L'opera al nero

A doctor in the Netherlands during the sixteenth century is caught up in the conflict between Catholic Spain and Protestant Holland.

Solemn treatment of a distinguished work of literature; the essence of the book just does not seem to come through.

André Delvaux was a talented filmmaker whose works can be difficult to watch. They seem to drift by in a sort of glacial calm, although the subject matter is often very interesting. Rendez-vous à Bray was the first film of his I saw, and it repaid watching even if the emotional temperature was rather low. L'Oeuvre au noir is taken from a Marguerite Yourcenar novel, and shows the austerity she was famous for. At times it feels rather like walking barefoot over a marble floor.

Gian-Maria Volonté's voice had to be dubbed for the film, but his face is expressive. We can follow his efforts to bring modern medical and scientific practices to Flanders in defiance of the Inquisition. Sami Frey as his cousin the prior is sympathetic.