149: The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover

I’ve probably read more about Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & her Lover (1990) before actually seeing it than any remaining film I’ll encounter on the list.  It was used by Roger Ebert as a principle argument of his brilliant 1990 “Case for an ‘A’ Rating” essay, as well as by right-wing film and cultural critic Michael Medved as a point of departure in his 1992 book, Hollywood Vs. America.  In each of these cases the author notes the fact that Greenaway’s film is certainly not intended for children.  But whom then was it intended for, and what message does it intend to convey to this ambiguous audience?  It has been the subject of so much controversy amongst film critics, the Motion Picture Association of America, the moral right in the U.S., and the political left in the U.K. that its status as a movie seems to have been lost.  A shame really, as it is a good movie at that.

            Georgina (Helen Mirren) is the wife of a cruel and piggish London crime lord.  Each night they dine in a fancy French restaurant he has recently acquired, which he occasionally does business out of.  Though the décor and the cuisine are classical, the crime lord, Albert (Michael Gambon), and his cronies exhibit the behavior of crude and foulmouthed ten year-olds; each comment during dinner more disgusting than the last.  Fed up with this behavior, and tired of Albert’s beatings and insults, Georgina finds solace in the arms of a bookish patron, Michael (Alan Howard), meeting him for a rendezvous in the women’s wash room.  Their relationship, and their escapades, become more complicated every night, as they copulate almost under the nose of the violently jealous Albert in seemingly every room in the restaurant except the dining hall.

            When the gangster is tipped off about the affair, Georgina and Michael are forced into hiding at the book depository he curates.  After events lead to his hideous death at the hands of Albert’s goons, Georgina plots a calculated revenge.  In a scene of absolute masterful acting, Mirren embodies her character’s lament for her lost love and attempts to convince the restaurant chef to cook his disfigured remains.  What she plans to do with them remains one of the most notorious, and controversial, payoff endings in the history of cinema.                

            The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover has been described as “disgusting, vile, and contemptuous,” but it is also operatic, suspenseful, and clever.  Lost in the controversy are the amazing performances by Mirren and Gambon and the artistry of Greenaway, who makes bold choices with camera and mise en scene.  It is both gross and engrossing.  More so than anything it was intended to be a good film for mature audiences, and in that light it succeeds with flying colors.  It is a film to be seen (but not by those with weak stomachs), and further description might only distract from its delights. 

Grade: 3.5 Hats Off