This French-German-Dutch biopic on the life of 17th century Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn is told in flashbacks from the point-of-view of the aged artist. Soon after establishing his career as a painter in Amsterdam, he marries the radiant Saskia. As he makes a name for himself, he can soon afford to buy a large house by teaching wealthy aristocrats how to paint. However, the couple’s happiness is short-lived; Saskia dies soon after bearing their son, Titus. Crushed, van Rijn seeks comfort first in the arms of his maid Geertje and then with his second wife, Hendrickje, who gives birth to a daughter. In spite of his genius, van Rijn’s determinedly eccentric behavior alienates the very members of the elite who were paying his bills. At one point, the artist’s home and belongings, including many of his paintings, are seized and sold for humiliatingly low prices in a rigged auction.
Length 103 minutes
Klaus Maria Brandauer | Romane Bohringer | Jean Rochefort | Johanna ter Steege | Olivier Brocheriou | Jean-Philippe Écoffey | Caroline van Houten | Richard Bohringer | Franck de la Personne | Jacques Spiesser | Caroline Sihol | Nick Palliser | François Delaive | Léonard Matton | Aymeric Demarigny | Jean O'Cottrell | Jules Matton | Christian Chevreuse | Guillaume Beaufort | Björn Jung | Joël Barbouth | Christopher Granier-Deferre | Denis Hecker | Emanuel Booz | Patrick Boshart | Lou | Béatrice Avoine | Annick Brard | César Chiffre | Gerhard Fehn | Norbert Heisterkamp | Thomas Huber | Helga Jeske | Mathias Kniesbeck | Marja Kok | Manni Laudenbach | Pascale Lecussan | Georg Leumer | Volker Marek | Marie-Claude Mestral | Hanna Obbeek | Karin Palmieri | Doris Plenert | Hugo Alexander van Riet | Dagmar Sachse | Ludivine Sagnier | Pierre Siegenthaler | Pascal Tréguy | Sylvie Van den Elsen | Pieter van der Sman | Bob van Tol