The Cook, Cook The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

If you have not seen this movie already, think twice before buying this DVD. Instead, wait for a showing at a good art theater, or wait for a better DVD version. Greenaway's movie affects viewers by contrasting beauty and horror, but for the effect to work, the images must be crisp and perfectly rendered. This DVD does not preserve movie quality resolution and so the effect is lost. Apart from that, the movie itself is the most memorable I have ever seen. I first saw it in 1990 and remembered almost all of it before viewing it a second time last night. The production is flawless. Each cast member is matched perfectly to each part: a wry, clever, wise Cook (Bohringer), a violent, unpleasant, loud Thief (Gambon), a suffering quiet Wife (Mirren) and a discrete Lover (Howard). Look also for a young Tim Roth playing his usual delinquent role. The photography is carefully planned, right down to the red water melons with green rinds split open on the cutting table. All the kitchen shots look like masterful 19th century still life paintings. There are interesting visual tricks: the costumes change color as the characters move from the dining room (red) to the kitchen (green). But be warned, this is not a pleasant movie. The film begins and ends with two unmentionable scenes. The thief insults his wife throughout the movie and it's soon difficult not to cringe at the sight of him. There is spitting and graphic vomiting. Make sure you've eaten some time before seeing this. And don't plan a dinner aftewards; you'll be too dizzy.

This is a great movie

I saw this movie for the first time in 1989. It was an absolute surprise for the eyes then, and it still holds up. This was a tour-de-force role for Helen Mirren. As the long-suffering wife of a murderous criminal with a penchant for the finer things, she dares the camera to look away from her. It cannot. There are so many scenes in this film that you will never forget, but the first that comes to mind is a tracking shot of Helen as she moves through different rooms in a restaurant and the way her dress changes in each room. There are scenes that will make you shut your eyes, but I assure you, you must witness the horror in order to know the triumph. It needs to be scene of the biggest screen you own.

Cook-Thief-Wife and Her Lover, is an interesting movie, though not for the faint hearted, not a first date movie unless you both like this genre of movies. I did like it but more in retrospect that when I was watching it. I like movies that spur long debate with wife when they are over and this movie consumed about two hours of debate, including rewinding to check scenes to settle differences of opinions about something or other. The movie has a great cast and Helen Mirren is awesome and even more special considering the movie was released many years ago. Michael Gambon is superb as the nasty cockney gangster, he plays a vile character so well, he puts Michael Cain and Bob Hoskins (The Long Good Friday) to shame playing the character Albert in this movie. This is not a good movie for a planned romantic evening in fact is it a romantic mood killer for both parties, despite the teasing title of the movie. No worries, we knew what we were getting into before we watched it having read several reviews beforehand - thank goodness, otherwise it would have spoiled the evening if romantic movie plans had been on the agenda. Definitely, worth watching if you like edgy movies, the cinematography, and set dressing is magnificent and very artsy. Enjoy.

Definitely worth the read!

I really debated how many stars to give this movie. On the one hand, it is spell-binding. The sets, cinematography, and use of color are incredible. To me, somehow, it felt like I was watching a live play instead of a movie. It felt to me like it could have been written by Shakespeare. On the other hand, the "thief" is a brutal, brutal bully who assaults with his never-ending words almost as much as with his savage violence. After watching it I don't know how to reconcile the emotions of disgust and fascination I felt. I do recommend it to you, but just be prepared for the experience.

Buyers should be aware that this Korean DVD release of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover is censored. Scenes containing nudity are covered with pixelation, so parts of the image are blurred out and cannot be seen as originally filmed. For a movie where the visual design, bodies, costumes, and framing are such an important part of the experience, this really damages the film. The video image quality is also disappointing. In darker scenes, there are visible vertical lines or across the screen, almost like watching the movie through curtains. I regret buying this version and would recommend looking for a different release if you want to see the film uncensored and in better quality.

I did not think I would make it all the way through this film, the start was so unsettling. But, as I trust Helen Mirren's (and that of her agent) judgement, I pressed "pause" for a moment to change my perspective, and plunged back in. Omg, it is so good. Michael Gambon is a huge, domineering talent, and that spills forth in this film, soaking everyone and everything in his Thief's boorishly gluttonous and capitalistic narcissism. Helen Mirren is...oh god, there are no words for what she is. Her range is simply unbelievable, and her Georgina (the Thief's wife) grows and develops and unfurls into facets of Woman we seek, and so seldom find, within ourselves. This is a film fueled by, consumed by, about, and for Rage. It is difficult to watch. But so, SO worth it. As I write this, the tears are still wet on my face. I hated this movie-at the beginning, I felt betrayed...but I consciously altered my p.o.v. to see it as art, and then- I hated it again. Because it ended. And I wanted-needed-it to go on. I will be thinking about this film for days, perhaps for the rest of my life.

Die Bildqualität der Disc ist großteils zufriedenstellend, mit Ausnahme von zwei/drei Sekundenbruchteilen, in denen kurz blaue Balken aufblitzen. Ich habe zwar bereits Kritik über diese Blu-ray bezüglich der auf der Rückseite des Covers angegebenen Aspect Ratio und Laufzeit (welche der der geschnittenen Version entspricht) vernommen, die ich jedoch nicht nachvollziehen kann, da diese zwar in der Tat fälschlich angegeben sind, die Aspect Ratio auf der Disc selbst aber dem Original entspricht und auch der Film selbst hier in der ursprünglichen 124-Minuten-Schnittfassung vorliegt. So weit also nur keine großen Probleme, was jedoch dennoch etwas stört, ist das für Blu-rays ungewöhnliche gänzliche Fehlen von nicht nur Bonusmaterialien, sondern vor allem auch Untertiteln, was es Nicht-Native- Speakern schwer macht, dem Film zu folgen. Wer gute Englisch-Kenntnisse hat, dem sei diese Fassung jedoch durchaus empfohlen.

Lush, dark, deeply satisfying visuals. First watched this at time of release. Rare to find so had to get my own copy.

Per amanti di film commedia stile inglese. A me è piaciuto tantissimo.

Surrealismo puro, con sus crudas, a veces brutales particularidades, la creatividad se sale de todos los cánones. Lo más sofisticado en abundancia, lo más vulgar reducido, pero más potente. Arte en los diseños, la iluminación. Los diálogos Y monólogos tienen su punto interesante. En resumen un surrealismo brillante, una obra de arte de este género. Película de colección.

I am a weirdo so I love this insanely beautifully filmed movie. It is like a living painting. The story is extremely warped, and that’s why I love it. But this movie isn’t for everyone, maybe only a few. Lol.