An incredibly eerie presentation of this classic story. Characters frequently disappear into shadow, and the lighting is made to mimic the shallow pools of candles. Recommended!' There's a problem loading this menu at the moment. There's also an undercurrent of cold eroticism pervading the film - it's a loveless terrain that the characters inhabit that adds to the chill factor. Graham is using Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends. 2/3 bare breasts and one still life nude, and very tame brothel scenes, so tame it took me a while to realize it was a brothel!. Watched Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Format: Blu-ray Verified Purchase. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. Sheridan le Fanu deserves to be better known as a writer of uncanny tales, and the BBC serves him very well in this production. Or it might not. Leslie Megahy's film for BBC TV is nothing short of brilliant, but won't sadly, appeal to a wide audience (I'd love to be wrong!). I searched for this for years and by accident found it. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Schalcken the Painter dates from a period of great creativity at the BBC when producers could get projects green-lighted without too much interference from the accountants and marketing men that dominate the industry today. On the soundtrack, Charles Grey reads le Fanu's story, while Jeremy Clyde plays Schalcken. Schalcken the Painter is a real film, made on lustrous 35mm and inspired by Walerian Borowczyk's Blanche. Last night it was the BFI Combo DVD/BLURAY of "SCHALCKEN THE PAINTER". Each scene resembles a 17th century Dutch painting and one feels transported back to that time. There's little in the way of what could be called 'action'; scenes are very carefully staged, rather like what Stanley Kubrick did in 'Barry Lyndon', to resemble Flemish portraiture, which makes the film very beautiful to look at, but the tone, and insidious quality is cumulatively chilling. schalken the painter review It remains one of the Beeb's best productions. Often miscategorised as one of the BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas, Leslie Megahey's Schalken the Painter was broadcast at Christmas, yes, but as an edition of Omnibus. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. As Vanderhausen, the elderly suitor, John Justin is slathered in a strange, silvery-grey make-up that recalls the Noh-inspired old age effects of Kurosawa's Ran. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. Now, 37 years on I see it differently, beautiful work of art. Darkly and mysteriously lit, amazing photography. Approved third parties also use these tools in connection with our display of ads. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2018, I feel quite proud of my viewing over the past few days ("Final Portrait/The Miniaturist and "Phantom Thread" in the cinema today- Excellent by the way). It may seem a little dry at first, but stick with it: this is part of the point. A masterpiece of construction. well-made horror movie infused with a great deal of art history, OMNIBUS: SCHALCKEN THE PAINTER (TV) (Leslie Megahey, 1979) ***, A handsomely made play that is more cerebral than many of the BBC's seasonal ghost stories, Nostalgia is a wonderful, untrustworthy thing. The story is even more disturbing now I see it from the vantage point of age.