The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989)
Country: GB/FR
Technical: col/scope 124m
Director: Peter Greenaway
Cast: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard
Synopsis:
A London gangster dines nightly at a restaurant he has acquired, abusing his minions and humilating his wife, who fastens on a bookish regular patron and begins an affair with him thanks to the connivance of the chef.
Review:
For some this was a timely synecdoche for Thatcher's Britain, for others it was simply Greenaway's perennial fascination with bodily functions applied to an updating of Jacobean tragedy. In any event it was for strong stomachs only, the stylization (and frequent beauty) nevertheless helping to maintain one's distance from the cruelty almost ever-present in the screenplay. It is a triumph of mise en scène, showcasing the director's characteristic attention to detail, and such elements as the decorated daily menus and Nyman's music point up the contrast between what happens on screen and the taste with which it is presented. A standout Greenaway film, with relatively little of his embarrassing attempts at wordplay in the dialogue, and better than usual acting.
Country: GB/FR
Technical: col/scope 124m
Director: Peter Greenaway
Cast: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard
Synopsis:
A London gangster dines nightly at a restaurant he has acquired, abusing his minions and humilating his wife, who fastens on a bookish regular patron and begins an affair with him thanks to the connivance of the chef.
Review:
For some this was a timely synecdoche for Thatcher's Britain, for others it was simply Greenaway's perennial fascination with bodily functions applied to an updating of Jacobean tragedy. In any event it was for strong stomachs only, the stylization (and frequent beauty) nevertheless helping to maintain one's distance from the cruelty almost ever-present in the screenplay. It is a triumph of mise en scène, showcasing the director's characteristic attention to detail, and such elements as the decorated daily menus and Nyman's music point up the contrast between what happens on screen and the taste with which it is presented. A standout Greenaway film, with relatively little of his embarrassing attempts at wordplay in the dialogue, and better than usual acting.
Country: GB/FR
Technical: col/scope 124m
Director: Peter Greenaway
Cast: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard
Synopsis:
A London gangster dines nightly at a restaurant he has acquired, abusing his minions and humilating his wife, who fastens on a bookish regular patron and begins an affair with him thanks to the connivance of the chef.
Review:
For some this was a timely synecdoche for Thatcher's Britain, for others it was simply Greenaway's perennial fascination with bodily functions applied to an updating of Jacobean tragedy. In any event it was for strong stomachs only, the stylization (and frequent beauty) nevertheless helping to maintain one's distance from the cruelty almost ever-present in the screenplay. It is a triumph of mise en scène, showcasing the director's characteristic attention to detail, and such elements as the decorated daily menus and Nyman's music point up the contrast between what happens on screen and the taste with which it is presented. A standout Greenaway film, with relatively little of his embarrassing attempts at wordplay in the dialogue, and better than usual acting.