Drowning by Numbers Reviews

Rated:
80
from 142 members

When you don't like your husband very much, murder may seem a drastic solution. Unless of course you decide to drown him and you are a close personal friend of a compliant coroner... So far, so good. But, what happens when other members of your family decide to follow your example? 'Drowning By Numbers' is a sharp and witty .. Read more

Starring	Bernard Hill, Joan Plowright, Joely Richardson, Juliet Stevenson
Director	Peter Greenaway
Genres	Comedy

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Critics' reviews (2) of Drowning by Numbers
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Cynical black comedy, beautifully played and more accessible than this director's earlier work, although with some obscure formalism.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Obsessed with obscure English folk games and father to corpse-collecting Smut, coroner Madgett becomes involved with... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of Drowning by Numbers
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21 out of 22 people found this review helpful

Superb, must-see... and unavailable

This movie is the reason I signed up for DVD rental. Sadly, despite being listed on this service, it is unavailable, with no date for when it will become available.

Drowning By Numbers is quite frankly the best arthouse film ever made, the story of five husband-killers, their oddball associates and eccentric lifestyle in the rural English coast.

The drownings form a mere back-story to a longer and far more complicated series of games and pastimes thought up by Smut, the perpetually occupied son of the local coroner. Anyone brought up in an isolated rural community who constructed their own games to pass their childhood time will find this eccentricity strangely familiar.

Unfortunately this DVD has been deleted for several years. I'd hoped that since it came up on a listing for this service, they would actually have an old copy available, but it would seem not. I can't help but feel somewhat cheated out of my money.
- - ANDREW OAKLEY from Gloucestershire, UK
  - Posted 04 Jan 2006 15:23
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Like being stoned

This is the sort of movie that you cannot really explain to other people. It contains nudity, dead animals, skipping, strange childrens games, and multi-generational spouseacide

Brilliant - Peter Greenaway is a legal high!
- - A customer from Freezing, London
  - Posted 20 Jan 2005 12:05
[Highly rated reviewer]

Peter Greenaway's best!

This is more a surreal work of art than a conventional film. That may leave some disappointed, but really you should just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It should really be restored and released on BluRay. Why we have so much crap available, and yet movies as great as this are not even available on DVD is beyond me.
- - ScreenSimian from Watford
  - Posted 05 Dec 2009 12:53
Most recent members' review of Drowning by Numbers
View all
[Highly rated reviewer]

Peter Greenaway's best!

This is more a surreal work of art than a conventional film. That may leave some disappointed, but really you should just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It should really be restored and released on BluRay. Why we have so much crap available, and yet movies as great as this are not even available on DVD is beyond me.
- - ScreenSimian from Watford
  - Posted 05 Dec 2009 12:53

21 out of 22 people found this review helpful

Superb, must-see... and unavailable

This movie is the reason I signed up for DVD rental. Sadly, despite being listed on this service, it is unavailable, with no date for when it will become available.

Drowning By Numbers is quite frankly the best arthouse film ever made, the story of five husband-killers, their oddball associates and eccentric lifestyle in the rural English coast.

The drownings form a mere back-story to a longer and far more complicated series of games and pastimes thought up by Smut, the perpetually occupied son of the local coroner. Anyone brought up in an isolated rural community who constructed their own games to pass their childhood time will find this eccentricity strangely familiar.

Unfortunately this DVD has been deleted for several years. I'd hoped that since it came up on a listing for this service, they would actually have an old copy available, but it would seem not. I can't help but feel somewhat cheated out of my money.
- - ANDREW OAKLEY from Gloucestershire, UK
  - Posted 04 Jan 2006 15:23
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Like being stoned

This is the sort of movie that you cannot really explain to other people. It contains nudity, dead animals, skipping, strange childrens games, and multi-generational spouseacide

Brilliant - Peter Greenaway is a legal high!
- - A customer from Freezing, London
  - Posted 20 Jan 2005 12:05
[Highly rated reviewer]

Peter Greenaway's best!

This is more a surreal work of art than a conventional film. That may leave some disappointed, but really you should just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. It should really be restored and released on BluRay. Why we have so much crap available, and yet movies as great as this are not even available on DVD is beyond me.
- - ScreenSimian from Watford
  - Posted 05 Dec 2009 12:53

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Critics' reviews (2)
Cynical black comedy, beautifully played and more accessible than this director's earlier work, although with some obscure formalism.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Obsessed with obscure English folk games and father to corpse-collecting Smut, coroner Madgett becomes involved with... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop

- Drowning by Numbers
  
  When you don't like your husband very much, murder may seem a drastic solution. Unless of course you decide to drown him and you are a close personal friend of a compliant coroner... So far, so good. But, what happens when other members of your family decide to follow your example? 'Drowning By ...