Peter Greenaway - Nederlands Film Festival

further examples in that tradition - so that - for example - we can feel easy about makingqualitative comparisons between Rembrandt's Nightwatch and Eisenstein's Ivan theTerrible.U7O.A rich and fat Dutch merchant dealing in spices, aphrodisiacs, bulbs, saffron and silk isfascinated by the small animals that return accidentally with his cargo marmosets,parrots, toads, butterflies. He keeps them on board, looking after them with greatdiligence and affection, apprehensive that the port authorities will ask that they bedestroyed.The merchant has a demanding wife who waits impatiently for the cargoes to come inand takes the best silks and furs as soon as the ship docks; it is largely through hermoney and her dowry that the merchant has prospered - he is fearful that she will scornhis small menagerie.The merchant secretly pays and encourages his subordinates to bring him back moreanimals - wich he temporarily puts in a quayside lock-up untill he can spirit them awayto his hidden zoo outside Haarlem. He is cheated and extortionately fleeced by the cargomasters- but he is so engrossed - he either doesn't notice - or he doesn't care.From collecting harmless exotics he takes to collecting larger monkeys and thenprimates. On one return of cargo - there is a special specimen awaiting him - he warilyapproaches its cage in the hold of an old and leaky ship - its a pygmy. He is fascinated -he begins to spend large sums of money on perilous adventures to collect furtherspecimens - exotic natives - giraffe-necked women - obese Bantu. He soon has aconsiderable collection in cages - a reprehensible activity - but in his own lights - hetreats them with great care and gentleness. In his credulity he is presented with fake"wildmen" - vagrants blackened with pitch and tanning-oil. Despite all his precautions -his laviscious, greedy wife discovers his collection - and takes an unhealthy interest.The merchant becomes hopelessly entangled - paying blackmails to various people forfear of discovery. Some of his animals are threatened and several are stolen anddrowned. His wife gets mauled and is affected with a compromising disease that keepsher in noisy misery.One day in despair - his funds almost depleted - with the last possibility of stayingsolvent in his grasp - a silent ship comes in - with a small crew - the cargo is for him - heparts with his last mortgage-possibility - there is nothing in the ship .... he searches -convinced he has been cheated.At the back of the hold - he finds a unicorn shining in the dark. He watches it - a rareanimal - so rare one has never been caught before.In the morning, the merchant is gone - a huge hole has been broken through the sidetimbers of the ship. In the dawn sunlight - the fat merchant is seen riding away acrossthe water on the unicorn.P.There are still those who say cinema is just an entertainment medium devised to whileaway leisure time. There are other who say cinema is an art - but then says it's