The Mill and the Cross (2011)

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 (screenplay), Lech Majewski (screenplay)

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Michael York, Charlotte Rampling

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Pieter Bruegel
Michael York	...	Nicolaes Jonghelinck
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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

flanders | painting | famous painting | 16th century | golgotha | 

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Taglines:

Behind every great painting lies an even greater story

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Goofs

The Miller (God) stops the windmill turning with a gesture, freezing the diorama below. When he restarts the mill, it starts rotating in the opposite direction, even though events are proceeding in the usual way below, not in reverse.

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Soundtracks

Miserere, Opus 44
By Henryk Mikolaj Górecki
Performed by the Silesia Philharmonic Choir (Chorus Master Jan Wojtacha)

User Reviews

Must-see guided tour through Bruegel's picture

Many thanks to the Rotterdam filmfestival 2011 for screening this guided tour through Christ Carrying the Cross, the painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. I learned a lot about the ideas behind it and the way it was set up. Seeing it explained gradually throughout the story, will let me remember it better than reading about it in a book.

We also learned a lot about how people lived those days. A special mention should be devoted to the parts where this film demonstrates that life goes on, regardless of politics, war, and religions. We also saw many forgotten customs about bread, threshold cleaning, and much more that I want to leave as an exercise to the close observer.

A dramatic moment at ¾ of the film is where the painter raises his hand, and life comes to a stand still, including the mill on the hill that stops by a hand signal of the miller. It seems no coincidence that the miller very much resembles how our Lord is pictured usually, and also that he oversees the whole panorama from his high position. As soon as he signals the mill to resume working, the whole picture relives from its frozen state.

A large part of the audience stayed for the final Q&A. We got much information about the post production effort required to get the colors right, and creating the different layers to get everything in focus. Further, the film maker told he wanted to make a feature film from the start. It was considered a Mission Impossible by the people around him. How wrong they were!

All in all, a lot goes on in the film, much more than I could oversee during the screening. Maybe I should try to grasp more of the fine details during a second viewing. I don't think I saw everything that the film makers did put into this production.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Poland Sweden

Language:

English Spanish Flemish

Release Date:

18 March 2011 (Poland)

Also Known As:

The Mill and the Cross

Filming Locations:

Austria

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,354, 18 September 2011

Gross USA:

$312,187

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,116,180

Company Credits

Production Co:

Telewizja Polska (TVP), Bokomotiv Freddy Olsson Filmproduktion, Odeon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1