There’s a melancholy rich old man named Philip (John Standing) who’s
just lost his wife. Standing in front of a mirror naked he complains
to his son Storey (Mathew Delamere also naked) that he’s getting old.
They proceed to stare at their anatomy console themselves by jumping
into bed together watch the Fellini flick and decide to create their
own bordello of women on their estate. There’s some deeper theme here
about women having power but it’s difficult to find under all the
nudity.
There are willing women everywhere and yet Standing repeatedly — and
annoyingly — grumbles his unhappiness and swoons over the young
sensual Palmira (Polly Walker) the only one who smirks her way into the
affections of both men. The actresses’ performances range from amusing
(Vivian Wu as a businesswoman) to confusing (Shizuka Inoh as a
materialistic gambling addict) to plain weird (Amanda Plummer who is
just way too attached to her horse and a fat pig. Don’t ask.)
Anyone familiar with Peter Greenaway knows about his penchant for flesh
(“The Pillow Book ” “The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover”) and
his method of artistry over direction. Trained as a painter Greenaway
loves to shock audiences with unabashed nudity particularly of
characters that aren’t curvy thin or young. But it can be equally
off-putting to moviegoers who really might not want to see “natural
images” blown up onscreen. (And by the way for the amount of skin
there’s very little sex in the film.)
