Goltzius et la Compagnie du Pélican

The Dutch painter Golzius (Ramsey Nasr) needs to secure funding for his new printing press and approaches The Margrave, (F. Murray Abraham) who is agreeable provided that Golzius' acting troup, The Pelican Company, perform six erotic interpretations / versions of famous Old Testament stories from the Bible. Whilst these are well received in a place known for its freedom of speech, they are interpreted by the priesthood, intelligentsia and The Margrave as blasphemy resulting in harsh punishments which Golzius must work around not least because they have no more knowledge of the truth of the Bible than Golzius

Obviously Peter Greenaway is an acquired taste and if you don't like his work, best to keep away. Like many of his works eg Nightwatching, Prospero's Books, The Baby of Macon what you get is a sort of moving theatrical tableau acting out elements from Greenaway's theme for the film in frequently beautiful, cleverly structured looking aircraft hanger stages. Like most of his work, this carries long erudite pieces to camera (Nasr is very entertaining) which often features strong language, a good deal of sex, constant nudity and death. This one is a bit samey though - he does need to find a new way of conveying his thoughts, but Greenaway is still a unique and dynamic filmmaker, although, as it has often been said, he's closer to a painter than a filmmaker. Fascinating but not for everyone.