8½ Women
| 8½ Women | |
|---|---|
|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Greenaway |
| Produced by | Kees Kasander |
| Written by | Peter Greenaway |
| Starring |
John Standing Matthew Delamere Vivian Wu |
| Music by |
Frank Loesser Giuseppe Verdi |
| Cinematography |
Reinier van Brummelen Sacha Vierny |
| Edited by | Elmer Leupen |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country |
United Kingdom Netherlands Luxembourg Germany |
| Language |
English Italian Japanese Latin |
| Box office | $424,123[1] |
8½ Women is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, and starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, and Vivian Wu. The international co-production (the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany) was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Plot
After the death of his wife (Claire Johnston), wealthy businessman Philip Emmenthal (John Standing) and his son Storey (Matthew Delamere) open their own private harem in their family residence in Geneva (they get the idea while watching Federico Fellini's 8½ 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 favourite 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 "½", played by Manna Fujiwara) 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.
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
- Barbara Sarafian as Clothilde
- Kirina Mano 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
8½ Women received mixed to negative reviews; it holds a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[3] the film is currently Greenaway's lowest-rated film on the site.[4] On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has 36/100, 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
- 1 2 8½ Women at Box Office Mojo
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: 8½ Women". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ 8½ Women at Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ Rotten Tomatoes (2000-05-26). "Peter Greenaway - Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ 8½ Women at Metacritic
- ↑ Box Office Mojo (2000-07-30). "Weekend Box Office Results for May 26-28, 2000 - Box Office Mojo". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
External links
- 8½ Women at the Internet Movie Database
- 8½ Women at AllMovie
- 8½ Women at Box Office Mojo
- 8½ Women at Rotten Tomatoes
- 8½ Women at Metacritic
- 8½ Women at petergreenaway.org.uk
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