The Last Movie I Saw

The Mill and the Cross (directed by Lech Majewski) is one of the most beautifully photographed movies I've ever seen, which makes sense since both its theme and narrative revolve around images. To take the latter first, it very broadly tells the story of the creation of Pieter Bruegel the elder's masterpiece "The Road to Calvary," one of the great works of the sixteenth century. But it does so in a most interesting way, letting the events of Bruegel's village unfold around him as he designs and executes his painting. So we see components of the daily life in the valley-- whose landscape is dominated by a rocky hill with a windmill perched on top-- including children awaking in the morning, the miller testing his meal, a young couple courting, and the dreaded inquisitors who seem to randomly abuse anyone who unfortunately crosses their path. The dialogue is minimal, as the viewer is allowed to absorb these and other elements of the setting, many of which become incorporated into Bruegel's painting or, in some cases, reveal something that is going on behind the scenes of the artwork (for example, what happens inside the mill, which appears in the distant background of the picture). The result is to add additional depth to what actually appears on the canvas, as the movie provides a kind of backstory that would likely have been immediately apparent to sixteenth century viewers of the painting, but is almost entirely alien to a contemporary audience. The fact that the painting purports to depict a scene from the New Testament is of course a kind of misdirection common to that era's art-- the inclusion of a wheel used to torture accused heretics signals that this is really a comment on current events, and a subtle criticism of the inquisitors who terrorize the common folk. I don't mean to suggest that watching the movie is necessary for appreciating the painting, but it does serve as a wonderful complement, and in the end stands on its own as a fascinating example of visual creativity.