Almost all of Peter Greenaway‘s movies are based on a work of art or on the life of an artist and Goltzius and the Pelican Company is not an exception. Inspired by the life of Hendrik Goltzius a Dutch printer and engraver of erotic books, the movie follows him in his attempt to convince the Margrave of Alsace into financing a printing press that will allow him to publish illustrated books. In exchange he offers him to print an erotic book inspired by stories from the old testament like Adam and Eve, Lot and his daughters or Samson and Delilah. More than that, his printing/writing/acting company will perform a dramatization of these stories for the Margrave.
This visually compelling movie is the second from a trilogy inspired by the Dutch Masters, following Nightwatch and supposedly followed (in 2016) by a movie about Hyeronimus Bosch. But I’m very curious abouthis next 2015 movie, Walking to Paris, his depiction of Constantin Brancusi‘s life.
