8½ Women

8+1⁄2 Women
8+1⁄2 Women
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Peter Greenaway
Written by	Peter Greenaway
Produced by
Starring	John Standing; Matthew Delamere; Vivian Wu; Shizuka Inoh; Barbara Sarafian; Kirina Mano; Manna Fujiwara; Toni Collette; Amanda Plummer; Natacha Amal; Polly Walker;
Cinematography	Reinier van Brummelen; Sacha Vierny
Edited by	Elmer Leupen
Music by	Frank Loesser; Giuseppe Verdi
Production; company	Movie Masters
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films
Release date	22 May 1999 (Cannes); 10 December 1999 (United Kingdom); 6 January 2000 (Netherlands); 26 May 2000 (United States);
Running time	118 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; Netherlands; Luxembourg; Germany
Languages	English; Italian; Japanese; Latin
Box office	$424,123

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
[fr] as Clothilde
[ja] 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[]

[mojo-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b 8+1⁄2 Women at Box Office Mojo

[festival-cannes.com-2] "Festival de Cannes: 8½ Women". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2009.

[3] Ebert, Roger (9 June 2000). "8½ Women". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.

[4] 8+1⁄2 Women at Rotten Tomatoes

[5] 8+1⁄2 Women at Metacritic

[6] Box Office Mojo (30 July 2000). "Weekend Box Office Results for May 26-28, 2000 - Box Office Mojo". Amazon.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.

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