The Pillow Book

 

 

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I've always viewed Peter Greenaway as a bit of an outlaw of sorts. There was a time where I tried to appreciate his movies but found them pretentious, boring, and even somewhat gratuitous. As I've matured I've begun to understand that the depth in most of his pictures is real and the meaning behind the visuals worthwhile, though sometimes I wished it would come with a guide. In other words, it isn't always easy to understand Greenaway's movies. Also, so very few of them are on DVD and I can't figure out exactly why. One of his most notorious movies of all time; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, is on DVD but it's a hard one to get your hands on. Probably his most notorious movie to those who have seen it and know what it is, is the hate provoking Baby of Macon, and that one we may never see on DVD. My favorite films of his are Prospero's Books and Drowning by Numbers and they are not available either. That leaves me to review one of his movies that is on DVD, isn't always appreciated among Greenaway fans, but is probably his most accessible film yet. Accessible, probably because it stars the hugely talented mainstream actor Ewen McGregor.

The Pillow Book is a loose modernized telling of the memoirs of the same title written a thousand years ago by a woman who lived to serve a Japanese Empress. It follows Nagiko (Vivian Wu), a Japanese model exploring her cultural and sexual surroundings in modern Hong Kong. Jerome (Ewen McGregor), an English translator, is her favorite of multiple lovers. The two share their common interests in calligraphy, art, poetry, and mutual attraction. The betrayal they experience and the love they share is the superficial template for the first part of the film, but there are far more interesting things that develop as the film goes on. Talking about how the film progresses would reveal too many surprises but the story changes gears and focuses more on Nagiko's passion for her writing, which is really what she is most intensely devoted to at this point in the movie. Her father (Ken Ogata) influenced this passion back to when she was a child and her writings remained unpublished after being rejected by her father's rival, who, as the story treads forward seems to know how great her writing is. Greenaway's ability to understand and play with multi-cultural symbols is a key factor to the success of Nagiko as a character and his ability to mend her passions by the film's conclusion is a success in terms of the film's resolution.

Some filmmakers make confusing and cryptic movies (i.e. Jodoworsky, David Lynch) but for the most part it doesn't seem like it is as intentional as it is with Greenaway's movies. He is a very imaginative director that seems to want to challenge the viewer to understand where he is coming from, for better or worse. If you like that kind of film and the summary I've provided above sounds interesting to you then I would recommend The Pillow Book. Some would say Greenaway's movies are an acquired taste and I would agree. However, if you find yourself enjoying one of them then almost all of them are worth checking out.

Two of the most beautiful things in the world are the written word and the human figure. Even the ones that are not special in themselves embody meaning and subtlety. When Greenaway uses the figure to carry words, he creates imagery that can not be forgotten.

There is so much in this movie that I hardly know where to begin. It starts with a child. Her father's birthday ritual is to tell her a story, always the same one, and to paint calligraphy on her face. Maybe it's a little silly, but it's sweet and loving.

Over time, the girl loses her innocence but gains the strength of adulthood. Her memory of that charming ritual develops, too. First, it loses its childhood innocence; it becomes a passion for her, and the standard by which she measures her lovers. In the end, the ritual gains even more strength and becomes the vehicle for a deadly obsession.

I must warn the potential viewer that the movie's second half goes places far beyond where sanity stops. It is not for people with tender sensibilities.

I'll come back to this movie for it sensual beauty. I won't come back too often, though. The raw rage at the end is just too hard.

A director tosses in some "artful" shots and full nudity for most of the movie and suddenly it's a "beautiful film"???
I kept expecting to see Marilyn Chambers pop up in scenes. I'm not against T&A flicks, but this is trying to be something it isn't, which is sad and pathetic. It's a cheap trashy film that gets a good reputation b/c of who directed it.

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1.0 out of 5 stars A porn movie but 'Artistic'
Highly over-rated. It's like when an artist pisses and ejaculates over a picture and calls it 'nature', then people go 'ooooh aaaaaah!such genius!'. That pretty much summarises it.

Published on July 14 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars A disgrace
It's a disgrace. Nudity from beginning to end. Particularly from that Ewan boy and Vivian Wu. What's there to complain about? Read more

Published on Mar 17 2004 by marcolepsis

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fine Greenaway film
I'm sort of a fan of Greenaway's although I didn't know it, since I found out that I'd liked two of his other films but had never paid attention to who the filmaker was. Read more

Published on Dec 26 2003 by magellan

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!
I had heard about this movie for a long time and finally saw it. It completely blew my mind! This is by far the most visually entrancing movie I've ever seen. Read more

Published on Dec 17 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars WTF???
This movie made no sense to me whatsoever. Hated it.

Published on Nov 29 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!
Lovely. When you're finished with this film you really feel like you've been somewhere.

Published on Nov 6 2003 by D. Krulwich

3.0 out of 5 stars hm...
(...)
this movie is complex, intricate, artsy, and requires you to pay attention to it. for those of you with low attention spans, this movie isnt for you unless you like... Read more

Published on Oct 21 2003 by Pom

5.0 out of 5 stars Stick to Schwarzenegger trash, Shane
The Pillow Book is easily one of the most beautiful, moving and thought-provoking films EVER made. I've watched it at least a dozen times - not for the male nudity as I'm a... Read more

Published on Oct 9 2003 by paul v zach

1.0 out of 5 stars bring on that colostomy bag.........
Watching this so called movie was as entertaining and pleasurable as getting my teeth pulled(without anesthetic). Read more

Published on Sep 9 2003 by cameron

4.0 out of 5 stars Any Way You Slice It...
...The Pillow Book is a fascinating movie. The pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature are bizarrely combined to help a young Japanese woman make sense of her... Read more

Published on Sep 2 2003 by sister_of_substance

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