andthe snapshots in time that art depicts. Majewski's brilliant film givespause to consider the lives lived behind all the images of all the artover the ages, and so much more.

JvH48

(2012-04-30 23:36:19)

Must-see guided tour through Bruegel's picture

Many thanks to the Rotterdam filmfestival 2011 for screening thisguided tour through Christ Carrying the Cross, the painting by PieterBruegel the Elder. I learned a lot about the ideas behind it and theway it was set up. Seeing it explained gradually throughout the story,will let me remember it better than reading about it in a book.We also learned a lot about how people lived those days. A specialmention should be devoted to the parts where this film demonstratesthat life goes on, regardless of politics, war, and religions. We alsosaw many forgotten customs about bread, threshold cleaning, and muchmore that I want to leave as an exercise to the close observer.A dramatic moment at ¾ of the film is where the painter raises hishand, and life comes to a stand still, including the mill on the hillthat stops by a hand signal of the miller. It seems no coincidence thatthe miller very much resembles how our Lord is pictured usually, andalso that he oversees the whole panorama from his high position. Assoon as he signals the mill to resume working, the whole picturerelives from its frozen state.A large part of the audience stayed for the final Q&A. We got muchinformation about the post production effort required to get the colorsright, and creating the different layers to get everything in focus.Further, the film maker told he wanted to make a feature film from thestart. It was considered a Mission Impossible by the people around him.How wrong they were!All in all, a lot goes on in the film, much more than I could overseeduring the screening. Maybe I should try to grasp more of the finedetails during a second viewing. I don't think I saw everything thatthe film makers did put into this production.

Otavio Augusto

(2012-04-30 00:39:21)

Lech Majewski found out the essence of arts!

Lech Majewski shows himself like a superb person. He makes a greatdirecting in the movie 'The Mill and The Cross'. He shows that knowsall about history, coming back to 16th century, and remembering us witha special form: from the vision of the painter Pieter Bruegel. Histhinks, his questions and his eyes in the community that he is going tomake a painting about.The plot is more superb than the directing, so the screenplay is moreimportant than the directing, but the two are just the same. The storygoes on Belgium, where a clear society was rising. The people thereworks, plays and eats for surviving. So, the impiety comes. One cavalrysend from the king of Spanish kingdom comes to the community to sin,without knows, without piety, just for show us, audience, how cruelthey are.Jesus doesn't explain to us that we have to kill the people who doesn'tbelieve in god. But for the king of Spain, he did, or better, he thinksthat this is justice. No, man. This is impiety, and if we works likethat, the world is gonna to explode. Each one believe in what he wants.If we don't respect, we're showing prejudice, and it goes the same foreverybody. Because if we don't do this, the prejudice (plague from thedevil) will destroys us, and was this what happen to the SpanishKingdom, the movie doesn't show, because it is more specific, buteverybody who like history knows.The scenario and art directing are spectacular. Just nostalgic to us,shows a different age in such a simple way. Just "BRAVO" to Majewski!My reviews in Portuguese can be read in the site:http://cult-cine.blogspot.com/

Deidra

(2012-04-29 08:11:41)

Painterly and absorbing

I found this film to inspire the same contemplative mood and heightenedawareness of similar films that build power without reliance on lots ofdialogue, music or usual cinematic cues. If you appreciated "Into GreatSilence" or "Vision" or "The Tree of Life" or even "2001" you willappreciate the poetic quality of this film. It is important for us toslow down occasionally and allow some films to affect us without thenecessity of being slammed over the head with noise and speed andhighly charged emotions. After all, for a film placed in its time, thatis a more realistic portrayal of life during those centuries. This filmilluminates the artistic process and aims of the artist. We arefortunate that the makers of this film dared to create this uniquejourney into a canvas of one of the world's great artists.