Peter Greenaway is the supreme film stylist of the 20th century. He creates tales, not stories in the conventional narrative sense, of our erotic desires and murderous impulses within the context of literature and art history. He said recently that films are more concerned with pop culture than with art. I couldn't agree more with the current schlock in cinemas nowadays. Arguably, his most profound work was the controversial "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover," a savagely funny tale of revenge and sex in a decadent restaurant. It was not for all tastes, but then who says art is? "The Pillow Book" is his latest film, and it is enticing, sexy and alluring though Greenaway often shies away from his basic premise.
"The Pillow Book" stars Vivian Wu as Nagiko, a flamboyant fashion model who is obsessed with calligraphy. Her first husband had no interest in her obsession and, as a result, their house was burnt down. Several years later, she develops a certain sexual obsession: she wants to find the perfect lover who can also paint calligraphy all over her body. Her obsession emanates from her childhood when her father painted words on her face. Her latest lover is a bisexual translator, Jerome (Ewan McGregor from "Trainspotting"), and she insists that he write all over her body. If man can make perfect love to her, then he also must be able to write perfect letters.
Peter Greenaway's gift as a director is his visual flamboyance - an ability to layer several images together to convey the erotic feeling of where mind and body integrate. He beautifully executes scenes of passion from the lovingly choreographed close-up shots of men painting on Nagiko's skin to lighting effects of Chinese symbols flashing and dissolving on the walls - the effect is grandiose yet thrilling. The technique of rectangular frames subdividing the screen and changing from black-and-white to color is marvelous to behold - this style of editing originated in Greenaway's "Prospero's Books." No other director can match the love and care that he puts into every shot of his films (except for Scorsese and Lynch). In the end, though, it is really more about Greenaway's own obsession of literature and art than it is about Nagiko's personal odyssey.
"The Pillow Book" becomes somewhat melodramatic in the last half when it erroneously stays away from the character of Nagiko. Greenaway (who wrote the film) devises a revenge plot involving Nagiko's father's employer - a homosexual whom Nagiko feels had destroyed her family. After Jerome begins to get involved with this character, a spooky and, literally, revealing thing happens to Jerome's skin. But instead of focusing on Nagiko's obsessive behavior, the movie opts for elements that negate the first half of the film - the sexual connection of flesh and writing. The revenge plot is typical of Greenaway but here, he loses the themes he explored beforehand and so the film becomes distracting and laborious. There are several scenes of naked bodies covered in writing confronting the evil homosexual, but they become repetitious and meaningless. However, when Nagiko plans to keep her lover, the idea of flesh and text is restored.
"The Pillow Book" is better seen than described. It is purely a filmic exercise in exploring themes rather than placing them in a narrative structure or plot. Greenaway should be commended for trying to push the boundaries of film structure in an age of homogenized hogwash. Nagiko is wonderfully performed with genuine emotion by the sensual actress Vivian Wu (her lovemaking sessions with Jerome are truly sexy). If only Greenaway chose a more internal frame of mind when exploring Nagiko instead of coldly pulling her out towards the end. "The Pillow Book" is a masterpiece of filmmaking but it is not as intricate or as intimate as Greenaway's other works.
For more reviews check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://buffs.moviething.com/buffs/faust/
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