Reviews (49)

An absolutely brilliant adaptation of The Tempest
If you haven't read William Shakespeare's The Tempest, this film will likely confuse you. That being said, it's probably one of the most elegant and rich films I've seen. The Tempest is my favorite Shakespearean plays, so to see it done in such a clever and non-traditional way was refreshing.

The film is ripe with colors and sounds and movements that make you feel as though you are surrounded by the spirits which are so abundantly portrayed in the film. At first I was a bit confused by the purpose of a multitude of naked people with seemingly little purpose, but once I fell into the rhythm of the film it made perfect sense. The film was able to capture, as a staged version of this play couldn't, what it was like for Prospero to be constantly surrounded by spirits and faeries (i.e. the naked people).

If you are a lover of Shakespeare, or merely well done film, I highly recommend this film. Sir John Gielgud gives an outstanding performance and proves why he was, and remains, one of Britain's top Shakespearean actors.

A unique interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest
When I first saw this film, I was projecting it for a college crowd of maybe 300+ on a Friday night. By the end of the film, I would say that maybe 50 people were still remaining. Evidently, as with most of Peter Greenaway's films, this is not an easy film to watch. It just barely makes any sense, and unless the viewer has read the text of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" prior to seeing this film, he will become thoroughly lost and confused very quickly.

That being said, this is still quite a fascinating film to look at. The cinematography and montage of colorful images that comprise this film give it a magical, other-worldly appearance. There is really only one character in the movie - Prospero, as played by Sir John Gielgud. He is the narrator, the active player around which the movie revolves; everyone else plays essentially non-speaking support roles. The movie appears as though we are watching Prospero's dream of "The Tempest" as he follows us through his dream and narrates the plot. The narration, however, is difficult to follow unless the viewer knows the play (as previously stated).

Admirers of Greenaway's films will probably enjoy this film for its visual content and iconoclastic, stylish approach. I liked this film, though I feel I must have burnt out half my brain cells concentrating enough on the film to keep up with the plot. Those seeking a more conventional telling of the Bard's plays might do well to watch an Olivier or Branagh production instead.

John Gielgud. Mark Rylance--
For Mature Adults Only!
This film is made in the same cinematic style as "The Pillow Book" (1996), but the story in this film is easier to follow. This film is the adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Sir John Gielgud (Arthur [1981], Arthur 2: On The Rocks [1988]) is the lead and narrates the entire film on film. The film begins with Gielgud as "Prospero" writing his stories which as he writes and tells comes to life. Each scene looks like a Renaissance painting in motion. Nearly all of the male and female models, dancers and actors are nude.
A film like this most certainly would be considered pornographic or exploiatation. If made in the USA, it would be to the least receive an "NC-17" rating or "unrated".
This is a foreign-made film British and Danish. Nudity in films is quite "common" in foreign films. In this film, "Prospero's Books", every scene is filmed as "art" and simular to a stage production. Wonderful cinematography and set design. There is no nude pornographic sexual acts in this film. What might be considered objectionable is the beginning of this film with the use of a nude boy resembling (in my opinion) the statue of the nude boy urinating. (In the United States of America, we have seen that as a statue and as a novelty item). Of course, the boy is not actually urinating, but it is a tube from under.
The adult nudity is constant through out the film. You will get use to it and be able to enjoy the storytelling.
Some well known faces include Erland Josephson (Fanny and Alexander [1983]) and Mark Rylance (Angels & Insects [1995], Intimacy [2003]). Mark Rylance plays "Ferdinand". Erland Josephson plays "Gonzalo". I wonder if Mark Rylance would be a contender for the "James Bond 007" role by 2008?

Where are thou, DVD?
Roger Ebert, in one of his most sensible comments, said this film stands outside of criticism, and that's certainly true. It's just a delight, everytime I see it and hear the words "Bosun! Bosun!" I crack a big grin and settle in for one of the most unusual films ever made.

So, after all these years, and with thousands and thousands of DVD's issued for obscure and worthless crappy movies, where in the heck is the DVD for this, a landmark film that would obviously benefit from the treatment? There must be something going on behind the scenes that is preventing it.

My Favorite Movie
I first saw this movie several years ago when I was a sophmore in high school. I didn't like it at first; I found the scene where Prospero summons the tempest tedious. And later, when all the nudity began I was mortified (I was watching it with my family and it was just about the first R rated movie I'd ever seen). But then you forget about the nudity because everyone's nude, even those who wear clothes only do so for ornamentation. It all seems natural.
As the movie continued I slowly fell in love with it. The intoxicating music, the imagery. "How lush and lusty the grass looks." and it does. I felt transported to the isle and I felt real regret when Prospero threw away his books at the end.
I can't convey how entranced this movie made me and yet with such a simple joyful plot (which isn't at all hard to get I don't understand what the other reviewers are talking about). I've watched it more times than any other movie except maybe the Wizard of Oz and Return to Oz as a kid. And when I'm not watching it I'm listening to the soundtrack. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Peter Greenaway (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Drowning by Numbers) continues to delight and disturb us with his talent for combining storytelling with optic artistry. The Pillow Book is divided into 10 chapters (consistent with Greenaway's love of numbers and lists) and is shot to be viewed like a book, complete with tantalizing illustrations and footnotes (subtitles) and using television's "screen-in-screen" technology. As a child in Japan, Nagiko's father celebrates her birthday retelling the Japanese creation myth and writing on her flesh in beautiful calligraphy, while her aunt reads a list of "beautiful things" from a 10th-century pillow book. As she gets older, Nagiko (Vivian Wu) looks for a lover with calligraphy skills to continue the annual ritual. She is initially thrilled when she encounters Jerome (Ewan McGregor), a bisexual translator who can speak and write several languages, but soon realizes that although he is a magnificent lover, his penmanship is less than acceptable. When Nagiko dismisses the enamored Jerome, he suggests she use his flesh as the pages which to present her own pillow book. The film, complete with a musical score as international as the languages used in the narration, is visually hypnotic and truly an immense "work of art." --Michele Goodson ... Read more

Reviews (106)

The Word Made Flesh
The Pillow Book is a rare film that transcends limitations of film and text in a unique handling by auteur Peter Greenaway. Based loosely on the tenth century writings of Sei Shonagon, Greenaway brings to the screen a rich visual amalgam that relies on stunning settings, the physical beauty of actors Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor, and the joy of ancient and modern systems of writing that is calligraphy. Greenaway's penchant for incorporating art, numbers, books, and architecture in a filmic medium ensure those who enjoy his style will not be disappointed. As a young child, Wu's character has celebrated her birthday's by having her father write the story of creation on her face in a family ritual celebration. However, with adulthood and marriage, her spouse is neither interested nor willing to continue her tradition. Frustrated at her inability to find a lover who is a good calligrapher, or a calligrapher who is a good lover, Wu finally meets a bi-sexual translator, Jerome (McGregor) who offers himself to Wu as a living surface for her erotic creativity. Inspired by the opportunity to obtain revenge on the publisher who blackmailed her father and is Jerome's lover, Wu's character, Nagiko creates the ultimate love poem illuminated in red, gold and black characters and delivered to the publisher on the naked body of Jerome. The Pillow Book is adult eroticism at it's most sensuous and visual best. It is a story that revels in binaries of profane and grotesque, yet delights the eye with Greenaway's ability to translate a vision of love and horror into a singular statement of lush physical beauty and sexuality.

A Finely Created Work of Art
I happen to be a great admirer of the controversial Mr Greenaway. I think his direction in film is bold and produces powerful results. The Pillow Book is a great example of this talent. It is an amazing combination of his narrative technique, experimental explorations and talent for finding compelling stories. The images are beautiful, especially the shot of Vivian Wu standing in the rain covered with writing on her flesh which slowly melts away. Her character is not that complex, but the action of the story is sufficient to carry her along throughout the tale as she fights for independence and a suitable form of artistic expression. Essentially the story is about the fetishisation of books and sex. These things are enough to make a great movie in my mind. Nagiko is a girl who goes through a ritual where her father writes on her back on her birthday as he tells her of a myth. After burning her way out of a suffocating marriage, she grows up to become a radical artist writing on bodies and searching for a man who can replace her father in the birthday tradition. She meets a talented man named Jerome who she falls in love with, but is eventually sacrificed to her father's old enemy. In the course of the narrative she writes her own Pillow Book on a series of men. It culminates in a gruesome act of jealousy and revenge (a notion not foreign to Greenaway's narratives).

The scene of Jerome's suicide is particularly powerful and works well with the screen-in-screen shots because it shows in one shot the sequence between thought and action, self-perception and actual action. This is a new style for Greenaway that works tremendously well in this movie because it fits so well with the egotism and self-obsession of the characters involved. The movie as a whole is a powerful evocation of a great Japanese classic. I highly recommend this movie who is in the mood to watch something eccentric, visually moving and stunningly beautiful.

A porn movie but 'Artistic'
Highly over-rated. It's like when an artist pisses and ejaculates over a picture and calls it 'nature', then people go 'ooooh aaaaaah!such genius!'. That pretty much summarises it.

Beauty and obsession
Two of the most beautiful things in the world are the written word and the human figure. Even the ones that are not special in themselves embody meaning and subtlety. When Greenaway uses the figure to carry words, he creates imagery that can not be forgotten.

There is so much in this movie that I hardly know where to begin. It starts with a child. Her father's birthday ritual is to tell her a story, always the same one, and to paint calligraphy on her face. Maybe it's a little silly, but it's sweet and loving.

Over time, the girl loses her innocence but gains the strength of adulthood. Her memory of that charming ritual develops, too. First, it loses its childhood innocence; it becomes a passion for her, and the standard by which she measures her lovers. In the end, the ritual gains even more strength and becomes the vehicle for a deadly obsession.

I must warn the potential viewer that the movie's second half goes places far beyond where sanity stops. It is not for people with tender sensibilities.

I'll come back to this movie for it sensual beauty. I won't come back too often, though. The raw rage at the end is just too hard.

Ridiculously overrated
A director tosses in some "artful" shots and full nudity for most of the movie and suddenly it's a "beautiful film"???
I kept expecting to see Marilyn Chambers pop up in scenes. I'm not against T&A flicks, but this is trying to be something it isn't, which is sad and pathetic. It's a cheap trashy film that gets a good reputation b/c of who directed it. ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Even Worse Than Gummo
I cannot fathom how this horrendous onslaught of depravity masquerading as a film has received such good reviews. There is no plot so I'll sum up what "went on": a classy lady is inexplicably married to a grotesque, low-class criminal, and she goes with him and his gang of thugs nightly to this restaurant that, if I have deciphered the terse grunts serving as exposition correctly, he owns, where he wreaks havoc on the staff and other patrons. The wife endures this for awhile and then decides to have an affair with some guy who also goes there every single night.

Throughout the entire film there are gratuitous disgusting images which never ever let up. The characters are like a child's set of Fisher Price dolls: "Nice Guy," "Nice Lady," "Innocent Little Boy," and we are expected to care what happens to them. The villain comes out looking the best because he is the only one who's not a doormat, and the lead actress (Helen Mirren) is completely unsympathetic. They could have stuck a cardboard cut-out in any of her scenes and achieved the same effect. Not only does the whole movie look like gangrene, but the actors are also purposely made unattractive, so the viewer doesn't even have that to chalk up as a redeeming quality.

I know it's supposed to be challenging and contraversial and blabla...it fails. The two stars are for Gaultier's costumes. Go buy Un Chien Andalou.

Oh my goodness!
I went into Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" with blinders on. I had absolutely no idea what to expect as the movie started, none whatsoever. I slightly suspected the director made "art" films due to a faint recollection of a discussion I saw on a bulletin board years ago, but that was all I could remember. Heck, I thought Uma Thurman was in this film for some reason! Obviously, this was my first experience with Greenaway, a director I have since learned is noted for creating disturbing films designed to upset audiences. I'll bet this masterpiece had arty types fleeing for the doors! Boy, I wish I'd seen this in an art house when it came out. I'm used to seeing films dealing with subject matter far worse than this one, but viewers who spend their time watching pictures about relationships and strolls through a park on a sunny day aren't. Yes, Greenaway's film deals with abhorrent themes expressed in undeniably grotesque forms. Yes, the picture has ugly scenes of violence. Yes, relationships of a decidedly revealing nature play a big part in the plot. What did you expect from a NC-17 rated picture? Don't worry-you can handle it. Actually, you'll probably be glad that you sat through it because this is a marvelous movie.

"The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" starts on a particularly memorable note. Big time gangster and thief Albert Spica (Michael Gambon), his wife Georgina (Helen Mirren), and his entourage pull up to the back door of a fancy restaurant run by the fabulous French chef Richard Borst (Richard Bohringer), ready for a night of fine dining and obnoxious behavior. Spica is a notorious brute, a beefy, sadistic thug who enjoys tormenting everyone around him, especially his wife Georgina. Greenaway sets the tone immediately by having a pack of dogs snap and snarl outside the restaurant as Spica presides over the humiliation of an underling. The bad behavior continues inside as Spica and his miscreants throw food, insult the staff and fellow customers, and generally make fools out of themselves. Night after night, Spica and his band of dangerous ruffians return to the restaurant, tormenting Borst and his staff as the restaurant's business drains away. No one, it seems, wants to spend an evening eating next to a guy like Spica.

One gentleman seems relatively unbothered by the ruckus a couple of tables over. Michael (Alan Howard), a scholarly looking librarian who always reads a book while he eats, simply ignores Spica's loud theatrics. When he makes eye contact with the gorgeous Georgina, however, sparks fly. Within minutes the two are in the bathroom madly pawing away at each other. The clandestine affair continues night after night, with both Michael and Georgina continually aware that Albert Spica or one of his goons could discover the tryst at any moment. Eventually, the staff of the restaurant plays a part in helping the two lovebirds meet, allowing them to use the nooks and crannies in the cavernous kitchen and deflecting any suspicions posed by Albert. Georgina uses Michael as a respite from her vicious husband, a chance to escape his obnoxious behaviors if even for a few precious minutes. Spica's wife soon finds the strength to flee from Albert, moving in with Michael in his library. The thuggish Albert flies into a rage over his wife's disappearance. It's not that he cares for her in any way (he definitely doesn't), but his massive ego cannot stand the idea of her being with another man. Spica tracks down Michael and has him murdered by stuffing pages from a book about the French Revolution down his throat. The conclusion to the film is one of the most memorable in recent film history.

After I watched Greenaway's film, I looked a few things up. Some bright film critics in England see this picture as a critique of the Thatcher years, with Spica standing in for the right wing, Georgina as England, and her lover as the hapless political left. Maybe, but I didn't see any of that in the film. I spent too much time chuckling over the coarse behavior of Spica and his goons-one played by Tim Roth in an early role, by the way-and enjoying the stunning Helen Mirren. She's so beautiful here that your heart aches over the indignities she suffers at the hands of Albert. She's also not afraid to do some daring scenes, a lesson she probably learned from her role in the Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione classic "Caligula," made some ten years before this film. If you still need to a reason to watch the movie, if the political symbolism and charged situations leave you cold, check out the great musical score by Michael Nyman and the sumptuous atmosphere of the restaurant. The colors and décor of the dining establishment take your breath away, and Greenaway further uses color by having people's outfits change hue as they walk from room to room. What does it all mean? Who knows, but it's fun to watch.

The DVD version of the film I saw didn't have much in the way of extras besides a trailer and a widescreen picture transfer. No matter, though. The movie is challenging enough to make you forget all about commentaries, stills, and any other of the usual extras. After watching "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover," I would like to see other Peter Greenaway films. Unfortunately, most of them have not received a reissue on DVD. If the subject matter is as disturbing as this film, no wonder! I recommend renting this movie and then inviting some friends over to watch it. Don't tell them anything about it beforehand, though. Just sit back and watch the jaws drop.

Great Film; has it aged well?
Remember seeing this film when it first came out and loving every aspect about it - from the artistic direction, sets, costumes, music to the story line. Now, more than ten years later, after watching the DVD, I've noticed that the movie isn't as shocking as it was the first time around. I still wish the DVD version had subtitles in order to fully understand the thick, heavy British accent. Still, the movie can be enjoyed without even understanding the dialogue - almost as if it were a Silent movie.
And after ten years the only thing about the movie that looks aged are the trendy costumes that Gaultier designed.
The film's visual imagery continues to be its strongest asset with allusions to the Flemish and Spanish Masters of the Baroque Era

disgusting trash
Yuk! How do I give this a negative 5 star rating?

i got a question.
i want to buy "the cook,the thief,his wife & her lover",but i
want to know if there's an audio french version,or subtitles;if
it is,i'll buy it right now. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

"She's even more predatory than you are."
The Peter Greenaway film, "The Belly of an Architect" is the story of an American middle-aged architect, Stourley Kracklight (Brian Dennehy) and his much younger wife, Louisa (Chloe Webb). Kracklight is organizing an exhibition in Rome to Etienne Louis Boulee--an 18th Century architect. Kracklight has spent the last ten years of his life planning the exhibit. It would be fair to say that he is obsessed with Boulee--his architectural hero, but once in Rome, Kracklight's obsession with Boulee assumes much darker overtones.

In Rome, Kracklight and Louisa are introduced to the predatory brother and sister team, Caspasian and Flavia Speckler. The atmosphere between Caspasian and Kracklight is immediately hostile, and even over a splendid banquet, Caspasian's cutting comments set the tone for Kracklight's fate.

There are so many things happening in every Greenaway film, and "The Belly of an Architect" is not an exception to this. Kracklight and Louisa are quintessential Americans and they seem out-of-place amongst the Italians. Louisa, who is half Italian, seems to remember her roots as she begins to pull away from her husband with an increasing sense of dissatisfaction and impatience. In the meantime, Kracklight remains a tourist and even begins writing postcards to his long-dead hero, Boulee. Greenaway's use of the imagery of food is evident throughout the film in the many banquet and restaurant scenes. There is also a subtle undercurrent of the past's influence on the present. Dinner guests are regaled with tales of the emperor Augustus and his much-younger wife, Livia. Tales of death obsess Kracklight, and as his own death becomes imminent, the idea of the legacy of Boulee, and the legacy of the great Roman emperors is in sharp contrast to Kracklight's legacy to his unborn child. I think the powerful scene between Kracklight and his doctor as they walk and discuss several Roman emperors is the most perfect scene in the film. It provides a dreadful symmetry to the film and to life itself.

As ever, Sacha Vierny is the cinematographer, and the sets are exquisite. I think I could recognize this cinematographer's work anywhere. His use of colour is quite unique, and Michael Nyman creates an impeccable musical score. I was a bit surprised that Dennehy was selected for this role as he's not Greenaway's usual type, and Dennehy tends to star in some rather mainstream films. But Dennehy was perfect for this role. As Kracklight, Dennehy towers above all the Italians (as he is meant to), and exudes power even as he weakens from disease. There even is imagery of Kracklight as Samson in the temple (one of Boulee's creations) in several scenes. For Greenaway fans, this film is thought-provoking and utterly memorable--displacedhuman

A terrific, incredible feast!
Greenaway's film is a feast for the eyes, and Brian Dennehy's portrayal of Stourley Kracklite, an American architect struggling in Rome, is the best of his career. Chloe Webb, most notable for playing Nancy in Sid and Nancy, is great as Louisa, his adulterous wife. However, the best part of the film is Rome itself -- Greenaway portrays the city in postcard settings, with typical static shots of mesmerizing brilliance. The buildings, such as the Victor Emmanuelle Building (The Wedding Cake), jump off the screen, begging you to visit. The music, by genius Wim Mertens replacing Greenaway-staple Michael Nyman, is haunting yet drills into your subconcious. Quite simply, everything about this film is brilliant, even the subtle irony at the end!

The Belly of An Architect: Art versus Life in Rome
For those viewers who have found Greenaway's films excessive at times, and the metaphors attenuated to the point of losing their dramatic power, you will find "The Belly of An Architect" a superb, cinematic work of art. Like the "Draughtsman's Contract" but far more complex, the conflicts which are at first masked by social and artistic conventions unfold gradually between the layers of visual imagery, dialogue and music.

Stourley Kracklite, played so perfectly by Brian Dennehy, is a man with a prodigious ego, lust for life and may seem initially to be less than a sympathetic protagonist. But surrounded by intrigue, opportunism and philistinism, he emerges as a hero. He is an architect, an artist with a vision and a mission.From the beginning, his passion for his intellectual mentor,a fictional 18th century French architect, Etienne-Louis Boullee, and the scientist Sir Isaac Newton, provokes thinly veiled ridicule and skepticism from his Italian colleagues. Even
faced with a young and ruthless nemesis, Kracklite remains indomitable. His belly, the center of gravity, becomes a metaphor for his frailty, his humility and his humanity.

What makes this film a work of art, in my opinion,is that you have all the components: A setting that complements the drama, Rome and its magnificent monuments as the backdrop, a strong dramatic situation with several critical issues at stake, including good and evil, characters who elude easy definition at first glance and vary distinctively, and themes that develop and resonate long after you have finished watching. As for the music,
I only wish that Greenaway had recorded a soundtrack. Or if there is one, I haven't found it.

"The Belly of An Architect" is the kind of film about art and life, the individual and society, vision and convention, love and betrayal that works so beautifully because its creator has remained focused, in my opinion, on telling a story, infusing it with a sense of both urgency and mystery, and so conveying an unmistakable emotional power as well.

Rewind asap
This movie is a pretentious bore. If you want to see Brian's unclothed gut, this obscure drama is for you. Watching Chloe Webb pretend to act is excruciating. If you dislike this movie after the first fifteen minutes, rewind. It doesn't get any better.

The most beautiful story by Greenaway
I sat for about 10 minutes in front of the televison after watching this. Simply absorbing what I had seen. This is one of Peter Greenaway's least visual films. But unlike the Draughtsman's Contract, the story steps up in it's place (along with the music.) ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Even Worse Than Gummo
I cannot fathom how this horrendous onslaught of depravity masquerading as a film has received such good reviews. There is no plot so I'll sum up what "went on": a classy lady is inexplicably married to a grotesque, low-class criminal, and she goes with him and his gang of thugs nightly to this restaurant that, if I have deciphered the terse grunts serving as exposition correctly, he owns, where he wreaks havoc on the staff and other patrons. The wife endures this for awhile and then decides to have an affair with some guy who also goes there every single night.

Throughout the entire film there are gratuitous disgusting images which never ever let up. The characters are like a child's set of Fisher Price dolls: "Nice Guy," "Nice Lady," "Innocent Little Boy," and we are expected to care what happens to them. The villain comes out looking the best because he is the only one who's not a doormat, and the lead actress (Helen Mirren) is completely unsympathetic. They could have stuck a cardboard cut-out in any of her scenes and achieved the same effect. Not only does the whole movie look like gangrene, but the actors are also purposely made unattractive, so the viewer doesn't even have that to chalk up as a redeeming quality.

I know it's supposed to be challenging and contraversial and blabla...it fails. The two stars are for Gaultier's costumes. Go buy Un Chien Andalou.

Oh my goodness!
I went into Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" with blinders on. I had absolutely no idea what to expect as the movie started, none whatsoever. I slightly suspected the director made "art" films due to a faint recollection of a discussion I saw on a bulletin board years ago, but that was all I could remember. Heck, I thought Uma Thurman was in this film for some reason! Obviously, this was my first experience with Greenaway, a director I have since learned is noted for creating disturbing films designed to upset audiences. I'll bet this masterpiece had arty types fleeing for the doors! Boy, I wish I'd seen this in an art house when it came out. I'm used to seeing films dealing with subject matter far worse than this one, but viewers who spend their time watching pictures about relationships and strolls through a park on a sunny day aren't. Yes, Greenaway's film deals with abhorrent themes expressed in undeniably grotesque forms. Yes, the picture has ugly scenes of violence. Yes, relationships of a decidedly revealing nature play a big part in the plot. What did you expect from a NC-17 rated picture? Don't worry-you can handle it. Actually, you'll probably be glad that you sat through it because this is a marvelous movie.

"The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" starts on a particularly memorable note. Big time gangster and thief Albert Spica (Michael Gambon), his wife Georgina (Helen Mirren), and his entourage pull up to the back door of a fancy restaurant run by the fabulous French chef Richard Borst (Richard Bohringer), ready for a night of fine dining and obnoxious behavior. Spica is a notorious brute, a beefy, sadistic thug who enjoys tormenting everyone around him, especially his wife Georgina. Greenaway sets the tone immediately by having a pack of dogs snap and snarl outside the restaurant as Spica presides over the humiliation of an underling. The bad behavior continues inside as Spica and his miscreants throw food, insult the staff and fellow customers, and generally make fools out of themselves. Night after night, Spica and his band of dangerous ruffians return to the restaurant, tormenting Borst and his staff as the restaurant's business drains away. No one, it seems, wants to spend an evening eating next to a guy like Spica.

One gentleman seems relatively unbothered by the ruckus a couple of tables over. Michael (Alan Howard), a scholarly looking librarian who always reads a book while he eats, simply ignores Spica's loud theatrics. When he makes eye contact with the gorgeous Georgina, however, sparks fly. Within minutes the two are in the bathroom madly pawing away at each other. The clandestine affair continues night after night, with both Michael and Georgina continually aware that Albert Spica or one of his goons could discover the tryst at any moment. Eventually, the staff of the restaurant plays a part in helping the two lovebirds meet, allowing them to use the nooks and crannies in the cavernous kitchen and deflecting any suspicions posed by Albert. Georgina uses Michael as a respite from her vicious husband, a chance to escape his obnoxious behaviors if even for a few precious minutes. Spica's wife soon finds the strength to flee from Albert, moving in with Michael in his library. The thuggish Albert flies into a rage over his wife's disappearance. It's not that he cares for her in any way (he definitely doesn't), but his massive ego cannot stand the idea of her being with another man. Spica tracks down Michael and has him murdered by stuffing pages from a book about the French Revolution down his throat. The conclusion to the film is one of the most memorable in recent film history.

After I watched Greenaway's film, I looked a few things up. Some bright film critics in England see this picture as a critique of the Thatcher years, with Spica standing in for the right wing, Georgina as England, and her lover as the hapless political left. Maybe, but I didn't see any of that in the film. I spent too much time chuckling over the coarse behavior of Spica and his goons-one played by Tim Roth in an early role, by the way-and enjoying the stunning Helen Mirren. She's so beautiful here that your heart aches over the indignities she suffers at the hands of Albert. She's also not afraid to do some daring scenes, a lesson she probably learned from her role in the Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione classic "Caligula," made some ten years before this film. If you still need to a reason to watch the movie, if the political symbolism and charged situations leave you cold, check out the great musical score by Michael Nyman and the sumptuous atmosphere of the restaurant. The colors and décor of the dining establishment take your breath away, and Greenaway further uses color by having people's outfits change hue as they walk from room to room. What does it all mean? Who knows, but it's fun to watch.

The DVD version of the film I saw didn't have much in the way of extras besides a trailer and a widescreen picture transfer. No matter, though. The movie is challenging enough to make you forget all about commentaries, stills, and any other of the usual extras. After watching "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover," I would like to see other Peter Greenaway films. Unfortunately, most of them have not received a reissue on DVD. If the subject matter is as disturbing as this film, no wonder! I recommend renting this movie and then inviting some friends over to watch it. Don't tell them anything about it beforehand, though. Just sit back and watch the jaws drop.

Great Film; has it aged well?
Remember seeing this film when it first came out and loving every aspect about it - from the artistic direction, sets, costumes, music to the story line. Now, more than ten years later, after watching the DVD, I've noticed that the movie isn't as shocking as it was the first time around. I still wish the DVD version had subtitles in order to fully understand the thick, heavy British accent. Still, the movie can be enjoyed without even understanding the dialogue - almost as if it were a Silent movie.
And after ten years the only thing about the movie that looks aged are the trendy costumes that Gaultier designed.
The film's visual imagery continues to be its strongest asset with allusions to the Flemish and Spanish Masters of the Baroque Era

disgusting trash
Yuk! How do I give this a negative 5 star rating?

i got a question.
i want to buy "the cook,the thief,his wife & her lover",but i
want to know if there's an audio french version,or subtitles;if
it is,i'll buy it right now. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Great film for Greenaway fans... not for everyone
Peter Greenaway is a master at visuals. Most Greenaway films, such as "A Zed and two Noughts", "The Draughtsmen's Contract" and "The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover", appear like a moving painting with vivid color and dazzling images. Although all are great films, their plots can be confusing with the lack of common dialogue and character development. 8 1/2 Women does have some very nice visuals, though less intense compared to his previous works, and a story line that is much easier to follow than prior films, with a bit more character development, but still peculiar circumstance. The film's focus is the unusual relationship between a newly widowed husband, Phillip(John Standling) and his son, Storey(Matthew Delamere). After a viewing of Fellini's 8 1/2, the father and son become inspired to "collect" a variety of women (8 and 1/2 - one being pregnant) for their physical and emotional pleasure, creating a distraction to the death of the wife/mother. Amanda Plummer and Toni Collette give strong supporting performances as two of the very bizarre women in the collection. The film moves slowly at times, but the right combination of excellent performances, bizarre characters, dry comedic dialogue and dazzling visuals make it a must see for Greenaway fans and independent film lovers. The sexual content and story line may make many viewers uncomfortable and confused. Definitely an acquired taste.

FATHERS AND SONS....GREENAWAY STYLE
Typically bizarre and challenging Greenaway film about a man whose wife suddenly dies and can't get past the grief stage. His son moves in with him and they "reestablish" their relationship in a most unorthodox way. Literally. So the son concocts a way to help his father snap out of it. They turn the father's estate into a brothel of sorts with a strange array of women they "collect". This creates a rather Fellini-esque atmosphere and causes some friction among the ladies as well as a couple of their deaths. One woman challenges the rules and turns the tables on the men leading to the father's ultimate death wish and the son's turn to grieve. Greenaway allows the film to run from outlandish black comedy to sadly depressing---a gamut that kind've negates everything we've seen and experienced thus far. There's ample male nudity, bizarre costumes, a truly odd turn from Amanda Plummer as one of the women, striking color and rampant symbolism throughout which makes it a feast for the eyes. If you're a Greenaway fan it's an unusual ride. But I wouldn't recommend it for first time viewers who may find it heavy going.

Allow me to defend "8 1/2 Women"....
I've recently found myself being pulled into a swirling vortex of obsession with the works of Peter Greenaway. The man creates such a distinct atmosphere with the staging of his films, the cinematography, and the sets embodying a lavishness and beauty that clashes against dark, audacious, perverse, and indeed evil themes to cause a fascinating cacophony. Much of his output could be classified as surreal simply because of this instantly palpable dissonance.
"8 1/2 Women" is no different. Yes, it doesn't have the viciousness of "The Cook, The Thief...", or the delicious puzzlement of "Drowning By Numbers", but what it does have is the unmistakable Greenaway atmosphere and an air of utmost dream-like elegance, once again grinding against frank sexual obsession and perversion and an uncontrollable spiral of loss and grief.
I'll leave the plot details that are to be found in other reviews, but will say that I found this film a joy to watch. From the very beginning (particularly the experimental and kinetic sequence that opens the film), I was enthralled. With Greenaway, sometimes you don't want to look, but you can't turn away (to spoil the surprise a bit, the infamous incest incident is not shown...only very strongly implied). As the film wears on, it does take on a more fragmented, slice-o-life type of approach, but the episodal manner in which the progress of the bordello is documented actually conveys the chaos well. In such an arrangement, the only way to really give an idea of the vibes surrounding the downfall of the house is to give examples, then tell us how it finally came to self-destruct... which is done. Those who complain about lack of closure can only be speaking about the question of what becomes of the son after the house empties itself, but how much do you want handed to you? The movie is 2 hours long! A case of "The meal was terrible.. and the portions too small!"
Speaking of which, I'll end the review saying that those who hated it.... give it another chance? You know by now that half of the magic of Greenaway's idiosyncratic films is visual. Nobody has denied the beauty of "8 1/2 Women". So let yourself sink into that odd beauty, and maybe you'll be able to appreciate the distinct and conscious style that the characters execute.

Very challenging film
When I consider the state of sex in American films today, "American Pie 2" comes to mind. The sex here is treated in the usual leering, juvenille manner. All of the people are young, and it's the women who are expected to disrobe, and hint at lesbian encounters. The scene where the two coeds demand that the two men kiss each other before doing each other treats anything from this norm as aberrant behavior. As long as the subject is treated in this cookie-cutter manner, our country will show sex, and not actually explore it as the strong human emotion it is.

The strong point of "8 1/2 Women" is that is challenges our thoughts of what sexuality can be in ways that are ignored in this country. The movie hits the ground running as we encounter the two main characters, a middle-aged man and his twenty-something son shortly after the older man's wife dies. We not only see full-frontal male nudity, a rarity in this country. But what is also somewhat shocking is not that they are interested in man-on-man encounters, but encounters between father and son. Sons wanting to sleep with their mothers have been explored before, but dad and son is something to think about.

After this eye-opening scenario, the movie continues to challenge. Faced with seemingly unlimited wealth, the two decide to build a sexual playground to try and appease what must be a major league middle-age crisis by the father. They encounter and recruit a handful of women to come live with them and play out their fantasies.

This is also where the film has it's strong points. The closest I can remember to this film is "Sirens", the Australian film that featured an artist surrounded by nubile females, among them Elle McPherson. But even that film was probably too hot for America to touch, and even this film filled it with very good looking women of the same cut. "8 1/2 Women" brings in all kinds of women from beautiful to hideous, dominent to submissive. Once again, it shows that while Playboy magazine shows an attractive cut of women, it is not the only source for sex in the world.

I'm not saying I agree with all the choices, and they are diverse enough where most people also would not go for all of them. But that's the good point of the movie. By busting through cinematic stereotypes of how we think about sex, it shows that it is a subject that can be pursued by anyone, not just the "beautiful people" class.

Thrillingly good
I didn't enjoy watching this film at the cinema so,
although I wanted to complete my collection, once I
had bought the DVD I put off watching it for 9 months.
But when I did, I found it compelling - witty, fast-paced
and intriguing. But best of all was the image quality.
Far from suffering from noise filtering artefacts like
most DVDs, it manages to retain what looks very much like
film grain. The colour rendition is also amongst the best
I have seen on a DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Filmmakers Dream Project
In 1885, the Lumiere Brothers perfected a hand-cranked movie camera that moved the world. This 100th year anniversary takes forty filmmakers to task with the same camera to produce a film less than a minute. It's not as interesting in its results as one might have hoped. It was a huge challenge and few really completed something of interest. Of those, David Lynch, Patrice Leconte and Alaine Corneau are the most intriguing, while well known directors like Spike Lee and Liv Ullmann are less so. However, this is subjective. Many of the directors are asked simple questions with the hopes of profound answers. "Why do you film" and "Is cinema immortal" get answers as mundane as 'climbing a mountain because it is there'. Film students will, however, be fascinated with this project and historians will marvel that an invention so old can still be of artistic use. For the average viewer, this 88 minute documentary might seem boring, but at the very least, it is historic.

Cinemaphiles will love this film
As a tribute to the spirit of motion pictures, Lumiere & Company is a tremendous achievement and a sublime experience for true cineastes who are fortunate to find a copy on DVD. Produced in celebration of the centennial of what is considered to be the first motion picture camera, invented by the Lumiere Brothers of France, the approach is similar to asking the most accomplished electric guitar player to go acoustic.

The producers asked a collection of international film directors to create a 52-second piece each using the same technology as the Lumieres did more than one hundred years ago, 52 seconds being the amount of time it takes for one spool of film to run through their camera. Therefore, each of the segments is done in one take. All the directors are well respected, but among the more well-known participants are David Lynch, Wim Wenders, John Boorman, Spike Lee, James Ivory, Zhang Yimou and Liv Ullman.

Each segment is intriguing. While the results are understandably uneven, the pleasure of watching this film is in discovering the remarkable diversity in the working minds of motion picture's prominent practitioners. The DVD allows for free roaming and alternative selection of each short film. Given the nearly limitless possibilities available in the modern film industry, it's worth noting how the directors make use of their limited time and yet still reveal their own styles.

The subject matter ranges from miniature narratives to political statements and social documents. The locations are as varied as the directors themselves, from Bedford-Stuyvesant to Hiroshima. Although this film may seem a bit obscure and tedious to the non-enthusiast, historians and die-hard cinema fans will marvel not only at how limitations forcibly create ingenious ideas to spring forth, but also at how well the Lumiere camera still functions.

The DVD release also offers production notes, a trailer, French language, and English subtitles.

GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD
THIS IS GREAT WORK,GOOD GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD,YOU MUST TO SEE

A gem.
Lumiere and Company (Sarah Moon, 1995)

No, Lumiere and Company is not some sort of obscure sequel to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. (And where I got that idea, which I had for years, is completely beyond me.) Instead, it's Sarah Moon's third film, and a kind of global version of her second, Contriere l'oubli. Moon took the original camera manufactured by the Lumiere brothers, set some ground rules, and asked forty world-famous directors to shoot a fifty-two second scene with it. She then made a documentary incorporating behind-the-scenes footage with the short pieces themselves.

The result is a wonderful look into the mind of the filmmaker as he goes about the filmmaker's art. Each of the filmmakers does something completely different, and each answers the five questions put to him by Moon so disparately that the overall effect is one of a sort of comprehensive feeling about how films get made; one that no one director would subscribe to, but all embrace.

The short films themselves are directed by such luminaries as Costa-Gavras, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Liv Ullmann, Lasse Hallstrom, and many others who are easily recognizable; the trick was to get Moon, the relative neophyte, to create a wrapper that is the equal of the movies therein. And she did so, admirably. The is a fine little gem of a film, and well worth seeing. **** ½

Less Is More
What an intriguing idea. Take several well known directors used to working with today's state of the art equipment and see what they can do with the first practical motion picture camera. And to make it more of a challenge, give them less than a minute to work with. The results are naturally uneven. How could they not be? I won't name names but even the weakest entries have something to offer while the best lend credence to the old adage "less is more". The viewer will ultimately have to decide for him or herself which is which. As a longtime admirer of silent films I found the voiceovers during the segments rather distracting in the manner of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. One of the rules should have called for no comments made during filming to be allowed on the soundtrack. Let us supply our own voices to what we see. All in all an interesting concept that is well executed and worth seeing for any serious student of film. The DVD format is ideal for this type of omnibus film as you can easily select the segments that you want to see again and again. You should also check out the LUMIERE BROTHERS FIRST FILMS on DVD to see what was originally done with this remarkable piece of equipment. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Interesting, but not for everyone
SYNOPSIS: A woman, Cassie, decides to rid herself of her husband after she catches him cheating on her. Her two daughters, also named Cassie, follow suit by drowning their own husbands. All three of these women think they can get away with the crimes because they're friends with the local coroner, Madgett. Madgett, with plans of his own, rules all the deaths 'natural,' but blackmails the three women: trading his silence for their sexual favors. The three Cassie's, however, have a different idea. . .

VERDICT: Peter Greenaway is certainly one of the more decadent filmmakers and he spares no expense in getting even the smallest of things to work. More concerned with 'art' than narrative, Greenaway always comes up with very interesting characters and somehow creates films that seem to defy critique (because of this, he is not for everyone.) His masterpiece, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, And Her Lover, is a better place to start if you haven't seen any of his films, but Drowning by Numbers isn't bad either ( I found it to be more entertaining than Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.)

This film is shot and designed beautifully with meticulous sets that take the viewer someplace else -- where this 'someplace else' is exactly, I can't really say. The film is also quite funny (the closer you pay attention, the more humorous it is.) On top of this is a great score by composer Michael Nyman.

If you are a Greenaway fan, pick this one up. If you haven't seen any Greenaway films you probably shouldn't buy this; rent it first instead (or perhaps Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.) But Greenaway is someone every serious cinephile should explore, and if you come out a fan, your exploration will be worthwhile and Greenaway's vision hard to equal.

Exquisite funny and intelligent
Drowning by numbers is one of Peter Greenaway's best films. It is eloquent in the language of cinema while being entertaining, interesting and visually stunning. An intelligent delivery of an original story line, combining excellent character rendition by the actors' team, interesting cinematographic work and a wink of an eye while doing so. Greenaway is palying with the elements of story, image, and scene design to leave an impact that's fully appreciated only upon second, third and fourth viewing of the movie. Each time one observes this work of art - one discovers hidden layers to it. You need to watch it time and time again to fully appreciate its greatness. Another excellent reason to own the DVD.

Most profound of Greenway's films, (thats saying something!)
Greenway's most excellent portrayal of the battle of the sexes is one of his most thoroughly enjoyable movies. Drawing heavily on Greek myth, and the archetypes of Air as masculine element and Water as feminine, Greenway weaves a lush tapestry of cerebral and visual stimuli that overwhelms the senses.

Three women, a Hecate-like trinity with the same name and reflecting the classical three "ages" of Crone, Mother and (granted, sexually wanton) Maiden, find the men in their lives disappointing. Women, being emotional beings of primal water, seek fulfillment in that element, whereas men, being intellectual beings of primal air, spend their days quantifying things, typing memoranda or investigating plots. The three (four?) husbands are shown the error of their ways, literally being immersed in the watery primal element, and deprived of their more familiar air. The first is a philanderer, the second cold and insensitive, the third a threat to the sisterhood of the three, and the final consort one who attempts to control the trinity through blackmail, and ultimately finds himself the pawn of their sex.

The imagery, while lacking the lavish costumes of other Greenway productions, is still tremendously lavish. The scene from the bath, involving no more than fruit, insects and the foam on a bar of soap, creates a primal, evocative image of the natural feminine power of control while working through nature, the very power which threatens men to their core. It's beautiful, and while the plot may be straightforward, the underlying messages conveyed are sufficiently profound to keep one busy discussing the film for weeks after every viewing.

Drowning by Numbers
This movie is definitely not for those who want to sit back and mindlessly consume a story. This brilliant movie is thought provoking, annoying, disturbing at times and quite bizarre. Those who have a knowledge of cinematography will appreciate this film, or anyone interested in the art of film making. The best way for me to truly discribe this surreal peice of work is to say, take your weirdest dream that made absolutely no sense to you upon waking - and you have the essence of Drowning by Numbers. Just when you think you understand what is happening, or going to happen, the story changes tact and you are hurled back into a state of confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and could watch it again and again. I'm sure I would discover things I had missed during previous viewings. However, I was the only person out of approximately 20 people who didn't find the film either boring or stupid. My advice is to watch it atleast once and see if you can spot the numbers from 1-100. It's definitely an experience - whether you enjoy it or hate it.

In the Game of Life...
I never met anyone who was lukewarm about a Peter Greenaway film--you either love them or hate them. Obviously, since I gave "Drowning By Numbers" 5 stars, I am a fan.

"Drowning By Numbers" is a complex film about three women all named Cissie who each decide--for a variety of reasons--to drown their husbands. One husband is unfaithful; another is cruel, inattentive, and sexually inadequate, and the third is a boring physical and intellectual inferior. Death may seem an extreme solution to these husbandly inadequacies, but this is, after all, a Greenaway film, and that means you can expect excess, death and destructive passion.

Each woman is aided and abetted in her crime by Madgett (Bernard Hill) the local coroner--a chocolate pudding-addicted dyspeptic who does "favours" (turns a blind eye to murder) in the vain hope that the women will reward him with sexual favours.

Smut (Jason Edwards) is Madgett's son, and he too is obsessed with death. He numbers the road kill he finds daily with different coloured paints--yellow on Tuesdays, and red on Saturdays, for example, and he lets off fireworks as a sort of celebration of death. Madgett and Smut even go as far as researching deaths caused by cricket balls--with Smut playing the famous cricketeers killed. Madgett marks the "wounds" in each case with tape and then photographs Smut as they recreate each cricketing death, and Madgett solemnly announces that "games are dangerous." Smut is in love with the daughter of the local prostitute who jumps rope and counts the stars.

Smut and Madgett are also both obsessed with games, and Smut acts as a voice-over explaining the rules of various games--Dead Man's Catch, Hangman's Cricket, Dawn Card Castles, Flights of Fancy or Reverse Strip Jump. Games are played in the film by various characters. Numbers also play a large role in this film, and they appear throughout the film, sometimes the characters or objects are marked with numbers--not in every scene-- until the end which brings us to one hundred.

Another of Greenway's favourite themes--the supernatural power of women--is not neglected in this film. The women often seem to appear in rooms without actually entering them, and of course, in this film, men are dispensable and superfluous. Also women use the force of nature to gain their desires--specifically in this film, the Cissies use water as a means of power and destruction of their enemies.

Greenway is considered a somewhat controversial and experimental British Renaissance film director, and he makes the most complex, and the most beautiful films I have ever seen--displacedhuman--Amazon reviewer ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Interesting, but not for everyone
SYNOPSIS: A woman, Cassie, decides to rid herself of her husband after she catches him cheating on her. Her two daughters, also named Cassie, follow suit by drowning their own husbands. All three of these women think they can get away with the crimes because they're friends with the local coroner, Madgett. Madgett, with plans of his own, rules all the deaths 'natural,' but blackmails the three women: trading his silence for their sexual favors. The three Cassie's, however, have a different idea. . .

VERDICT: Peter Greenaway is certainly one of the more decadent filmmakers and he spares no expense in getting even the smallest of things to work. More concerned with 'art' than narrative, Greenaway always comes up with very interesting characters and somehow creates films that seem to defy critique (because of this, he is not for everyone.) His masterpiece, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, And Her Lover, is a better place to start if you haven't seen any of his films, but Drowning by Numbers isn't bad either ( I found it to be more entertaining than Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.)

This film is shot and designed beautifully with meticulous sets that take the viewer someplace else -- where this 'someplace else' is exactly, I can't really say. The film is also quite funny (the closer you pay attention, the more humorous it is.) On top of this is a great score by composer Michael Nyman.

If you are a Greenaway fan, pick this one up. If you haven't seen any Greenaway films you probably shouldn't buy this; rent it first instead (or perhaps Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.) But Greenaway is someone every serious cinephile should explore, and if you come out a fan, your exploration will be worthwhile and Greenaway's vision hard to equal.

Exquisite funny and intelligent
Drowning by numbers is one of Peter Greenaway's best films. It is eloquent in the language of cinema while being entertaining, interesting and visually stunning. An intelligent delivery of an original story line, combining excellent character rendition by the actors' team, interesting cinematographic work and a wink of an eye while doing so. Greenaway is palying with the elements of story, image, and scene design to leave an impact that's fully appreciated only upon second, third and fourth viewing of the movie. Each time one observes this work of art - one discovers hidden layers to it. You need to watch it time and time again to fully appreciate its greatness. Another excellent reason to own the DVD.

Most profound of Greenway's films, (thats saying something!)
Greenway's most excellent portrayal of the battle of the sexes is one of his most thoroughly enjoyable movies. Drawing heavily on Greek myth, and the archetypes of Air as masculine element and Water as feminine, Greenway weaves a lush tapestry of cerebral and visual stimuli that overwhelms the senses.

Three women, a Hecate-like trinity with the same name and reflecting the classical three "ages" of Crone, Mother and (granted, sexually wanton) Maiden, find the men in their lives disappointing. Women, being emotional beings of primal water, seek fulfillment in that element, whereas men, being intellectual beings of primal air, spend their days quantifying things, typing memoranda or investigating plots. The three (four?) husbands are shown the error of their ways, literally being immersed in the watery primal element, and deprived of their more familiar air. The first is a philanderer, the second cold and insensitive, the third a threat to the sisterhood of the three, and the final consort one who attempts to control the trinity through blackmail, and ultimately finds himself the pawn of their sex.

The imagery, while lacking the lavish costumes of other Greenway productions, is still tremendously lavish. The scene from the bath, involving no more than fruit, insects and the foam on a bar of soap, creates a primal, evocative image of the natural feminine power of control while working through nature, the very power which threatens men to their core. It's beautiful, and while the plot may be straightforward, the underlying messages conveyed are sufficiently profound to keep one busy discussing the film for weeks after every viewing.

Drowning by Numbers
This movie is definitely not for those who want to sit back and mindlessly consume a story. This brilliant movie is thought provoking, annoying, disturbing at times and quite bizarre. Those who have a knowledge of cinematography will appreciate this film, or anyone interested in the art of film making. The best way for me to truly discribe this surreal peice of work is to say, take your weirdest dream that made absolutely no sense to you upon waking - and you have the essence of Drowning by Numbers. Just when you think you understand what is happening, or going to happen, the story changes tact and you are hurled back into a state of confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and could watch it again and again. I'm sure I would discover things I had missed during previous viewings. However, I was the only person out of approximately 20 people who didn't find the film either boring or stupid. My advice is to watch it atleast once and see if you can spot the numbers from 1-100. It's definitely an experience - whether you enjoy it or hate it.

In the Game of Life...
I never met anyone who was lukewarm about a Peter Greenaway film--you either love them or hate them. Obviously, since I gave "Drowning By Numbers" 5 stars, I am a fan.

"Drowning By Numbers" is a complex film about three women all named Cissie who each decide--for a variety of reasons--to drown their husbands. One husband is unfaithful; another is cruel, inattentive, and sexually inadequate, and the third is a boring physical and intellectual inferior. Death may seem an extreme solution to these husbandly inadequacies, but this is, after all, a Greenaway film, and that means you can expect excess, death and destructive passion.

Each woman is aided and abetted in her crime by Madgett (Bernard Hill) the local coroner--a chocolate pudding-addicted dyspeptic who does "favours" (turns a blind eye to murder) in the vain hope that the women will reward him with sexual favours.

Smut (Jason Edwards) is Madgett's son, and he too is obsessed with death. He numbers the road kill he finds daily with different coloured paints--yellow on Tuesdays, and red on Saturdays, for example, and he lets off fireworks as a sort of celebration of death. Madgett and Smut even go as far as researching deaths caused by cricket balls--with Smut playing the famous cricketeers killed. Madgett marks the "wounds" in each case with tape and then photographs Smut as they recreate each cricketing death, and Madgett solemnly announces that "games are dangerous." Smut is in love with the daughter of the local prostitute who jumps rope and counts the stars.

Smut and Madgett are also both obsessed with games, and Smut acts as a voice-over explaining the rules of various games--Dead Man's Catch, Hangman's Cricket, Dawn Card Castles, Flights of Fancy or Reverse Strip Jump. Games are played in the film by various characters. Numbers also play a large role in this film, and they appear throughout the film, sometimes the characters or objects are marked with numbers--not in every scene-- until the end which brings us to one hundred.

Another of Greenway's favourite themes--the supernatural power of women--is not neglected in this film. The women often seem to appear in rooms without actually entering them, and of course, in this film, men are dispensable and superfluous. Also women use the force of nature to gain their desires--specifically in this film, the Cissies use water as a means of power and destruction of their enemies.

Greenway is considered a somewhat controversial and experimental British Renaissance film director, and he makes the most complex, and the most beautiful films I have ever seen--displacedhuman--Amazon reviewer ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Origins of Life, Vermeer, symmetry. ZOO.... and OOZe
Everytime I see A Zed and Two Noughts I catch a phrase that I missed the double meaning on the previous time I watched it. Perhaps the fascination of watching bodies decay clouds my perceptions. Perhaps the beauty of the photographic images by Sacha Vierny, The arresting music by Michael Nyman, or the insistent guiding hand of Director Peter Greenaway (who is creating his own cinematic alphabet here, later to be explored in his subsequent films, and drawing upon his wonderful short films and early opus The Falls) is too much for one viewing to contain! Or perhaps it is getting wrapped up in the same mystery that consumes the twin zoologists. Why death, and why a car accident involving a pregnant Swan on Swann's way, no less??!! Speaking of doubles, you have the twin brothers, their two dead wives, the two legless lovers, the doctor who is a descendant of the master forger (a great faker must be praised I guess!) Van Meegeren, himself a double (dubious) of the painter Vermeer,or the fact that there are Vermeers in the film, and they are doubled on camera in certain shots, and more and more...
Is this a waste of film? DEFINITELY NOT. You go into a film with the knowledge you have up to that point, and sometimes a film challenges you to rise to the occasion as opposed to talking down to an audience. This is not for people who think watching a movie means some quiet time and maybe a laugh or two. This is a film where you are constantly challenged to make observations and opinions based on what you are shown. There is a thesis here, and I am not sure whether it is an artistic thesis, a scientific thesis, a moral and ethical thesis, or all or none of the above, but what I do know is that this is one of the most challenging pieces of moving image I have ever seen (I have only seen about 1,600 films in my life, so I admit I have not seen that much), and it is easier to walk away from it then to stay and appreciate the rich complexities of knowledge this film draws from. The choice is yours but I highly recommend it for knowledge seekers.
The DVD is of great quality, and except for the lack of extras (I would have LOVED to have seen the trailer for this film), it is a worthy purchase.

A must see
The very first time I watched this film was not in a theatre but on a small black and white TV (at the time I was about 17 and still living with my parents, so what do you expect :-). It made a tremendous impression on me then and it's still my favorite film ever. The plot is rich and weird, the music addictive and the dialogues are both odd and witty. As you might expect of one of the early films by Greenaway, the alphabet plays a big part in this film. A film about the beginnings of life, birth, life itself, death and decay. Excellent usage of clips of natural history films with the distinctive voice of David Attenborough. There are many storylines in this film and there's a kind of character development you don't see to often in these modern times. Greenaway created an atmosphere I had never seen before in films and very few films are even coming close to it.

All in all, as you might have noticed, I'm a sucker for this film. I can recommend it to anyone. And hey, if you don't like the pictures, you can still play the DVD and not watch it, but enjoy the soundtrack.

Get the BFI Version
If you have a European or multi-region DVD player, get the BFI edition of this movie, which includes a director's commentary and introduction, trailers for this and The Draughtsman's Contract and extracts from a "making of" documentary.

The film itself? Brilliant, arch, beautifully photographed and probably Greenaway's most accessible work.

A dark celebration by the simetry
This film is an intelligent puzzle. You must be building the story , the clues are given ironically, tragicaly and above all subrepticiously.
Two twins married with two sisters , a swan , murder, guilty the same lover, the one and the couple are engaged, come together , and become unending laberynth of borgian proportions. A man dreams that another guy dreams. This story is just fascinatong
The archetipes are precisely defined. Oparin makes his own web.
The feelings involved around a common tragedy, just having the zoo as a huge frame where the life begins and ends, without any pain, with natural precision. The speling music of Nyman, Sacha Vierny and his amazing photography, the dark poetry supports the dialogues, the desperation seems even not forced but she assumes slowly its place in the play.
Greenaway is a brilliant director with a unpleasant life's view. What it realy is amazing is the total absence of feelings in every one of the depicted characters. ou won't see a teardrop, even in the worst of one situation.
The homagge to Vermeer makes the film still more interesting, arrestong and provocative, in a style who reminds us to Luis Buñuel but without the religious ethics underlayed of the spanish director.
Certainly the multiple readings that Zoo and two noughts offer us walk around the biology, the huge affection of Greenaway by the insects, worms and all that little universe who survives under our indiferent behavior.
This trilogy of films together with the bely of an architect and drowning by numbers, allows us to traduce the universe of this excentric and irreverent film maker.
Don't miss this film.

Pointless
Like many of Peter Greenaway's movies, this one suffers from several problems. The most critical of these is that his opening scenes never emotionally tie you to any of the characters, resulting in you watching 2 hours of film without really caring. Secondly, his filming technique is basically more appropriate for a play - all the scenes look like they were specifically made as movie sets rather than as natural surroundings, and his direction of the lighting makes it obvious that everything is artificially lit. Thirdly, his subject matter. always bizarre, just isn't interesting. Why can't he pick the bizarre and the interesting? If you like film noir, then this isn't it. Having sat through 113 minutes of this, all I was left with was how pointless and a waste of film this was. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Lovely & Amazing
I first saw "the Draughtsman's Contract" in the movies when it first came out. I was rivited by the wholeness of every detail in the film. For example, the filmmakers eye for accurate detail, even down to the orange ribbions the men & women wore on their clothes!
The story is a real mind bender as well. Everything seems so matter-of-fact, but it's not that way at all. I also love how the tables turn for the obnoxious, know it all draughtsman, and how the clothes colors were reversed when that happened(black/white).
The scenes filmed by candelight were wonderful, not as pretty as those in Barry Lyndon, but with a starker authenticity, making them appear more real.
Another great thing about this movie is how it was scored. Greenaway uses Purcell, but with a twist, it's so clever & very appropriate to this film. Also, Janette Suzmann is terrific as Mrs. Herbert.
Like all of Peter Greenaway's films, this does not have mass appeal, but it's truly a masterpiece & worth a watch especially for those who enjoy period peices, mysteries & stories about the human condition.

Utterly British
This film could have come only from England, and only from director Peter Greenaway. I wasn't sure what this film would be like, but I'd enjoyed all the other Greenaway films I'd seen: THE COOK..., BELLY OF AN ARCHITECT, DROWNING BY NUMBERS, THE PILLOW BOOK, and 81/2 WOMEN. Still, this one seemed different from all of those. I was sure it'd be at the very least interesting, but like I said I had no idea what to expect when I put the brand new DVD into the player. Right away, I liked the film, as I saw a group of powder-faced aristocrats relate some "Tales of Ribaldry". Immediately, I was reminded of Ken Russell. But as this most unusual film unfolded, I realized that this was the first time I could actually call a film a "moving painting" and not feel totally pretentious; THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT is nothing if not an animated landscape painting of the 17th century. Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins) is our "hero"; he isn't a very likeable sort, supercilious and overeducated, and unabashedly lustful. But even as he causes trouble among the men and women of the Herbert household, beginning an affair with Mrs. Herbert as part of his payment for the 12 drawings of the estate he has been commissioned to produce, he is a fascinating character, played to the T by Higgins. But something strange is going on: as she peruses his drawings, Mrs. Herbert's daughter, Mrs. Talmann (whose husband dislikes Mr. Neville very strongly) believes she sees evidence of "misadventure" (in 20th-century parlance, "murder") in the pictures. So she now blackmails him for favors similar to those which Mr. Neville gets from her mother. Complicated? It gets worse... but if you're really into it that won't matter. Plot isn't important here. Greenaway is making a statement about art which, in spite of the epoch in which it is set, is timeless. No matter how hard an artist (presumably in any medium) tries, it is impossible not to "distort or dissemble". There's more to it than that, but if you're interested you'll have to work to get to it like I did. Don't worry, it's probably more interesting and entertaining than the way I've described it; Greenaway's dialogue is DELICIOUS and the photography (this was before Sacha Vierny became his cinematographer) is excellent, making brilliant use of light and shadow, evoking some of the nuances of painting at that time. Each frame of Greenaway's film is literally a painting in and of itself, and instead of an easy, comprehensive story with likeable characters that anyone could identify with, Greenaway gives us a narrative that resembles that of a painting (witness the scene in which Mr. Neville and a haggard Mrs. Herbert examine a painting, trying to ascertain the story it tells). For those tired of films with characters and situations that supposedly "anyone could relate to", Greenaway's crisp, challenging, funny, and fascinating THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT may be just what you're looking for. See it!

The Draughtsman's Contract
"The Draughtsman's Contract" is a precise, almost mathematical dissection of human motivation, desire, envy and retribution. The wonder is that it is delivered by a painterly director at the height of his powers. A rare mix.

Cunning and subtle, yet in love with the subject...usually doesn't work - but while you're being beguiled by the visuals, the story sneaks up on you from behind, and leaves you with a puzzle which rewards the solving.

Michael Nyman's memorable score perfectly complements the gorgeous cinematography, while providing a constant reminder of the enormous underlying tension of the story.

If all of this sounds a little earnest, let me put it another way - it's all about..., and it looks and sounds beautiful - what's not to like?

Simply perfect
Minimal style could perfectly fit this work. Notwithstanding, it is not a minimal music understood as a boring, monotonous or interminable series of notes, but a magisterial example of mixture 20th and 16th century music. Watching the film is not a neccesary condition to understand this surprising music, supposed to be dated on Purcell's times.

Nyman wonderfully metamorphoses his music, according to the film. You must also listen to Gattaca, a very realistic view of our future world. In this film, the images of the scenes and the music "inhabit" in a perfect simbiosis. The same as this score.

The first song "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds" is the main theme, from which all the music is developed. This is why it could sound minimal but the lovely use of different baroque instruments (and not so baroque, such us harspichord, horns, electric bass...)smears up any idea of monotony.
Quite right.

Detached & Aloof.
This tale of a 17th Century draughtsman who takes a commission to do drawings of a wealthy Englishman's estate only if he can "do" the Lady of the estate at the same time, is an intriguing piece for those unhurried and with a taste for something different.

Meticulously recreating the era, with the best candlelit scenes since Barry Lyndon, we realize that a stately sort of mystery is unfolding as we watch the arrogant artist have his way with first the mistress of the house and then her daughter, all the while insulting and denigrating everyone around him.

The Draughtsman is arrogant, self-confident, and sure that he is superior to the aristocratic twits he serves with his art. That he believes he is smarter than everyone around him will come around to be his undoing. Being used while he thinks he is doing the using, the Draughtsman finds out too late that he has been nothing more than a pawn in a game he never understood.

Not for everyone, I found the film fascinating but as detached and aloof as its protagonist. This cold detachment becomes the wry amusement in the story, but also separates us from any emotional connection to the characters. There are also the typical Greenaway non sequiturs, in this case a naked fool, painted, posing as statues etc. At any rate, worth a look for those wanting something different. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Draughtsman's Contract: A Nonesuch of the Cinema
You don't have to be a student of Restoration drama to enjoy, in fact revel in this 17th century story of strategems, intrigue and double entendres. If you are a student of this period, or have a historical familiarity, then you'll be even more delighted. The Draughtsman's Contract from its intimate, candlelit close-ups to its ribald and rapier-like puns, from its sumptuous interiors to its elegant feast of manners will tease your senses as it feeds your intellect.

Mrs. Virginia Herbert, an unloved and much neglected wife of a wealthy landowner (thanks to her dowry),commissions a handsome, clever and talented young draughtsman to make twelve drawings of her house while her husband is away. With little ado and certainly no pretence, Mrs. Herbert also privately agrees to satisfy any and all of Mr. Neville's sexual pleasures whenever and wherever he wishes. So begins his commission much to the amused disdain of the Herberts' neighbors. At first Mr. Neville seems to have the upper hand with this coterie to whom wit is prized above all things. M