THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1993 Ken Johnson
123 min., NC-17, Drama/Comedy, 1990 Director: Peter Greenaway Cast: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard, Tim Roth, Liz Smith
Almost all of this film takes place in a fancy restaurant. Thief Michael Gambon owns a very fancy French restaurant and dines there nightly with his wife Helen Mirren. Helen Mirren spies diner Richard Bohringer in the restaurant. Richard Bohringer and Helen Mirren start a nightly affair in various parts of the restaurant, while Michael Gambon is dining in the main dining room room. The head cook at the restaurant hides Helen Mirren and Richard Bohringer's activity from Michael Gambon.
I think that THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER is British director Peter Greenaway's most famous film to date (partially, I think, because it was one of the first films to receive the NC-17 rating). I was first exposed to Peter Greenaway with his film PROSPERO'S BOOKS, which I hated. Because of a recommendation from a reader, I then tried his film DROWNING BY NUMBERS, which I thought was great. So, after what I thought of DROWNING BY NUMBERS, I thought I would try another one of Greenaway's films, namely this one. I am pleased to say that I liked this film very much.
I can't recommend this film to the average film goer, because you would probably hate it. I can recommend this film to those who have had exposure to Greenaway's work and enjoyed it, those who enjoy weird films (like SANTA SANGRE), those who are bored with modern cinema, and those who like to try different types of films. Those of you who have seen PROSPERO'S BOOKS and disliked it still might want to give this film (and DROWNING BY NUMBERS) a try for I feel that they are very different. On a scale of zero to five, I give THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER a four. THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER is rated NC-17 for male nudity, female nudity, violence, explicit language, and adult situations.
Don't let the NC-17 rating scare you away from this film. Like the films WHORE, SANTA SANGRE, and HENRY AND JUNE, this is not a porno film. If the NC-17 rating does scare you, I believe that there is a cut R rated version, which you could try to find. This is, however, not a film for the squeamish because there are several scenes that are disgusting (nothing that is anything worse than some of the things that Monty Python has done in the past). I saw this film on video cassette, and as with other films by Greenaway, this film is best seen on a big screen. I don't believe that this film is still playing in theaters, so you will most likely have to see it on video cassette.
One of the things that Peter Greenaway plays with in this film is colors. When watching the film pay attention to the different colored rooms, or areas, and the furnishings and clothing. Also pay close attention to a person's clothing when they change rooms. I think that this idea is clever, and makes the film seem different. The sets were very well designed to go according to the different color schemes in this film. Also Greenaway made very good use of colored lights, especially in the kitchen.
The people in this film are great. Several of the people in this film I have never seen before, but they did an excellent job. Richard Bohringer was excellent as "The Lover." His best scene is when Michael Gambon first goes over to talk to him. Michael Gambon (MOBSTERS) was great as "The Thief." I think that he gave the best performance in this film. His character was extremely rude and vulgar, and Gambon seems to fit this role perfectly. Helen Mirren (WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD) was good as "His Wife." Her performance changed perfectly when she changed from being with Michael Gambon to being with Richard Bohringer. The person who played "The Cook" (Alan Howard, I think) was also great. Tim Roth (ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD) as one of Michael Gambon's acquaintances, even though he was not around for much, was excellent. Writer/Director Peter Greenaway has made an excellent film that makes me want to find the other films by him that I have not seen yet.
-------- Ken Johnson blj@mithrandir.cs.unh.edu
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