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The Mill and the Cross

Original title: Mlyn i krzyz
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
The Mill and the Cross (2011)
Trailer for The Mill And The Cross
Play trailer1:57
1 Video
12 Photos
DramaHistory

This movie focuses on a dozen of the five hundred characters depicted in Bruegel's painting. The theme of Christ's suffering is set against religious persecution in Flanders in 1564.This movie focuses on a dozen of the five hundred characters depicted in Bruegel's painting. The theme of Christ's suffering is set against religious persecution in Flanders in 1564.This movie focuses on a dozen of the five hundred characters depicted in Bruegel's painting. The theme of Christ's suffering is set against religious persecution in Flanders in 1564.

  • Director
    • Lech Majewski
  • Writers
    • Michael Francis Gibson
    • Lech Majewski
  • Stars
    • Rutger Hauer
    • Michael York
    • Charlotte Rampling
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    4.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lech Majewski
    • Writers
      • Michael Francis Gibson
      • Lech Majewski
    • Stars
      • Rutger Hauer
      • Michael York
      • Charlotte Rampling
    • 25User reviews
    • 102Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    The Mill and the Cross
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch The Mill and the Cross

    Photos12

    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    Michael York in The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    Rutger Hauer in The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    Lech Majewski in The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rutger Hauer
    Rutger Hauer
    • Pieter Bruegel
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Nicolaes Jonghelinck
    Charlotte Rampling
    Charlotte Rampling
    • Mary
    Joanna Litwin
    • Marijken Bruegel
    Dorota Lis
    • Saskia Jonghelinck
    Bartosz Capowicz
    • Crucified
    Mateusz Machnik
    • Wheelfied
    Marian Makula
    • Miller
    Sylwia Szczerba
    • Netje
    Wojciech Mierkulow
    • Jan
    Ruta Kubas
    • Esther
    Jan Wartak
    • Simon
    Sebastian Cichonski
    • Peddler
    Lucjan Czerny
    • Bram
    Aneta Kiszczak
    • Mayken
    Oskar Huliczka
    • Horn Player
    Adam Kwiatkowski
    • Traitor
    Pawel Kramarz
    • Pedro De Erazu
    • Director
      • Lech Majewski
    • Writers
      • Michael Francis Gibson
      • Lech Majewski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      A few minutes before the end of the movie, a red automobile crosses the background between two houses, while Bruegel and Nicholas Jonghelinck are speaking in the foreground.
    • Soundtracks
      Miserere, Opus 44
      By Henryk Mikolaj Górecki

      Performed by the Silesia Philharmonic Choir (Chorus Master Jan Wojtacha)

    User reviews25

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Excellent, unusual film
    The Mill and the Cross (2011)

    The Polish film "The Mill and the Cross" was co-written and directed by Lech Majewski It stars Rutger Hauer as Pieter Bruegel, and co-stars Charlotte Rampling and Michael York.

    The film consists of an attempt to bring to life Bruegel's 1564 painting, "The Procession to Calvary." I have seen this painting in the Kunsthistoriche Museum in Vienna. Once you've seen it, you don't forget it, because it is filled with people and action. (Although, in the painting, Jesus has just collapsed under the weight of the cross, so, in a sense, action has been frozen for a few seconds.)

    The painting is also remarkable for a very strange symbol--a windmill placed high atop a stony crag. In the film, Bruegel explains that the miller looks down from his mill and sees everything that is happening below, just as God looks down from heaven and can see everything. So, the mill and the miller work symbolically. However, in a practical sense, the mill would never be that high on an large, steep, stony crag. If a mill were really in that location, no one could bring the wheat to the mill or take away the flour.

    The other dominant vertical structure is a cartwheel, raised high on a long pole. This was the device used by the Spanish rulers of the Netherlands to execute and display prisoners. The prisoner was tied to the wheel, and the wheel was hoisted far up in the air. The device prevented anyone from helping the person--if alive--or removing the body. Only the carrion birds could reach the body, which they did, with predictable results.

    Technology in the 21st Century makes everything possible, so it's no surprise that the painting is reproduced in the film in a real landscape. Sometimes all the figures are frozen, but other times you can see a cow moving or some other action taking place. The special effects are routine by now, but the manner in which they are used is not routine.

    We really have the sense that we are looking at a landscape, and the artist is putting it down on canvas before our eyes. This is a highly creative way to look at life the way an artist sees it, and then look at the way life is transformed and committed to canvas.

    We saw this film on the large screen at the excellent Rochester Polish Film Festival. It really will work better in a theater. However, if that's not an option, it's worth seeing on DVD.
    helpful•19
    3
    • Red-125
    • Jan 7, 2012

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 2011 (Poland)
    • Countries of origin
      • Poland
      • Sweden
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • Flemish
    • Also known as
      • El molino y la cruz
    • Filming locations
      • Wieliczka, Malopolskie, Poland(mill interiors)
    • Production companies
      • Telewizja Polska (TVP)
      • Bokomotiv Freddy Olsson Filmproduktion
      • Odeon
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $312,187
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $11,354
      • Sep 18, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,116,180
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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