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THE MILL AND THE CROSSMovie Reviews
English and Spanish language drama brings to life Pieter Bruegel's masterpiece 'The Way to Calvary,' the story of the crucifixion, setting it in 16th century Flanders under brutal Spanish occupation. Cast:Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling, Michael York, Joanna Litwin, Dorota Lis, Bartosz Capowicz, Marian Makula, Sylwia Szczerba, Wojciech Miergulow, Ruta KubasDirector:Lech MajewskiRelease Date:September 14, 2011DVD Release:January 31, 2012From:Kino LorberLength:1 hr 32 min
JANUARY 31, 2012
The Mill and the Cross, Excellent Reviews Key Cities
The Mill and the Cross played in key cities to excellent reviews. • Mark Jenkins wrote for NPR, "...ravishing.... visually complicated; it mixes live action with Bruegel's painting, and includes shots modeled on other of his canvases. The effect is rich and complex, as befits the artist's ambitions." • And Susan G. Cole wrote in Toronto Now, "...you'll either call this a pretentious piece of ponderous pageantry or go crazy for it." More Reviews Below...
The Mill and the Cross Positive Reviews (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a film of great beauty and attention, watching it is a form of meditation.... Here mostly what I thought was, why must man sometimes be so cruel?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 711 words, 10/21/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Daniel Gold, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...casts a transfixing spell... a lush and hypnotic examination of a painter's work and the times in which he lived... an extended contemplation of the creative process itself."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 09/14/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Lech Majewski creates something of a vibrant phantasm... Singular and distinctive... like an art history seminar in vivid motion."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 09/30/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Viewers are taken inside peasant huts and down cobblestone streets... No description can do justice... must be seen to be fully appreciated."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 09/14/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a film of great beauty and attention, watching it is a form of meditation.... Here mostly what I thought was, why must man sometimes be so cruel?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 711 words, 10/21/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "An extraordinary example of both art-historical interpretation and CGI as passport to unknown lands... a moving-image tribute to the still image..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 09/14/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...while the visuals surpass films about art and artists like 2003's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring,' the missing story gives this picture an unfinished quality."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 11/11/11
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Twenty minutes in, your companion may throw up his or her arms and complain, 'This is like watching a painting dry.' "(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 11/11/11
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a portrait of suffering and subjugation that urges viewers to stop what they're doing and take notice of the world around them."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 10/14/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The movie rewards the patient viewer by putting her into the artist's shoes.... [but] Lech Majewski's deliberate pace sucks the air out of it."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 09/23/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...captures the wish that some of us have had while standing in front of a great painting.... we're desperate to enter the other side of the canvas, to be inside..."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 10/21/11
Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "Beautiful scenes depict a deceptively tranquil period that evolves into religious and personal persecution... could have used a little more backstory."(See all of Leba Hertz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 131 words, 09/30/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...frequently magical and breathtaking.... some folks will find the film rapturous, but it's equally clear that there are others whom it will drive crazy."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 11/04/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an art-history lesson and a spiritual exercise disguised as a movie. Into such an eerie and unfashionable cathedral, many are called but few are chosen."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 10/14/11
Cary Darling, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...may not be to everyone's taste. Still, there's no denying that director Lech Majewski has created an imaginative and original work."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 01/13/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "An extraordinary example of both art-historical interpretation and CGI as passport to unknown lands... a moving-image tribute to the still image..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 09/14/11
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...makes it more intellectually interesting but definitely more conceptually confusing with a host of deconstructive, postmodernist thrusts."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 10/20/11
Alison Willmore, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has a look that isn't fully like its closest cinematic relatives, 'The Lady & The Duke' and 'Girl With A Pearl Earring.' It's exquisitely all its own."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 09/15/11
Lauren Wissot, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a mesmerizingly layered rendering of the creation of Pieter Bruegel's iconic 'The Way to Calvary'.... as timeless and innovative as the wooden windmill."(See all of Lauren Wissot's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 09/11/11
Daniel Gold, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...casts a transfixing spell... a lush and hypnotic examination of a painter's work and the times in which he lived... an extended contemplation of the creative process itself."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 09/14/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Lech Majewski creates something of a vibrant phantasm... Singular and distinctive... like an art history seminar in vivid motion."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 09/30/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...combines old and new technologies allowing the viewer to live inside the painting -- Flemish master Pieter Bruegel's 1564 'The Procession to Calvary'..."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 01/27/11
Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "If ever a film cried out for the 3D treatment, it's this, an ambitious but frustratingly flat attempt to explore, analyze and dramatize a masterpiece of 16th-century art."(See all of Neil Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 686 words, 02/09/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Lech Majewski creates something of a vibrant phantasm... Singular and distinctive... like an art history seminar in vivid motion."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 09/30/11
Daniel Gold, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...casts a transfixing spell... a lush and hypnotic examination of a painter's work and the times in which he lived... an extended contemplation of the creative process itself."(See all of Daniel Gold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 09/14/11
17.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Mill and the Cross's reviews are separated by an average 17.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Mill and the Cross (25 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Mill and the Cross's reviews cover 24.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,533 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 381 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Mill and the Cross Coverage, Volume & Length (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 13 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Mill and the Cross's reviews on average broke 13 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Mill and the Cross's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Mill and the Cross (25 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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