Rembrandt the Movie

 

I

In 1941, a group of Germans settled in Amsterdam. Not soldiers, but civilians. Artists, to be precise. They set to work to create a grand, and until then, most expensive film production in the Netherlands about Rembrandt van Rijn. In UFA Filmstadt Amsterdam, the former Cinetone studios, an enormous set rose in the form of an exact replica of the Rembrandt house on Jodenbreestraat, including the surrounding houses. In addition to the German cast and director, many Dutch people also worked on the film: as extras, set builders, tailors, or lighting technicians. Under the direction of Hans Steinhoff, who had made a name for himself as a Nazi filmmaker with his earlier film Hitlerjunge Quex, a film like a painting emerges with beautiful interplay of light and shadow.