In his second installment of the “Dutch Masters” trilogy, Peter Greenaway profiles Hendrick Goltzius, a 16th-century Dutch printmaker and engraver of erotic art, noted for his technique and detail with the human form.
In Goltzius & the Pelican Company, Goltzius (Ramsey Nasr) sets out to print and publish illustrated books, including his take on the stories of the Old Testament. To secure funding from the Margrave of Alsace (F. Murray Abraham), he also promises dramatic interpretations of erotic stories for his court. The film breezes past erotica and into the realm of the outright sexual, as Greenaway—via Goltzius—challenges his audience about the allure of voyeurism and the ability to wildly interpret biblical stories.
Goltzius & the Pelican Company follows Nightwatching, Greenaway’s look at Rembrandt. The final film in the series, due in 2016, will focus on Hieronymus Bosch.
- Awards
- Rome International Film Festival, 2012 (Silver Mouse for Best Film Out of Official Competition)
- Festivals
- Seattle International Film Festival 2013
- Director
- Peter Greenaway
- Screenwriter
- Peter Greenaway
- Cinematographer
- Reinier van Brummelen
- Editor
- Elmer Leupen, NCE
- Cast
- F.Murray Abraham, Ramsey Nasr, Kate Moran, Giulio Berruti, Anne Louise Hassing, Flavio Parenti, Pippo Delbono, Halina Reijn, Lars Eidinger