Shares the same problems as Nightwatching. Some parts are very interesting, others throw far too much information at you at once, making it exceedingly hard to follow. There are also several inferences and leaps of logic that seem like "stretching it" to say the least, but I suppose that's part of critical analysis. While it's extremely impressive that Greenaway has put so much thought, time and effort into interpreting a single work of art, he doesn't succeed in making his obsession contagious.

"This immersive tour of the mortal manipulations fueling Europe's 17th-century cultural capital supplies wit and intellect while it starves the emotions." - Bill Weber

Greenaway is a great narrator and carries the documentary with his voice and phrasing alone. Add to this his still in tact talent for extraordinary filmmaking, including fragments from "Nightwatching" that work much better here than in their original context, and a wonderful musical score; and you have a near perfect documentary. As far as the subject matter itself is concerned: se non è vero, è ben trovato.