On P List of Movie Reviews
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The Pillow Book (1996)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
4/19
4/19:
The Pillow Book is so aptly titled that I was immediately put to sleep five minutes after playing it,
and this mindless snoozefest literally took me a month to complete.
I had high expectations because of what Peter Greenaway did with
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover and
8 ½ Women. But this is a massive letdown. What saves it from getting a
rating of '1' from me is the editing which is well-done and unique.
Pretty much no director sees cinema more differently than Peter Greenaway, but he needs to learn the art of
coherent storytelling instead of relying on repetition and bland eroticism. I don't mind the long parade of
male genitalia, but there's no point to them if the first goal hasn't been achieved.
Constantly naked in many scenes, Ewan McGregor looks out of place because he's not a competent actor. Vivian Wu,
who isn't a Japanese but a Chinese, cannot save the film, either. The only nice touch is bodies being
covered in beautiful Japanese calligraphy.
All in all, Peter Greenaway is becoming a hit-or-miss director.