Monday, May 25, 2015

Rembrandt (1936)

Charles Laughton
Gertrude Lawrence
Elsa Lanchester

Directed by Alexander Korda
Music by Geoffrey Toye



Charles Laughton as Rembrandt

6 comments:

  1. I'm not sure that I've seen this film. Is it an oldie but a goodie?

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    1. One of the finest films ever made. A timeless classic. Please don't miss it. One hour and twenty-four minutes of splendid acting, magnificent music and brilliantly conceived and executed sets and costuming.

      Charles Laughton as Rembrandt is warmly human, thought provoking, full of subtlety, and immensely touching –– one great genius paying eloquent tribute to another.

      Gertrude Lawrence provides a wonderful surprise in one of her rare dramatic roles. That legendary star of musical comedy, and great pal of Noel Coward, that elegant paragon of mannered levity, had the makings of a fine Shakespearean actress. She would have been a spine chilling Lady Macbeth no doubt. I'm sorry she was never given the opportunity.

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  2. Have to give high marks to the art direction. Generally a strong suit in a Korda film.

    I would also recommend That Hamilton Woman .
    I'm not a big fan of costume epics but that one held me.

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    1. I'm familiar with THW, Ducky. With Olivier, Leigh, and Gladys Cooper how could it miss? I'm not wild about "epics" either, but as long as they're filmed in black and white with a lush symphonic score characteristic of the 30's and 40's, I find many more than tolerable. Anthony Adverse, for instance, with Frederic March works well for me, and quite a few others too.

      I do think Rembrandt highly distinguished. Whether it is an historically accurate biography or not I don't know, but it captures the spirit of an era and the milieu in which the great artist worked in such a way that it has about it "the ring of truth" –– something a ponderous, literal, purely factual account would be bound to miss entirely.

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  3. Where FreeThinke go? He no show at web places?

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