Having previously watched Greenaway's 'Prospero's Books', basically from the same era, one definitely gets a sense of the auteur, of great visualizing prowess in the Welsh native. I adore watching Helen Mirren from ANY era, but particularly here, in between the young adulthood beauty she displayed in Michael Powell's 'Age of Consent', through the remarkably absurd and audacious 'Caligula', straight to the sophisticated and very dangerous gorgeousness displayed in 'The Comfort of Strangers'. It's great to see any dude who's mean to a beautiful woman get their comeuppance (particularly the wealthy--it offers a sort of 'wish fulfillment' for the 99% of us), and the climax here is one of cinema's most articulate presentation of that phenomenon. It definitely made me wish to see the rest of both Greenaway's movies and of Mirren's performances. Well worth the acquired taste necessary for this sort of delicacy.

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The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
"Lust...Murder...Dessert. Bon Appetit!"
1989 • 2h 4m • ★ 7.3 (694 votes) Released
When churlish mobster Albert Spica acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Georgina, is especially disgusted by him, and soon begins an affair with regular guest Michael. Despite their best efforts to keep it secret, Spica learns about their trysts, and he plots a terrible revenge.
Director
Peter Greenaway
Screenplay
Peter Greenaway
Rating
7.3
Runtime
124 min
Budget
$2.3M
Revenue
$7.7M
Profit/Loss
+5.4M
Production
Allarts
Elsevier-Vendex Film Beheer
Allarts Cook
Erato Films
Film4 Productions Erbograph Co.
Top Billed Cast
Videos & Trailers
Gallery
Audience Reviews
T
talisencrw
★ 9/10 • May 2, 2016
Keywords
sadismsexualityallegorycookingrestaurantcrime bosssatiresurrealismsociopathmurderbrutalityavant-gardepublic humiliationstray dogabusive husbandfrench cuisineadulterous wifecannibalismviolence
















