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The Cook, Cook The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
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Reviews & Ratings
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Vincent Poirier
09-08-2025If 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.
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Chris DiZio
09-08-2025Exactly as Described
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Ms. Parker
09-08-2025I 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.
Technical Specifications
A French restaurant is the setting for murder, sex and revenge. The vicious Thief is Albert - Georgina is the long suffering doormat of a Wife - Michael, a fellow diner is the Lover - and the Cook is Chef Richard whose only care is his restaurant.
