Schalcken the Painter
Mar. 15th, 2025 06:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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the_scent_of_lilacsSchalcken the Painter is a brilliant 1979 BBC film adaption of Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's gothic tale "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter" (1839) - Inspired by the haunting artwork of real life 17th Century Dutch artist, Godfried Schalcken.
As an artist, I'm always fascinated by films about art and artists, and I love ghost stories and artistic horror. Thus I was delighted this evening to finally be able to see this lost masterpiece in its entirety. It stars Jeremy Clyde as Schalcken (who does bear a remarkable resemblance to the artist), Maurice Denhem as Gerrit Dou (A Dutch artist who was the real Schalcken's mentor), and Cheryl Kennedy as Dou's beautiful niece, Rose.
The film is an evocative tie-in to Dracula / Nosferatu lore, as well as to the entwined motifs of Demon Lover and Death and the Maiden. Other motifs in the film are women being treated as "property" by men, and how greed and the lust for wealth and fame can corrupt an artist's soul, even to the point of betraying those they profess to love.
There is another vampiric connection. Not only was Sheridan le Fanu the author of "Camilla", the 1872 novella about a seductive female vampire, he was also mentor and employer of fellow Irishman, Bram Stoker (who worked for Sheridan le Fanu's newspaper, The Dublin Evening Mail).
While Schalcken the Painter is a short film (only 70 minutes), it's lush and beautifully acted by all, with incredible attention to detail (the 17th Century Dutch costumes and sets are gorgeous), and it's all wonderfully atmospheric, with its realistic dark candle-lit interiors. There's also lavish use of the real Schalcken's artwork throughout.
Rating / Warnings:
Please note that the film is for mature audiences only, as it does depict nudity and sexual situations.
Also, a warning to fellow animal lovers: There's a couple of brief scenes where the young male art students are drawing a still-life of flowers and dead animals (I'm assuming they're not real, and are hopefully just props?). There's also a scene where the students are awkwardly attempting to "play" with a live cat (who in my opinion, doesn't look too happy with the situation). Thankfully, the cat wasn't harmed, but I found the scene rather disturbing, and didn't like the so-called "playfulness" of the students. Perhaps that scene was supposed to be symbolic of the way the men in the story treat the various female characters.
Link to the full film on Youtube: m.youtube.com/watch
As an artist, I'm always fascinated by films about art and artists, and I love ghost stories and artistic horror. Thus I was delighted this evening to finally be able to see this lost masterpiece in its entirety. It stars Jeremy Clyde as Schalcken (who does bear a remarkable resemblance to the artist), Maurice Denhem as Gerrit Dou (A Dutch artist who was the real Schalcken's mentor), and Cheryl Kennedy as Dou's beautiful niece, Rose.
The film is an evocative tie-in to Dracula / Nosferatu lore, as well as to the entwined motifs of Demon Lover and Death and the Maiden. Other motifs in the film are women being treated as "property" by men, and how greed and the lust for wealth and fame can corrupt an artist's soul, even to the point of betraying those they profess to love.
There is another vampiric connection. Not only was Sheridan le Fanu the author of "Camilla", the 1872 novella about a seductive female vampire, he was also mentor and employer of fellow Irishman, Bram Stoker (who worked for Sheridan le Fanu's newspaper, The Dublin Evening Mail).
While Schalcken the Painter is a short film (only 70 minutes), it's lush and beautifully acted by all, with incredible attention to detail (the 17th Century Dutch costumes and sets are gorgeous), and it's all wonderfully atmospheric, with its realistic dark candle-lit interiors. There's also lavish use of the real Schalcken's artwork throughout.
Rating / Warnings:
Please note that the film is for mature audiences only, as it does depict nudity and sexual situations.
Also, a warning to fellow animal lovers: There's a couple of brief scenes where the young male art students are drawing a still-life of flowers and dead animals (I'm assuming they're not real, and are hopefully just props?). There's also a scene where the students are awkwardly attempting to "play" with a live cat (who in my opinion, doesn't look too happy with the situation). Thankfully, the cat wasn't harmed, but I found the scene rather disturbing, and didn't like the so-called "playfulness" of the students. Perhaps that scene was supposed to be symbolic of the way the men in the story treat the various female characters.
Link to the full film on Youtube: m.youtube.com/watch
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 05:21 pm (UTC)I'm going to watch this the next time I have an hour or so to myself!
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 05:23 pm (UTC)https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Strange_Event_in_the_Life_of_Schalken_the_Painter
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 01:34 am (UTC)That said, the story does contain some bigoted stereotypes, that thankfully, are absent from the film adaption.
Refreshingly, the film stayed pretty true to its source material, but as a modern adaption, was able to be more explicit and spell out what is only implied in the short story. Which is to be expected, considering the era in which the original was written.
I also detected similarities to certain plot points of Dracula, which I found quite intriguing, especially as Sheridan le Fanu was Bram Stoker's mentor.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 09:43 pm (UTC)And I did a ficlet here: https://sweetandshort.dreamwidth.org/218391.html
I haven't seen the film, but the commentary on story mentions that in the film Schalken fights more for Rose than he does in the story, so I played on the idea that maybe Schalken himself made a contract with an emissary of darkness for the skill to paint candlelight in exchange for his indifference to Rose (and maybe his soul!).
I shall add the film to my viewing queue. Thank you for posting.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 11:46 pm (UTC)And you're welcome, glad you enjoyed my film review, and have now read the original story. I think you'll also enjoy the film adaption.
Thanks too for the link to your ficlet. I just read it and enjoyed very much. A perfect explanation for why Schalken "forgot" Rose so quickly, as he was tempted by a demonic offer he felt he couldn't refuse.
P.S.Thanks also to the podcast link! Will also check that out, as I love ghost stories, especially those written in earlier eras.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-19 02:07 pm (UTC)And I'm definitely getting Vermeer vibes from the movie still: obviously it's the floor tiles, the reading lady at the back in front of a window, and the painter upfront. Marvellous! I like these nods towards something else.
A friend of mine just recently posted a 500 words ficlet based on the gothic tale, what a coincidence! In case you're interested you can read it here.
ETA: I should really refresh days-old entry tabs, man. Then I would have seen