8½ Women
8+1⁄2 Women | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Greenaway |
Written by | Peter Greenaway |
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Reinier van Brummelen Sacha Vierny |
Edited by | Elmer Leupen |
Music by | Frank Loesser Giuseppe Verdi |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom Netherlands Luxembourg Germany |
Languages | English Italian Japanese Latin |
Box office | $424,123[1] |
8+1⁄2 Women is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway and starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, and Vivian Wu. An international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany, it was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Plot[]
After the death of his wife Amelia, wealthy businessman Philip Emmenthal (John Standing) and his son Storey () open their own private harem in their family residence in Geneva. They get the idea while watching Federico Fellini's 8+1⁄2 and after Storey is "given" a woman, Simato (Shizuka Inoh), to waive her pachinko debts. They sign one-year contracts with eight (and a half) women to this effect.
The women each have a gimmick (one is a nun, another a kabuki performer, etc.). Philip soon becomes dominated by his favorite of the concubines, Palmira (Polly Walker), who has no interest in Storey as a lover, despite what their contract might stipulate. Philip dies, the concubines' contracts expire, and Storey is left alone with Giulietta (the titular "1⁄2" as an amputee) and of course the money and the houses.
While the film deals with and graphically describes diverse sexual acts in conversation, the film does not feature any sex scenes as such, though it does contain several instances of male nudity.[3]
Cast[]
- John Standing as Philip Emmenthal
- Matthew Delamere as Storey Emmenthal
- Vivian Wu as Kita
- Shizuka Inoh as Simato
- Toni Collette as Griselda / Sister Concordia
- Amanda Plummer as Beryl
- Natacha Amal as Giaconda
- as Clothilde
- as Mio
- Manna Fujiwara as Giulietta/Half Woman
- Polly Walker as Palmira
- Elizabeth Berrington as Celeste
- Myriam Muller as Marianne
- Don Warrington as Simon
- Claire Johnston as Amelia
Reception[]
8+1⁄2 Women received mixed reviews. As of November 2019 it holds a 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[4] and 36/100 (an average of critics' reviews) on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[5]
The film opened at the box office at #50 with $92,000[6] and grossed $424,123 domestically.[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b 8+1⁄2 Women at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: 8½ Women". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (9 June 2000). "8½ Women". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ 8+1⁄2 Women at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ 8+1⁄2 Women at Metacritic
- ^ Box Office Mojo (30 July 2000). "Weekend Box Office Results for May 26-28, 2000 - Box Office Mojo". Amazon.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
External links[]
- 1999 films
- 1990s comedy-drama films
- British films
- British comedy-drama films
- Dutch films
- Dutch comedy-drama films
- Films set in Geneva
- Luxembourgian films
- German films
- German comedy-drama films
- English-language films
- English-language Dutch films
- English-language German films
- Italian-language films
- Japanese-language films
- Latin-language films
- Films directed by Peter Greenaway
- Films shot in Luxembourg
- Films shot in Japan
- British independent films
- Lionsgate films
- Dutch independent films
- German independent films
- Erotic drama films
- 1999 independent films
- Luxembourgian comedy-drama films
- Luxembourgian independent films
- 1999 comedy films
- 1999 drama films
- Japan in non-Japanese culture