The Rembrandt Collection

The Rembrandt Collection packages four disparate short films about the celebrated 17th-century Dutch artist into a hodgepodge collection. The first is a vintage 20-minute biography, illustrated only by shots of Rembrandt's paintings—especially the succession of self-portraits that he made over the course of his career—and accompanied by rather arch English narration. The second piece is a documentary covering the eight-month process of restoring what's perhaps his best-known canvas, The Night Watch, after it was damaged by a knife-wielding vandal in 1976. The third offers a scholarly examination of the artist's technique, employing scientific tests to investigate the composition of his paints and the thickness of his brushstrokes, while also documenting the reconstruction of his studio. The final film serves up biographical details based on such evidence as bankruptcy records, and follows the process of restoring Rembrandt's entire house (including the studio) as close as possible to its original state. Considered individually, all are reasonably good films—with the first providing a solid thumbnail appreciation and the last three all presenting some fascinating material—but they don't really add up to a coherent whole, making this of interest primarily to art history collections, and optional elsewhere. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)