''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'' is a 2012 historical film by writer-director

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...

Plot

The film is based on the life of

Hendrik Goltzius Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for his ...

, a late 16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints. He seduces the Margrave of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books. Goltzius promises him an extraordinary book of pictures of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Biblical stories. Erotic tales of the temptation of

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

Lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

and his daughters,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Bathsheba Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was the mother of ...

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and

Potiphar Potiphar ( ; Egyptian origin: ''pꜣ-dj-pꜣ-rꜥ'' "he whom Ra gave") is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Potiphar is possibly the same name as Potiphera () from Late Egyptian ''pꜣ-dj-pꜣ-rꜥ'' "he whom Ra has given." Potiphar ...

's wife,

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

and

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...

, and

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

and Salome. To tempt the Margrave further, Goltzius and his printing company will offer to perform dramatizations of these erotic stories for his court. ''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'' is the second feature in Greenaway's film series "Dutch Masters", which includes the previous film ''

Nightwatching ''Nightwatching'' is a 2007 film about the artist Rembrandt and the creation of his 1642 painting ''The Night Watch''. The film is directed by Peter Greenaway and stars Martin Freeman as Rembrandt, with Eva Birthistle as his wife Saskia van Uyle ...

''. The third entry in the series was to focus on

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...

and its release was planned to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Bosch's death in 2016.

Cast

Ramsey Nasr Ramsey Nasr (born 28 January 1974, Rotterdam) is a Dutch author and actor of mixed descent, half Palestinian, half Dutch. He was '' Dichter des Vaderlands'' (Poet of the Fatherland; an unofficial title for the Dutch poet laureate) between Januar ...

as Hendrick Goltzius *

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he wo ...

as The Margrave of Alsace *

Goran Bogdan Goran Bogdan (born 2 October 1980) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 2005. He has appeared in some American and English films and TV series such as the 2012 film ''Goltzius and the Pelican Company'', and the thir ...

as Gottlieb *

Truus de Boer Truus is a feminine Dutch given name, often a shortened hypocorism of Geertruida. Notable people with the name include: *Truus van Aalten (1910–1999), Dutch actress *Truus Bauer (1945–1989), Dutch rower *Truus Baumeister (1907–2000) Dutch swi ...

as Sophie *

Nada Abrus Nada may refer to: Culture * Nāda, a concept in ancient Indian metaphysics Places * Nada, Hainan, China * Nada, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Nada, Nepal, village in Achham District, Seti Zone * Nada, Texas, Unite ...

as Marie * Duško Valentić as Priest *

Milan Pleština Milan Pleština (born 3 May 1961) is a Croatian actor. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1987. Selected filmography References External links * 1961 births Living people Actors from Split, Croatia Croatian male film acto ...

as Priest 3 *

Enes Vejzović Enes () is a Turkish male given name. People named Enes include: * Enes Batur (born 1998), the first Turkish YouTuber to reach 10 million subscribers * Enes Bešić (born 1963), Bosnian footballer * Enes Demirović (born 1972), Bosnian footballer ...

as Churchman 1 *

Vedran Živolić Vedran is a Slavic masculine given name of Croatian origin, which is also used among Serbs, Slovenes, and Bosniaks. Vedran means clear or cheerful. People * Vedran Perič, a Slovenian famous account manager * Vedran Celiščak, a Croatian footba ...

as Joachim *

Katija Zubčić Katija Zubčić (born 15 December 1952) is a Croatian actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as ...

as Beatrice Fereres *

Boris Bakal Boris Bakal (born September 18, 1959 in Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near ...

as Messenger * Vedran Komerički as Churchman * Samir Vujčić as Priest 2 * Tvrtko Jurić as Priest 4 ; The Pelican Company: *

Giulio Berruti Giulio Berruti (born 27 September 1984) is an Italian actor and dentist, known for his roles in ''Monte Carlo'' (2011), '' Walking on Sunshine'' (2014), and '' Gabriel's Inferno'' (2020). Guiñol nerítico murió en 2021 Life and career Berruti ...

as Thomas Boethius * Kate Moran as Adaela * as Eduard Hansa *

Anne Louise Hassing Anne Louise Hassing (born 17 September 1967) is a Danish actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Pain of Love'' (1992) and ''The Idiots'' (1998). Career Anne Louise Hassing was born in Horsens, Denmark, on 17 September 1967. ...

as Susannah * Hendrik Aerts as Strachey *

Halina Reijn Halina Reijn (; born 10 November 1975) is a Dutch actress, writer and film director. Early life and education Halina Reijn was born on 10 November 1975 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Fleur ten Kate and Frank Volkert Reijn (1931-1986). Reijn's pa ...

as Portia *

Lars Eidinger Lars Eidinger (; born 21 January 1976) is a German actor. Eidinger started his career at Deutsches Theater in 1997. Before his breakthrough, he played minor roles in German television shows like ''Schloss Einstein'' (2002) and '' Berlin, Berlin ...

as Quadfrey * Pippo Delbono as Samuel van Gouda ; The Margrave's family and court: *

Maaike Neuville Maaike is a Dutch language, Dutch-language feminine given name, originally a diminutive of the name Maria (given name), Maria. Notable people with the name include: * Maaike Aarts (born 1976), Dutch violinist * Maaike Caelers (born 1990), Dutch tri ...

as Isadora * as Ebola Goyal *

Vincent Riotta Vincenzo Ricotta (born 14 October 1959), professionally known as Vincent Riotta, is a British actor. Career Riotta studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He went on to perform in various stage plays, such as Shakespeare's ''Romeo'', wh ...

as Ricardo del Monte *

Francesco De Vito Francesco De Vito (born 10 August 1975) is an Italian actor. He played Saint Peter in ''The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed and co-written by Mel Gibson and ...

as Rabbi Moab * as Johannes Cleaver

Release

Goltzius and the Pelican Company was released on 17 September 2012.

Awards

* Peter Greenaway was nominated and won the FICE Award for ''Best European Director'' at the FICE- Federazione Italiana Cinema d’Essai in 2014. * Peter Greenaway was nominated for the New Visions Award for ''Best Motion Picture'' at the

Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

in 2013.

References

External links

*
Teaser

Synopsis

Netherlands Film Festival
{{Peter Greenaway Dutch independent films English-language Croatian films English-language Dutch films English-language French films Films based on biographies Films directed by Peter Greenaway 2012 films Biographical films about artists Films set in France Films set in the 16th century French independent films British independent films Croatian independent films Dutch biographical films French biographical films British biographical films Croatian biographical films Erotic drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s French films 2012 independent films