Directed by Peter Greenaway, 2007, 134 minutes

Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (Martin Freeman) reluctantly accepts a commission to paint a portrait of an Amsterdam civic guard company led by Piers Hasselburg (Andrzej Seweryn). When Hasselburg is killed in a shooting accident, Rembrandt’s suspicions about his death find expression in the portrait.

Peter Greenaway’s “Nightwatching” argues that Rembrandt’s most famous work, “The Night Watch” is not simply a portrait but also a narrative satire which exposes a murderous conspiracy. Rembrandt’s painted accusation deploys the visual language of symbol and inference, but we have lost the ability to decipher his work in a culture where printed text has become the dominant form of communication. Greenaway rigorously deconstructs Rembrandt’s artistic idiom to make his point. “The Night Watch” contains classical and biblical allusions but also a wealth of contemporary social detail. Greenway’s screenplay establishes historical and cultural context and examines the life and character of Rembrandt to explain why he may have created this singular image.

Dutch culture in the seventeenth century was defined by opposition. This small protestant republic was constantly threatened by larger catholic monarchies and citizen brigades were instrumental in its defence. Militia portraits were a common form in Dutch art, they represented not only the perceived social value of military service to defend Dutch liberty but also provided an opportunity for the display of wealth and status. In Greenaway’s film Banninck Cocq’s militia is composed mostly of venal weekend soldiers. By the 1639, when Rembrandt was commissioned to produce the portrait, the Dutch Republic had fought Spanish-led counter-reformation forces to a standstill. After a series of major military victories, the Republic was enjoying a period of relative peace and prosperity. The Resilience and versatility of the Dutch economy played a significant role in reducing the military threat from Spain and mercantile prowess has made Holland rich, creating a culture of ostentatious consumption rife with profiteering. Social injustice thrives as the harsh morality of Dutch Calvinism combines with rapacious capitalism, the losers in this intensely competitive culture are useful only as commodities to be traded for profit. Often accused of being pretentious or effete; Greenaway’s films, particularly ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ (1982) and ‘The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover’ (1989) frequently contain an element of socio-political criticism. In “Nightwatching” Greenaway expresses his indignation at greed, inequality, and hypocrisy more unequivocally, this makes Rembrandt’s life and work feel immediate and relevant.

Rembrandt, like the eponymous anti-hero of Greenaway’s “The Draughtsman’s Contract” (1982) has elbowed himself into an opulent but unforgiving world. Martin Freeman’s versatile performance captures the contradictions of this ambitious, precociously talented miller’s son whose colourful profanity reflects his humble origins; he is pugnaciously critical of privilege yet depends on the wealthy to fund his work. He personifies the quandary of the artist forced to accept money from patrons that he finds morally reprehensible. Rembrandt salves his conscience by subverting the conventions of commercial portraiture to attack those responsible for the injustices that he perceives around him.  Greenaway suggests that like Goya, Rembrandt fundamentally changes the nature of portraiture. He breaks the trust between artist and subject, creating art that penetrates external appearances to reveal the character within. Such honest representation can be perceived as slander and Rembrandt relies on his talent and marketability to keep him safe from reprisal. Like the Draughtsman he risks terrible consequences when he challenges vested interests. Greenaway’s perception of himself as a combative filmmaker at odds with convention lends extra savour to his characterisation of these ambitious artists.

Greenaway works with Martin Freeman to create an honest portrayal of the artist rather than a simple hagiography. Rembrandt’s rage at the misogynistic paternalism of his wealthy patrons is often compromised by his own behaviour and the facts of his complicated domestic life can make him appear complicit in the very injustices that he attacks. The women who shared their lives with the artist play an important role in “Nightwatching”. There are fine performances from Eva Birthistle as Saskia van Uylenburgh, Rembrandt’s first wife, Jodhi May as his mistress Geertje Dircx and Emily Holmes as Hendrikje Stoffels, his second wife. These women speak directly to camera in ironic counterpoint to Rembrandt and describe their relationships with disarming candour. Dutch culture in the seventeenth century offered women increased opportunity to blur the boundaries between domestic management and the world of business. Saskia is an active partner in her husband’s career; although the marriage begins as a business partnership it becomes a much closer relationship. Her assertive acumen and vivacious practicality reflect other prominent women in Dutch culture at this time but unfortunately female artists like Judith Leyster or intellectual polymaths like Anna Maria van Schurman were uncommon. Women who live outside the mercantile elite have a precarious existence and fewer options. Calvinist morality frowns on sex outside of marriage and strict protocols define female behaviour in public. Sex is dangerous for women and childbirth can be fatal; Saskia never recovers her health after the birth of her first child and the huge bed which Greenaway uses to represent Rembrandt’s cosy domestic life becomes a sickbed. Women like Geertje or Hendrickje who are unmarried or in domestic service run the constant risk of social stigma. In the film unwanted children are dumped in the neighbouring orphanage which is little more than a brothel. Both Geertje and Hendrickje are always one step away from the orphans like Marieke (Natalie Press) whose abuse at the hands of wealthy men arouses Rembrandt’s ire. Greenaway acknowledges Rembrandt’s complicity in misogyny and sexual hypocrisy but balances his portrayal by showing the genuine warmth of his relationships.  Greenaway displays his customary erotic candour in “Nightwatching” but here it is combined with a pleasing tenderness that heightens its emotional impact. When Saskia dies all colour is drained from the photography as if her death has robbed the artist’s world of colour and light, leaving him literally blinded by grief.

The film’s title is a piece of multi-layered word play. “Nightwatching” refers not only to the painting at the heart of the film but also to the artist’s ability to penetrate the murky morality of Dutch society. Rembrandt gazes into the darkness to reveal conspiracy and uncover the social ills that surround him. “Nightwatching” also provides an apt description of Rembrandt’s artistic style. His images seem to emerge from the dark; fleeting moments of light and warmth frozen in time. The film emerges from and returns to darkness and is lit to reflect Rembrandt’s distinctive depiction of light and colour. This is a world where the night is illuminated by candles: Rembrandt and his followers, pupils like Gerard Dou (Toby Jones) and his protégé Gottfried Schalcken, perfected chiaroscuro to depict faces and flesh lit by candle flame. These artists exploit the potential of artificial light to compel new ways of seeing; new perspectives and transformed colours. Greenaway argues that Rembrandt’s lighting and sense of drama foreshadow cinema, which is also captured light painted on shadow.  Rembrandt’s painting of the Night Watch is intensely theatrical and appears more like a stage set than a realistic street scene. Greenaway shares this element of Rembrandt’s style and films like “The Baby of Macon” (1993) contain few exterior or daylight shots feeling more like live theatre than cinema. Scene transitions are often achieved by moving sets or changing lighting. Greenway tracks the camera into and out of the frame to move the action from one sequence to another or moves the camera horizontally along wide ‘table portraits’ filled with characters as he did in “The Cook the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” (1989). In much of Greenaway’s work this staginess acts to distance the audience but here the forthright dialogue and unmannered performances act as a balance and pull the viewer back to the emotional core of the film.

Greenaway presents “Nightwatching” as a historical murder mystery to broaden its appeal, but he is more interested in understanding Rembrandt’s cultural context and the intricacies of his visual vocabulary. Rembrandt’s painting of the Night Watch is loaded with ambivalent symbolism and the elaborate conspiracy theory presented here is only one of many possible interpretations. Greenaway is also restating his argument about the constraints of narrative cinema, which he perceives as an extension of print culture. His reading of Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” demonstrates his belief in the effectiveness of visual art over text as a means of communicating ideas and emphasises his belief in the importance of re-discovering the skills of visual literacy. Greenaway has revisited themes of artistic freedom and symbolism throughout his career but his passion for artistic technique and knowledge of art history don’t always translate successfully into enjoyable cinema. “Nightwatching” is his most accessible film: A revelatory performance from Martin Freeman displays an emotional range far beyond the appealing affability of Watson or Bilbo Baggins and his contribution is matched by the strong female cast, particularly Natalie Press as the tragic Marieke and Jodhi May who brings a compelling dignity to the much maligned Geertje. Their performances invest Greenaway’s characters with emotional depth and heighten an eloquent socio-political critique which makes this film compassionate as well as cerebral entertainment.

Quote

‘Painted darkness, miles and miles and miles of painted darkness lit by spasms of light, if you’re lucky’ Rembrandt (Martin Freeman)

Connections

Films

‘Rembrandt’ directed by Alexander Korda (1936)

‘Rembrandt Fecit 1669’ directed by Jos Stelling (1977)

‘Schalcken the Painter’ directed by Leslie Megahey (1979)

‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ directed by Peter Greenaway (1982)

‘Goya in Bordeaux’ directed by Carlos Saura (1999)

‘Rembrandt’ directed by Charles Matton (1999)

‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ directed by Peter Webber (2003)

‘The Mill and the Cross’ directed by Lech Majewski (2011)

‘Goltzius and the Pelican Company’ directed by Peter Greenaway (2012)

Reading

Simon Schama, An Embarrassment of Riches, Fontana, 1987

Simon Schama, Rembrandt’s Eyes, Penguin, 1999