This is probably Peter Greenaway's most famous (or infamous) film, which first shocked audiences at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and then on both sides of the Atlantic. A gang leader (Michael Gambon), accompanied by his wife (Helen Mirren) and his associates, entertains himself every night in a fancy French restaurant that he .. Read more
| Starring | Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard |
|---|---|
| Director | Peter Greenaway |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
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This is probably Peter Greenaway's most famous (or infamous) film, which first shocked audiences at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and then on both sides of the Atlantic. A gang leader (Michael Gambon), accompanied by his wife (Helen Mirren) and his associates, entertains himself every night in a fancy French restaurant that he has recently bought. Having tired of her sadistic, boorish husband, the wife finds herself a lover (Alan Howard) and makes love to him in the restaurant's coziest places with the silent permission of the cook (Richard Bohringer). Though less cerebral than Greenaway's other films, featuring deadly passions reminiscent of Jacobean revenge tragedies of the early 17th century, the picture still offers the director's usual ironic and paradoxical comments on the relations between eating and sex, love and death. The film is at once funny and horrific, and those who are not used to Greenaway's peculiar style might be even disgusted or shocked; however, one might mention Sacha Vierny's brilliant camerawork, Jean-Paul Gaultier's gaudily stylized costumes, and Michael Nyman's somber, pulsating music, which will haunt the viewer long after the film's end.~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard, Roger Lloyd-Pack |
|---|---|
| Director | Peter Greenaway |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 59 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1989 To Rent: DVD: 10 Nov 2003 |
Elegant, stylized, painterly and extremely brutal variation on a Jacobean revenge tragedy, though some have seen it as a political satire on our materialistic times.
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A Unique Vision
Peter Greenaway is a unique filmmaker and this is one of his most accessible works. He creates films which exist in worlds organised by strange systems: ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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The Cook etc etc
Absolute drivle. Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren should be ashamed to be part of this. The only bright bit was Helen's revealing part. The script writers, ... read more »
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Excessive and completely unforgetable
This film was pure cinematic gold.
Vulgar, excessive, sexy and raw. Outstanding acting and a dialogue that was both real and compelling.
... read more »
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OMG English black humor wrapped in Continental decadence
WOW what was that an English film?!
ABSOLUTE decadence in the continental fashion, English gangsterism, DROP-DEAD late-Eighties costumes by none ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
Now that school's out for summer, and Harry Potter and chums are growing up, we thought it was about time to turn the tables and file a report card on the teaching staff at Hogwarts. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are beginning to branch out for themselves into the Muggles' world. If they're serious about making the grade in movies, how do the esteemed British thespians they've been studying with these past few years measure up as role models? Tom Charity tom.charity@lovefilm.co Read more
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