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| Special Features: |
Chapter Selections.
Theatrical Trailers.
Widescreen format.
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| Video Format: |
Widescreen (2.35:1)
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
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| Captions: |
None.
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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Peter Greenaway is a cinematic visionary without peer. His two most famous works "Prosepero's Books" and "The Cook,
The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" are filmed in a lyrical, poetic and somewhat theatrical fashion. They are films
like no others you may have seen. How much you like them will depend on your own artistic tastes and instincts.
Anchor Bay has released "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" on DVD. This film is one of the most dark,
relentless portraits of evil ever put on film. Anyone with issues about spousal abuse or child abuse might want
to stay away. Others enter at your own risk. This film may be visually dazzling, but it is capable of inflicting
psychic scars on the viewer. It is a dark comedy which ends with an unforgettable sequence. Getting to that dark
punch line is a rigorous journey which takes a strong stomach and a twisted sense of humor.
The Cook, Richard (Richard Bohringer) runs a 5 star gourmet restaurant, The Hollandaise. The Thief, Albert (Michael Gambon) has bought into the restaurant. His hobbies are brutalizing those around him for profit.
His motley crew (including Tim Roth as Mitchell) dines at The Hollandaise each evening. Albert is a man with
no restraints whatsoever. He harasses one patron in the men's room, calling him a pervert on the prowl for
gay sex. When the elderly tuxedoed gentleman gets indignant and threatens to get the manager, Albert tells him he is the manager and knees the man in the groin. Albert is a fun loving kind of guy. Albert's wife, Georgina (Helen Mirren) finds herself the but of most of Albert's abuse. He beats her regularly. He also performs other numerous unspeakable acts on her. Georgina catches the eye of another diner. Her lover's name is Michael (Alan Howard). Michael reads his books each night. Georgina and Michael catch each other's eyes. The quickly become lovers. They meet in the kitchen, the bathroom, wherever they can to make love. Their sexual affair soon turns into love. They are aided in their affair by Richard and the rest of the restaurant staff. That is the basic premise of the film. Brave viewers may now choose to venture further. Be forewarned, this is not an easy movie to watch, despite the stunning visuals.
Greenaway uses colors in a highly symbolic way. The different sets have a color which sets the tone for what happens there. As the characters move from one room to another, their clothes change color to match the set. This is disconcerting at first, but becomes somewhat comforting after a while. The viewer begins to dread the color red and look forward to the green and gold hues of this movie.
The acting is excellent. The film is full of equal number of extremely erotic scenes and some of the most
disturbing violence you are likely to run across. Most of the violence is psychological, but there is some
very disturbing and humiliating physical violence. I'm no prude. I have been working on my own comedic
screenplay involving child abuse for many years. I can't seem to complete it because I feel like I need
a shower after each sitting in front of the word processor. I felt like I needed a shower after finishing
this film. Is it a stunning movie? Yes. Is it entertaining? Who knows. I guess it depends on what you
call entertaining. Is it powerful, artistic and serious. No doubt.
An OK disc. The movie has its fans and detractors. There isn't much to speak of in the extras department.
The sound is poor. The menu is great and the picture is excellent.
Picture Quality: 10/10
All of Greenaway's symbolic use of color is on dazzling display.
Sound Quality: 6/10
I had to turn my TV up nearly to full volume to hear many of the scenes. Maybe it is just a glitch on my disc.
Menu: 10/10
Nice use of the music and visuals from the film. Combines the erotic and disturbing qualities of the film
in the menu. Only complaint is the lack of photo illustration on the chapter search section.
Extra Features: 2/10
Where's the beef? There are 2 theatrical trailers which are quite good, but that's it. This movie screams
out for a commentary track. I'd like to hear from not only director Greenaway, but also the actors. It must
be quite an experience to work on such an unconventional and risky film.
The Final Word:
Fans of the movie will like the picture quality. They will be disappointed by the lack of extras. Even
without the extras, this beats the heck out of the VHS format.
Rusty White
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