Review of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) by Natalia F — 04 Dec 2009
You always know that you are in for a rather alternative experience when you watch a Peter Greenaway film, and this is no exception. A visual feast, this movie looks like something conceived by Caravaggio, with a score by Michael Nyman and costumes by John Paul Gautier.
An oafish bully of a gangster (The Theif) dines every night at a French restaurant with his cronies and his beautiful wife (His Wife). The long suffering wife soon begins an affair with a bookish loner (Her Lover) on another table, helped along by the long suffering head chef of the restaurant (The Cook). Things soon go awry when the husband finds out what is happening.
Along with great tenderness and beauty, this film has stomach-turning violence and elements that will disgust. But as usual, Greenaway has shown that a movie can really be a work of art.
This review of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) was written by Natalia F on 04 Dec 2009.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover has generally received very positive reviews.
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