Customer Reviews

Rembrandt

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film is an outstanding item among Alexander Korda's almost single-handed efforts beginning in the 1930s to transform British cinema from an industry dominated by worthless "quota quickies" to a first-class competitor in world cinema. Korda had a prominent hand in such great classics as The Private Life of Henry VIII, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Four Feathers, The Thief of Baghdad, and many others; this level of greatness is akin, for example, to what a company like Pixar is doing with animation in movies such as Toy Story today. The best of the Korda films are nothing if not imperishable classics. And Rembrandt ranks right at the top among them. The power of the film lies primarily in Mr. Laughton's priceless performance, which is a great waggish role and yet is remarkably subtle in both gently comic and touchingly tragic ways. The exchanges with Roger Livesey as "beggar Saul," with Elsa Lanchester as Hendrickje Stoffels, and with the worthies who stirred up scandal after Rembrandt used a commission to portray them in a less than idealized light, are lively parts of the spirited whole that this film represents. And, though the film has sad elements, the overriding portrayal is of an indomitable spirit who, in his eccentric way, triumphs over adversity and mediocrity to leave a cherished legacy of his artistry for the world. Truly, this is one of the greats among films, and certainly among biographical ones. Viewers will love this film for the depth of its powerful central characterization surrounded by outstanding talents in all departments. Highly recommended.

The DVD comes with the movie and trailer and that's it. Heck, you can't even put on English subtitles, which I like to do with old films in case I can't quite make out what they're saying. Also the transfer to DVD is not all that meticulous ... there's a couple of scene changes that are so abrupt that it feels like something's been cut out.

I don't know anything about the real Rembrandt's life, so I don't know how much of this movie is true, other than the fact that he was a painter. So, 1 star right away for piquing my curiosity and spurring me on to find out more about the real Rembrandt!

Charles Laughton, as always, is great. Early on in the movie he gave a truly moving speech about love (this was shortly before his first wife dies), about how loving her was the equivalent of loving every woman on earth. I can't do the speech justice (short term memory problems), but I do remember it was moving and I will have to search the internet to see if I can find a transcript of that speech! Charles is great throughout the whole movie.

The sparkling highlight comes about 50 minutes into the movie when Elsa Lanchester first appears. My God, this woman was so charismatic! I wish she had made more films and had bigger roles in movies. Elsa is only in the movie for about 25 minutes, and after her character departs I wanted to turn the movie off. If anyone but Charles Laughton was in the lead, I definitely would've stopped watching at that point.

OK, so this will probably get more no votes than yes votes in the "was this review helpful?" category! Sorry!

Bottom-lining it: Good movie, good story, great acting, Charles Laughton excellent, Elsa Lanchester sparkling and captivating! Crappy transfer to DVD. Worth the price of a rental, not sure (at least for me) that it's worth the price of purchasing.

Charles Laughton's portrayal of the great Rembrandt is itself a masterpiece, full of sensitivity, pathos, whimsy, a lustful eye for the women who caught his fancy, and the eccentricities of a genius who lived way beyond his means and owed more than he owned to his creditors.
Rembrandt loved much, and suffered many personal losses, but his paintings became more luminous and full of emotional depth as the years went by. Laughton is also made to look much like the master, with his wispy mustache, and the resemblance to the famous self-portraits of the last ten years of his life is remarkable.

The film begins when Rembrandt is 36, in 1642, with the passing of his beloved wife Saskia, the model for so many of his works, and is followed by the controversy over his magnificent and enormous "The Night Watch", which was unveiled the same year. I never imagined this picture to be so huge and powerful.
The details of seventeenth century Amsterdam are marvelous, and I especially enjoyed seeing how the studio of the time was set up, with pigments in bottles, and canvas tied to a stretcher frame.

The film belongs to Laughton, and his magnificent performance, but the supporting cast is great, with Elsa Lanchester as Hendrickje, Gertrude Lawrence as his housekeeper and common law wife, and John Bryning as Titus, the only one of his four children with Saskia that survived.
Remarkably clear for its age, with very few crackles in its lovely cinematography by Geoffrey Toye, its years are more noticeable in the soundtrack (by Georges Perinal) than visually. Meticulously directed by Alexander Korda, this film should be seen by all art aficionados, and those who love Rembrandt's work, as you will love it even more after seeing this film. Total running time is 85 minutes.

This oldie-but-goodie succeeds where so many others have failed miserably. The careful attention payed to historical fact as well as Charles Laughton's breathtaking performance all compile to form a thouroughly enjoyable biographical feature. The manner in which Laughton's performance matches wit with integrity makes this masterpiece a true prize of the silver screen.

This is a man that could act his kiester off, Charles Laughton. He, and his wife, Elsa Lanchester, were a much more accessable version of people like Lunt and Fontaine, for Laughton's talents were obvious in every role he ever had. Don't believe me? Rent this and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", or the lighthearted "Canterville Ghost". He had a "mischievious little boy" way about him when he acted; a way of cocking his head and hedging that made you remember him as a grown-up version of little Johnny asking for more pennies to get candy. In this movie, about the legendary, edge-of-the-Renaissance painter, Rembrandt Van Rijn, his wife, Elsa, also shines as his latter-day love interest: very gentle, optimistic and almost perky. Most players in this film are good, though I feel Gertrude Lawrence overdoes it a bit, and in typical 30s Hollywood style. It's an MGM production, so I suppose overacting had to be in there SOMEWHERE, but her reading gets tiresome after awhile.

The script is full of bon mots, such as Van Rijn's short discourse of "knowing all women when you know just one..." speech, and his dressing down of the Amsterdam hoi-polloi when his masterpiece, "The Night Watch" is vainly slammed and picked apart on its first showing, but it is also good at pathos, as his beloved first wife dies and he also loses his later love, played by Lanchester.

I wish I could laud the condition of the transfer as highly, but alas, this has to be THE worst transfered DVD I have...! The highlights are WAY too bright, there are scratches and hair ghosts all through the thing, and we are cheated out of a first rate, saltine crisp print of one of Hollywood's best classic biographical films, and except for a longish movie-house trailer, there are ZERO extras in this thing. Shameful! Anyway, if you must get a copy of this film, find someone OTHER than MGM, for this transfer, plus the lack of extras, makes it less than an ideal buy! By all means, if you can find a better print transfer....BUY IT!

As some reviewer have stated it has paid "careful attention payed to historical fact" I beg to differ. While the movie is highly entertaining and well acted please keep in mind it is a movie. Some facts are to be found but much license has been taken with the facts for story sake. For one Hendrickje Stoffels, engaged as his housekeeper about 1649 some 7 years after the death of his wife. I.E. they never met and there for Rembrandt could not have been tried for adultry, another error. Those are only two, but as I said IT'S A MOVIE not a history lesson. The DVD shows the age of the movie, some effort has been made to improve inage quality and sound but there still are a few hard cuts and signs of it's age. Well worth watching if you like art or you're just an old movie junkie. I would give it 5 stars but I'm taking one due to the historical errors and no extras on the DVD other than trailers.

A very well acted, classic biography of Rembrandt. Charles Laughton is Rembrant. Not a standard 30's bio film. Unfortunately in black and white and the print was worn.

This is an extraordinary film biography of the seventeenth century Dutch artist Rembrant Van Rijn. Why? In a word- Charles Laughton. His performance is nothing less than brillant, believable and unique. The film direction by the renown Alexander Korda is sympathetic and warm. The sets and actors appear to be exhumed from centuries past, so very real and of the period. You the viewer swear you have been propelled back in time. The legendary actress Gertrude Lawrence, in a rare film performance, is featured, along with Laughton's real life wife- Elsa Lanchester. Both fine actresses. The movie is somewhat philosophical. Laughton expouses deep felt emotions about his wife and the Bible. It is touching beyond words to this reviewer, the sense of emotion and heart felt love for his wife and his awe of the Biblical kings of the Old Testament. This is a man inspired by history and romance, but always one to speak his mind, for good or bad, to his paying clients or the community at large. Rembrants' life was indeed very tragic. He lost his lovely wife to death, he lost his fortune but never his appreciation for beauty and life. A true artist to the end. This film moves somewhat slowly but with purpose. Rembrant's art is never highlighted, with the exception of his famous masterpiece THE NIGHTWATCH. The story is not focused on his art but ON THE MAN. It is an amazing story of one man, a genius, who engaged life on his own terms. From a brash, profligate young man to a humble, turbined elder still perfecting his craft, the remarkable persona of Rembrant is revealed. Only Charles Laughton's THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (another Korda collaboration, 1933) and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939) rival his performance. What can I say except this is the most extraordinary acting you'll see on a screen!
This is, indeed, one for your collection. A masterly subject rendered by the most magnificent actor of our time. You will be inspired, saddened and uplifted by this 1936 British film gem!

"Rembrandt" is a 1936 Alexander Korda British bio pic starring the great Charles Laughton, that focuses on the last several decades in the life of the famous Dutch painter.

Charles Laughton (1899-1962) is arguably the most capable actor in Hollywood's golden era. His performances in films such as "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1936) and "Witness for the Prosecution " (1958) are peerless, and when you consider he received best actor nominations for both films, separated by more than 20 years, this by itself speaks volumes. He won the best actor award for his portrayal in another British bio pic "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933). Laughton is marvelous in this role, and appears in virtually every scene.

Laughton's wife, Elsa Lancaster (1902-86) co-stars, 1 of 12 films they made together beginning in 1933 and ending with their marvelous collaboration in "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957). She was nominated for an Oscar for her work in that film and for "Come to the Stable" (1949), but I liked her best as "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), a film she did out of friendship for director James Whale. She plays Laughton's maid and lover, but unfortunately does not appear until way past the middle of the film. Once she appears, the film clearly picks up, having sunken into a morass for the previous half hour.

Gertrude Lawrence (1898-1952) was primarily a stage actress. She made only 10 films, mostly in the 30s. She won a Tony in 1952 for "The King and I". She plays Laughton's house keeper, and the tension on the set between the two of them is clearly in evidence on the screen. While Lawrence does a good job, it's hard to imagine how she got her acting reputation from the skills on display in this film.

Abraham Sofaer (1896-1988) appears as a physician and friend. Sofaer's deep tones, bulging eyes, and sharp features adorned more than 50 films, although he's probably best remembered for his recurring role as Hadji, the master genie, in "I Dream of Jeanie" (1965-70). I liked him best as Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" (1947). He does his usual good job here.

Alexander Korda (1893-1956) produced nearly 60 films in his career that started in 1923 in Hungary. His break through film was "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933) and there followed a series of historical dramas including "Rise of Catherine the Great" (1934), "Private Life of Don Juan" (1934), and "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934). Korda was known for his cheap production values, which are sometimes evident in this film.

The film is episodic, covering the last several decades in Rembrandt's life, from 1642 to 1669. We get to watch him at his height, the quarrel with his sponsors, the death of his beloved wife, his fall into bankruptcy, his second great love, her death, and his dotage. Through it all the acting is great, but the direction is cold - we are all too aware that we are "watching" a film rather than being involved with it. As such, the film can get tedious at times, because we are not totally absorbed within it.

The NY Times called it a "great, and rich, and glowing motion picture" and "Korda's greatest production to date". But it failed miserably at the box office, and was one reason that Laughton and Korda made no more films together.

Fans of Laughton (and Lancaster) will certainly want to see this film, and this is a chance to see one of the rare Gertrude Lawrence performances. There's also value here for fans of Rembrandt, as the story is, more or less, true to history. But as a film, per se, it lacks warmth and feeling. There are far better bio pics from this period ("Henry VIII", "Elizabeth and Essex").

I discovered this film completely by accident, picking it up at a sale for just a couple of dollars ... but after seeing it, I would gladly have paid full price for it. What an unexpected pleasure! It's more about Rembrandt the man than the artist, in that it explores his personality & crucial events in his life, but it does feature a fascinating look at his famous "The Night Watch" & the initial reaction to it.

The film is a bit episodic, without a strong narrative arc, which may not make it as appealing to some viewers. But the real reason to see it is for Charles Laughton's superb performance, which is subdued and nuanced. Yes, he explodes once or twice, as only Laughton could -- but for the most part, he conveys a wealth of feeling with an understated shift of expression or body language.

The look of the film is beautiful, in the elegant way that only an older film can be, with its deeply textured black & white photography. And it touches both on philosophy, as in Rembrandt's impassioned words on Woman, as well as some familiar issues which never go out of style: Art vs. Commerce, Public Approval vs. Personal Integrity.

If you're not that familiar with this older style of filmmaking, you might have to make some adjustments. But I think you'll find it well worth seeing, and come away with a deeper understanding of one of the world's great artists. Remarkable & recommended!