Synopsis

Please note, there is a misprint on p. 16 of our current catalog. Sale price is currently $22.46 for THE MILL & THE CROSS DVD

THE MILL AND THE CROSS is a "film of great beauty and attention" (Roger Ebert) that stunningly recreates one of the great masterpieces of painting, Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Way to Calvary.

Lech Majewski (The Gospel According to Harry) brings the viewer inside the painting with immersive period detail and jaw-dropping digital effects. The daily life of 16th-century Flanders is rendered with astounding vividness, from the routine of the windmill caretaker to the crusading Spanish militia, who abuse Protestants with brutally violent tactics. Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) stars as Bruegel himself, touring inside his own canvas and discussing the origin of his work while his wealthy patron, Nicolaes Jonghelinck (Michael York, The Three Musketeers), bemoans the state of his disintegrating country. The film also features Charlotte Rampling (The Night Porter) as the Virgin Mary.

An "inspiring, alluring meditation about imagery and storytelling" (NY Times), THE MILL AND THE CROSS is a one-of-a-kind marvel of art historical investigation (adapted from a book by art critic Michael Francis Gibson) that truly brings a great painting to life.

Educational Reviews

"An ingenious mix of political commentary, historical re-creation, and creative fancy, an illuminating method of deconstructing and analyzing a work of art. Although not a documentary and certainly not a traditional biopic, this is an eye-popping and thought-provoking portrait of the artist. Highly recommended" -Video Librarian

Critical Acclaim

"Lush and hypnotic! An inspiring, alluring meditation about imagery and storytelling." - The New York Times

"Visually ravishing! A unique, immersive museum-meets-cinema experience." - Dennis Harvey, Variety

"No description can do justice to 'The Mill and the Cross,' which must be seen to be fully appreciated." - V.A. Musetto, New York Post

"Visually striking. Audacious." - New York Magazine

"An extraordinary example of both art-historical interpretation and CGI as passport to unknown lands" - Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

"Casts a transfixing spell...has ambitions as sweeping as the vast canvas that Bruegel fills." - Daniel M. Gold, The New York Times

"...an extraordinarily ambitious undertaking...A brilliant personal triumph for Majewski. A unique, category-defying viewing experience...very highly recommended" - Joe Bendel, J.B. Spins

"Highly original, visually stunning...jaw-dropping spectacle" - Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International

"...a dazzling master class in visual composition." - Eric Hynes, Time Out NY

"The word 'film' seems inadequate to describe Lech Majewski's 'The Mill and the Cross'...Each scene is rendered like a brushstroke..." - Lauren Wissot, Slant Magazine

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