The Mill and the Cross

[Thagarr]

I just ran across this film while looking up some stuff on the web and thought I would share it, it's called The Mill and the Cross. It's an independent film based on the painting The Way To Calvary by Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel.



The painting is a depiction of the Crucifixion transplanted to the artist's own place and time, Spanish-controlled Flanders. I do not know much about art, or this artist, although I believe that one of his other paintings was used for an old Black Sabbath album cover in the 70's. I have not seen the film myself, but it is set around the time of the painting, 1564 just before the start of the Eighty Years War.

The film stars Rutger Hauer, Micheal York, and Charlotte Rampling. It looks really well done judging by the trailer. The setting and costumes both look very authentic, much better than most of the stylized crap that comes out of Hollywood nowadays, and I am sure that the performances of Hauer and York are up to their usually high standards. I was just curious if anyone had seen this film yet?

You can watch the full Sundance 2011 trailer on Youtube HERE, and you can learn more about the film HERE!

[USSGreatePier]

The film stars Rutger Hauer

Well, you can't go wrong with Rutger Hauer :) One of my favorite actors... And he actually lives on Frisian soil, near where I used to live :)

History & Hauer make up for the fact it's a drama so, I am interested to see it... But it seems hard to find this film anywhere...

[Thagarr]

Yeah, I looked for it as well, it seems to only currently be available at various independent film festivals. Hopefully it will be released on DVD soon. There are a couple of places online that occasionally stream indy films, but I haven't seen it on any of those either.

**EDIT**
Had a bit of a problem with the image in my first post, it should be fixed now. You can see the full resolution version over on Wikipedia.

[Markos]

Thank you for telling me about this film. I don't think it has ever been done before, a film made in the style of a Bruegel the Elder-picture. Judging from the trailer, it looks very artistic and probably also very historically correct and realistic, because the actors are dressed the same way as the people on Bruegel's paintings were.

The Eighty Years war began many years after the Frisian wars of Donia and Jelckama. Pier was dead and buried and so were all the other big names from that period of time. But I don't doubt some very old members of the Arumber Black Heap were still alive, telling stories of Pier's exploits. I have read that Watergeuzen (aka: "Sea Beggers" :P) had been inspired by Pier's succesful naval campaigns when they began taking on the much larger Spanish vessels, playing a vital part in the war. If it weren't for pirates, the Netherlands wouldn't be an independent country nowadays. In the end it all boils down to this: thank God for pirates! :)

PS: I'll definetely try to see that movie. Sure hope it will win some major festival so that it will reach a broader audience (and hopefully a cinema nearby).

[Thagarr]

In the end it all boils down to this: thank God for pirates! :)

Amen brother!

There is no doubt in my mind that your assessment is correct mate, I am sure the story's of the exploits of Grutte Pier were very much an inspiration for those who would follow and carry on his fight for freedom. The US also owes much of it's freedom to pirates and privateers, Benjamin Franklin sanctioned pirates that harassed English shipping during the American Revolution, and Jean Lafitte saved New Orleans from being captured by the British in the war of 1812. There are many other examples, in fact a lot of our democratic process can be traced to pirates. There is of course a much darker side to piracy; and some of the most ruthless and bloodthirsty bastards in history have plied the trade, but history would certainly tell a much different and less exciting story without them!

[Remco]

Nice trailer, the Breaking Wheel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel) is something we're putting in CotD as well. Can't really leave that out when you're making a game that is set in the 1500's.

[Thagarr]

Personally ...I think I would much rather be keelhauled!!

[Remco]

Well, at least that is something you would be able to survive, right? I once visited the Batavia when I was a kid and I think the tourguide told us that being keelhauled was something the crew would become quite comprehensive with. If you had enough friends on board who would pull you up on the other end of the ship, and if you were able to dive deep enough, you were able to diver underneath the ship and come up alive on the other end.

Don't know if this is true or not though ...

[Thagarr]

It is possible to survive being keelhauled, yes, but a lot of the time it was quite fatal. There were actually a couple of different ways to be keelhauled, one was from port to starboard, the other was from stem to stern and that one was almost always fatal. Your hands were tied to one end of the line, another line was tied to your ankles so you couldn't swim, and the rope was pulled from one side under the ship, and up the other. If you were pulled along the keel fast, you were ripped to shreds by the razor sharp barnacles that attach themselves to the hulls of seagoing vessels. There are confirmed reports of victims of keelhauling loosing limbs, being decapitated, and being eaten alive by sharks.

If you were pulled along too slowly, you would most likely drowned, or it would give the sharks a much better chance of grabbing you. Depending on the crime, the victim would also be whipped a dozen times or so with a Cat o' nine tails, just to make sure they were bleeding good enough to attract sharks. Remember, the ocean is full of salt water and it would be soaking every cut you received, that pain alone was quite excruciating. If by some stroke of luck you actually survived, they would sometimes keelhaul you again, or you would later die from infections in the cuts you received from the barnacles.

[USSGreatePier]

Quite right, Thagarr...

Also, the possibility of your skull meeting with the actual, nicely protruding keel itself if you're pulled from port to starboard isn't a pleasurable experience to look forward to... You'd hope your shipmates would literally cut you some slack rather than scrub the outside hull and keel with your face...

Isn't the human race nicely barbaric? :)

[Thagarr]

Indeed mate, we are pretty good at finding inventive ways to off someone!

Pirates were actually a lot less barbaric when it came to punishment, they very rarely keelhauled anyone, about the most severe shipboard punishment was a few lashes from the Cat. This was mostly because a lot of pirates had served previously aboard military vessels under captains who wouldn't think twice about harshly disciplining sailors for even minor infractions. Pirate crews had all the authority and decided the punishments, a pirate captain only had any real authority during battle.

Marooning was really their most sever form of punishment, and it really doesn't sound all that bad, until you understand exactly what all it entailed. They would sail to a deserted island, usually not much more than a sand bar, one without food or fresh water. They would set the offending party ashore with a little food, a little water, and a pistol loaded with one shot and then simply sail away. Very few survived being marooned.

[USSGreatePier]

They would set the offending party ashore with a little food, a little water, and a pistol loaded with one shot and then simply sail away. Very few survived being marooned.

Sounds preferable over keelhauling, personally :) hehe

[Thagarr]

Indeed it does! See? Pirates weren't such bad guys after all! ;)

[USSGreatePier]

That's also why I think the question of "Pier - Hero or pirate?" is a bit odd... Can't you be both? lol :)

[Thagarr]

Absolutely! That was one thing that motivated me to join these forums, I have just been waiting for the proper topic to try and sway some opinions. Most pirates from the Golden Age were ordinary sailors trapped by circumstances. A lot had served in the navy's of various nations during wars, and when those wars ended, so did their work. It took a lot of men to crew those military frigates and a lot more to crew the big hulking ships of the line. Some were simply ordinary peasants and farmers forced into service by military press gangs, they simply did what they had to do to survive.

A lot of the big name pirates that most people know about were actually privateers in service to their kings and country's, and that's the main reason they are well known. I don't want to get into a history lesson here, so I'll simply say that whether someone was a pirate or not, usually depended on who wrote the history books.

[USSGreatePier]

whether someone was a pirate or not, usually depended on who wrote the history books.

Well, we all know that history is written by the victors... The stories that are shoved down our throats in school are probably more than often untrue or at least exaggerated in places... Ah, schools... The (bad) memories... They even managed to lie to us by saying Columbus discovered America... Oh well, let's not get into all that :)

[Thagarr]

They even managed to lie to us by saying Columbus discovered America... Oh well, let's not get into all that :)

Ok, I will refrain from posting pics of the Viking runes in Oklahoma....

I agree with you 100% mate, if they would actually teach history in schools, kids might actually learn something!

[USSGreatePier]

Ok, I will refrain from posting pics of the Viking runes in Oklahoma....

And the Vikings don't deserve the attention; they were not always on friendly terms with the Frisians all the time ;)

[Thagarr]

Vikings weren't on friendly terms with many, it shows just how much respect the Vikings did have for the Frisian people that they did establish some trading community's in the area in the later Viking Age. There was really only one way to earn that kind of respect!

[USSGreatePier]

To return to the main topic of this thread, I've managed to obtain the movie 'The mill and the cross'... Haven't watched it yet, but it's available at least 'through regular channels' ;)

If anyone has trouble finding it, send me a PM and I'll help ya out...

[Thagarr]

Thanks for the update USSGreatePier, it's available for Pre-order on Amazon now in the US, both on DVD and Blue-Ray. This movie should look fantastic on Blue-Ray!

I've been looking for an excuse to buy me one of those fancy new HD Tv's! ;)

[USSGreatePier]

I've browsed through the movie and the style seems very much like the painting indeed...

An HD TV you say? I have a pc double as a TV, haha :) Haven't had a need for a TV in many years...

[Timen]

To bump this topic. There will be a screening of this movie in Leeuwarden during the Notfall film festival, which takes place 9, 10 and 11 november in the former PTT Post expedition center (also used as the temporary provinsjehûs of the Provinsje Fryslân)

It depends on the schedule of the other films, but you guys might see me there. As I already have a passepartout for the festival.

http://www.notfall.nl

[Bram]

All the nice things in Ljouwert are in the weekends. In the weekends I'm not here. I see a connection there...