Rembrandt (1936)
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66% of users liked it
(699 ratings)
Lightning steadfastly refused to strike twice for the director/actor team of Alexander Korda and Charles Laughton. Though the pair had scored an international success with the 1933 quasi-biopic The Private Life of Henry VIII, they couldn't make the magic happen again with 1936's Rembrandt.… More Lightning steadfastly refused to strike twice for the director/actor team of Alexander Korda and Charles Laughton. Though the pair had scored an international success with the 1933 quasi-biopic The Private Life of Henry VIII, they couldn't make the magic happen again with 1936's Rembrandt. Laughton's performance is solid throughout, and Korda's recreation of Rembrandt's Holland is meticulous, but the film suffers from a lack of overall dramatic tension. Except for his artistic achievements and the deaths of his two wives, nothing really "happens" to Rembrandt--at least nothing as colorful as the escapades of Henry VIII. The best element of the film is the successful effort by cinematographer Georges Perinal to recreate the famous "Rembrandt lighting" effect in each scene. Laughton is given fine support by Elsa Lanchester (his real-life wife), and by legendary stage star Gertrude Lawrence in a rare film role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Alexander Korda
- Written By
- Carl Zuckmayer, June Head
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Classics
- In Theaters
- Dec 25, 1936 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A marvelously spirited and subtle performance by Charles Laughton, as the great 17th-century Dutch painter.
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Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
[Alexander Korda's] direction tends to be stiff and stagy but he showcases his magnificent sets and costumes and his detailed period recreations beautifully.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Largely a basic biopic -- a solid, often stylish and very good-looking biopic, but a biopic all the same.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Charles Laughton
as Rembrandt van Rijn
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Gertrude Lawrence
as Geertke Dirx
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Elsa Lanchester
as Hendrickje Stoffels
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John Bryning
as Titus van Rijn
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Edward Chapman
as Fabrizius
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Richard Gofe
as Titus as Child
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Walter Hudd
as Banning Cocq
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Roger Livesey
as Beggar Saul
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Meinhart Maur
as Ornia
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John Clements
as Gavaert Flink
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Henry Hewitt
as Jan Six
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George Merritt
as Church Warden
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John Turnbull
as Minister
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Sam Livesey
as Auctioneer
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Lawrence Hanray
as Hertsbeeke
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Abraham Sofaer
as Dr. Monasseh
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Austin Trevor
as Marquis
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Raymond Huntley
as Ludvig
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Frederick Burtwell
as Saskia's Brother
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Marius Goring
as Baron Leivens
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Allan Jeayes
as Dr. Tulp
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Basil Gill
as Rembrandt's Brother
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Herbert Lomas
as Rembrandt's Father
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Gertrude Musgrove
as Girl at Inn
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Jack Livesey
as Journeyman
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Edmund Willard
as Van Zeeland
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Charles Paton
as burgher at auction
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Hector Abbas
as burgher at auction
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Leonard Sharp
as Burghers at Auction
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George Pughe
as Museum director
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Evelyn Ankers
as Girl
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James Carney
as Peasant
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Barry Livesey
as Peasant
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Quinton McPherson
as Official
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Jerrold Robertshaw
as Museum Director