DROWNING BY NUMBERS
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1992 Ken Johnson
115 min., R, Drama, 1988
Director: Peter Greenaway
Cast: Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson,
Bernard Hill, Jason Edwards
Three women, all named Cissy (Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson), end up drowning their husbands. The local coroner, Bernard Hill, covers up the drownings, but wants sexual favors in return.
Earlier this year, I saw the film PROSPERO'S BOOKS, also by Peter Greenaway, and, because I disliked it, I decided I would never see another of Greenaway's film. A reader of my review of PROSPERO'S BOOKS recommended DROWNING BY NUMBERS, so when it came to my local art theater I decided to see it. I am glad that I did, DROWNING BY NUMBERS is everything that PROSPERO'S BOOKS could have been. After seeing this film, my opinion of Peter Greenaway has changed, and I will be trying to see other films of his to see if they are as good as this one. I highly recommend that you go see this film. I can't promise that you will like it, but if you don't give it a chance you'll never know. On a scale of zero to five, I give DROWNING BY NUMBERS a four. DROWNING BY NUMBERS is rated R for female nudity, male nudity, adult situations, adult humor, and explicit language.
DROWNING BY NUMBERS, even though it is on videocassette, will lose some of its beauty off the big screen. I recommend if you are tempted to rent DROWNING BY NUMBERS instead of seeing it in the theater in order to save money that you reconsider. DROWNING BY NUMBERS is different from most of the films on the market today. It is not pulled down by cliches, nor is it out to please everyone. I feel that it is safe to say that not everyone will like DROWNING BY NUMBERS. I recommend that people who are already fans of Peter Greenaway go to see this film along with anyone willing to give the film a chance. I even advise that the people who disliked PROSPERO'S BOOKS see this film, for it is very different from PROSPERO'S BOOKS. Peter Greenaway, as usual, was obviously not worried about whether some people would be offended by this film. There is complete frontal nudity of both males and females, sex, and black humor related to killing one's husband. The story line, itself, is black in nature and sure to offend some people. I highly suggest that anyone who is bored with today's cinema or has a taste for the bizarre venture to see this film -- for Peter Greenaway's film can certainly not be described as "the same old thing." The use of nudity was very different in this film than in PROSPERO'S BOOKS. In PROSPERO'S BOOKS it was just there. In this film it is used in an erotic fashion. In fact, the entire film has erotic backing to it.
The plot to DROWNING BY NUMBERS, I feel, is not very important to the film. Mostly the beauty lies in the photography and scenery that was used. I found the characters in DROWNING BY NUMBERS much more interesting than in PROSPERO'S BOOKS. In PROSPERO'S BOOKS the characters seemed to almost be cardboard. In DROWNING BY NUMBERS the characters have more life added to them; they are interesting, and you get drawn into the film. Not all the characters in the film are likable, but each is itself. None of the characters is held down by standard Hollywood cliches that harm some films.
Throughout the film the numbers one to a hundred are placed. Some are very obvious and some are intricately woven into the scenery. The number one may be the easiest for it is just placed on a tree. For others you really have to be observant. For the few slow spots, one can count the numbers, but for the most part you will probably either be enjoying the scenery or the acting.
The scenery used for the film was quite good. It seemed to have a sort of magical presence to it. It is like the very end of GONE WITH THE WIND where Scarlet is silhouetted with the tree and the sun in the background. It has a charm to it, but is not tacky. Something should also be said about the props used in the film. Some of them were very imaginative I feel. The whole look of the film is refreshingly different. It is a welcome change in the movie industry, and I hope that Peter Greenaway continues to make films more like this one, and less like PROSPERO'S BOOKS.
Ken J. blj@mithrandir.cs.unh.edu
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