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A playful and inventive painter of things both strange and beautiful, Arcimboldo sought to amuse as much as impress the emperors of the 16th century Roman Empire.

Born to an artist in Milan in 1526 (28 years after Leonardo's Last Supper went up on the wall), there's no doubt da Vinci's sketches informed Arcimboldo's work. With such famed provenance, the choice of Isabella Rosellini as narrator seems perfect, conjuring up images of the actress we know has engendered strange topics with fun (such as her "Green Porno" series). However, in no small part due to the lack of excitement in her voice, this film tries hard to, and unfortunately succeeds in delivering the type of dry, sterile documentary that ensures people run away from history as a recreational activity.

Why the National Gallery thinks a film about Arcimboldo needs to be a mere history lesson is beyond this reviewer's understanding, especially taking into account Arcimboldo's own playful spirit. This artist's work, more than anyone who came before him, was so full of joy and life that it practically leaps off the canvas. 

The National Gallery of Art, Washington instead chooses to pipe medieval music through the DVD as they display maps of the regions along with their geographical histories, which does go some way to explaining the times in which Arcimboldo expressed his craft, but does little to excite new audiences about the artist's ingenious and bizarre work. Arcimboldo's allegories of the four seasons were so inventive as to be considered by many as (alongside Hieronymous Bosch's works) the beginning of all experimental non-native artworks. Indeed, it can be wondered when other witty wanderers would have come to fruition without Arcimboldo's novel approach to portraiture in the 1560's.

To Microcinema International's credit, the DVD bonus feature "Exploring Arcimboldo's Earth" might be of educational value. The director (Carroll Moore) also nicely weaves Arcimboldo into the discussion of specific works by Man Ray and Picasso, introducing their works as necessarily derivative of the Italian innovator, and also mentions cursorily that Andre Breton cemented Arcimboldo's status as a father of surrealism. 

However, for those who know the artist, and also for those wishing to be introduced to him in a way that energizes the experience, the DVD largely misses the opportunity to engender excitement in the artist by not fully embracing the vivacious essence contained in Arcimboldo's works.