This is a beautiful movie visually, but you need to keep concentrating on what is happening. Don't ask why too much with this - the effect of actions is reason enough to take them. Vivan Wu is very good, as is Ewan McGregor, in a different role for him. It reminds you also of what are some of the best things about Japan, and what are some of the worst things about men. Well worth buying the DVD and watching over and over.
106 Reviews
Sensual, erotic & languid
Afracious25 July 2000
At the beginning of the film we see a little girl being written upon by her father. The film then moves to the girl as an adult, and seeking lovers who will write on her body again. She meets a bisexual Englishman, who also likes to be written on, and she finds out he is also a former lover of a man who has previously betrayed her father.
Greenaway uses some of the techniques from Prospero's Books, in the way the film is shown, with small rectangular boxes containing other images. The film is beautiful to look at, as per usual with Greenaway's films. There is also a seductive French song that plays at times during the film, a sensuous lady performs this tune, and it is very appropriate to the film. The film is erotic, with plenty of nudity on view. I do think the film is a bit languid at times though, and this hurts it, but it's still an impressive piece of cinema.
Greenaway uses some of the techniques from Prospero's Books, in the way the film is shown, with small rectangular boxes containing other images. The film is beautiful to look at, as per usual with Greenaway's films. There is also a seductive French song that plays at times during the film, a sensuous lady performs this tune, and it is very appropriate to the film. The film is erotic, with plenty of nudity on view. I do think the film is a bit languid at times though, and this hurts it, but it's still an impressive piece of cinema.
A Visual Celebration of Artists and Bodies. And Stereotypes.
noralee12 December 2005
I had to push through the crowds on the sidewalk coming in and out of "Batman & Robin" to get to be one of four people in the theater to see "Pillow Book" - and two left during the movie. This was my first Peter Greenaway movie and OK so I went to see ALL of Ewan Macgregor but it had other rewards.
It's in three parts: the first is the complicated set-up to the story line. The projectionist screwed up the first five minutes so it took awhile to figure out what was going on. Turns out Greenaway is primarily a visual artist; nice to see the cinematic techniques from the 1964/5 World's Fair finally being turned into an artistic purpose (other than the Woodstock movie).
A theme is given at the end of the first third, roughly "There are 2 pleasures in life: those of the flesh and those of literature." And this combines them. However, as a visual artist he shrugs at the different definitions of "writing" - it's immaterial to him whether one means an author, a translator or a calligrapher, tho he scorns a "scribbler".
The second part is Plot Central and Ewen is more insouciant and spirited than any other character to give the story life (though I had to laugh at the idea that he was a Yiddish translator), certainly more than the other living canvases (including the lead actress who was chosen less for her one-note acting than her willingness to be frequently nude one suspects). Also the nude bodies were chosen to be good calligraphic canvases and not to be distractingly erotic or well-toned so do just become background (only a British director would do that).
The third part is the gripper - turning the movie into Mythic Story and raising it several notches of visual images and themes. What was more disturbing, however, is Greenaway buying into the Mysterious Orient. I do think we're hundreds of years overdue to stop this stereotype already. Was Japanese then chosen for the beauty of the calligraphy - or just so that Western audiences wouldn't be distracted by reading the words instead of soaking in images? Therefore is the movie a different experience for someone who can actually read the lettering? Let alone a non-English, non-Japanese reading audience. There's some bias intrinsic there. Why not use Latin? Arabic? Not everything is subtitled as the subtitle experience is part of the visual theme, such as when the gorgeous French song done over the love scene is only subtitled in French (I couldn't catch the credits that whisked by at the end).
A nice visual pun near the end compared so many gangster movies where we see the neatly dressed Mafioso etc. in expensive suits putting on a pinkie ring, etc., and here the danger is clearly when the Yakuza-type takes off his clothes.
(originally written 6/20/1997)
It's in three parts: the first is the complicated set-up to the story line. The projectionist screwed up the first five minutes so it took awhile to figure out what was going on. Turns out Greenaway is primarily a visual artist; nice to see the cinematic techniques from the 1964/5 World's Fair finally being turned into an artistic purpose (other than the Woodstock movie).
A theme is given at the end of the first third, roughly "There are 2 pleasures in life: those of the flesh and those of literature." And this combines them. However, as a visual artist he shrugs at the different definitions of "writing" - it's immaterial to him whether one means an author, a translator or a calligrapher, tho he scorns a "scribbler".
The second part is Plot Central and Ewen is more insouciant and spirited than any other character to give the story life (though I had to laugh at the idea that he was a Yiddish translator), certainly more than the other living canvases (including the lead actress who was chosen less for her one-note acting than her willingness to be frequently nude one suspects). Also the nude bodies were chosen to be good calligraphic canvases and not to be distractingly erotic or well-toned so do just become background (only a British director would do that).
The third part is the gripper - turning the movie into Mythic Story and raising it several notches of visual images and themes. What was more disturbing, however, is Greenaway buying into the Mysterious Orient. I do think we're hundreds of years overdue to stop this stereotype already. Was Japanese then chosen for the beauty of the calligraphy - or just so that Western audiences wouldn't be distracted by reading the words instead of soaking in images? Therefore is the movie a different experience for someone who can actually read the lettering? Let alone a non-English, non-Japanese reading audience. There's some bias intrinsic there. Why not use Latin? Arabic? Not everything is subtitled as the subtitle experience is part of the visual theme, such as when the gorgeous French song done over the love scene is only subtitled in French (I couldn't catch the credits that whisked by at the end).
A nice visual pun near the end compared so many gangster movies where we see the neatly dressed Mafioso etc. in expensive suits putting on a pinkie ring, etc., and here the danger is clearly when the Yakuza-type takes off his clothes.
(originally written 6/20/1997)
Interesting, but too calculated to be truly erotic
Private_Beach17 November 2003
Like many of Peter Greenaway's movies, Pillow Book features extensive nudity. However, while the plot development is well worked out, the cast is competent, and Greenaway shows off a dazzling array of cinematic techniques, he always seems to approach his material too intellectually to really engage the viewer's emotions. I cannot know his intentions, but my impression is that he regards his scripts as more akin to a complex mathematical puzzle to be worked out than a story about real people with human feelings, leaving the movie worth watching but curiously cool and clinical rather than passionately erotic.
Fatally Flawed
Aulic Exclusiva15 April 2007
Inventive and most original, full of arresting images and unpredictable developments, this flick has one fatal flaw.
The whole progression of the story is predicated on the character Nagiko's obsessive power over others. One would have to have the beauty and fascination of ten Mata Haris to carry off this woman's singular willfulness. But the actress who impersonates Nagiko has none of that. She is a reasonably pretty female with little or no personal magnetism that one can discern. Her high-pitched voice and peevish, juvenile enunciation of the English language are singularly irritating. At one point she is called by the script to scream out the name Jerome a dozen times (she pronounces it "J'roam"): she sounds like a hysterical high school student, or perhaps a dental assistant whose finger has been drilled through.
As a result of this flaw, the spectator is bewildered by the sight of two dozen men running around feverishly trying to execute this woman's whims. It makes nonsense of the whole situation.
Ewan McGregor is sweet and charismatic (and lovely to look at) as the much screamed about Jeromeone wonders what did he ever see in the aggravating Nagiko.
The whole progression of the story is predicated on the character Nagiko's obsessive power over others. One would have to have the beauty and fascination of ten Mata Haris to carry off this woman's singular willfulness. But the actress who impersonates Nagiko has none of that. She is a reasonably pretty female with little or no personal magnetism that one can discern. Her high-pitched voice and peevish, juvenile enunciation of the English language are singularly irritating. At one point she is called by the script to scream out the name Jerome a dozen times (she pronounces it "J'roam"): she sounds like a hysterical high school student, or perhaps a dental assistant whose finger has been drilled through.
As a result of this flaw, the spectator is bewildered by the sight of two dozen men running around feverishly trying to execute this woman's whims. It makes nonsense of the whole situation.
Ewan McGregor is sweet and charismatic (and lovely to look at) as the much screamed about Jeromeone wonders what did he ever see in the aggravating Nagiko.
Words Made Flesh
AZINDN5 October 2005
The Pillow Book is a rare film that transcends limitations of film and text in a unique handling by auteur Peter Greenaway. Based loosely on the tenth century writings of the imperial court observer, Sei Shonagon, Greenaway brings to the screen a rich visual amalgam that relies on stunning settings, the physical beauty of actors Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor, and the joy of ancient and modern systems of writing that are the calligraphic arts.
Greenaway's penchant for incorporating art, numbers, books, and architecture in a filmic medium ensure those who enjoy his style will not be disappointed. As a young child, Wu's character has celebrated her birthday's by having her father write the story of creation on her face in a family ritual celebration. However, with adulthood and marriage, her spouse is neither interested nor willing to continue her tradition. Frustrated at her inability to find a lover who is a good calligrapher, or a calligrapher who is a good lover, Wu finally meets a bi-sexual translator, Jerome (McGregor) who offers himself to Wu as a living surface for her erotic creativity. Inspired by the opportunity to obtain revenge on the publisher who blackmailed her father and is Jerome's lover, Wu's character, Nagiko creates the ultimate love poem illuminated in red, gold and black characters and delivered to the publisher on the naked body of Jerome.
The Pillow Book is adult eroticism at it's most sensuous and visual best. It is a story that revels in the binaries of the profane and grotesque, yet delights the eye with Greenaway's ability to translate a vision of love and horror into a singular statement of lush physical beauty and passionate sexuality.
Greenaway's penchant for incorporating art, numbers, books, and architecture in a filmic medium ensure those who enjoy his style will not be disappointed. As a young child, Wu's character has celebrated her birthday's by having her father write the story of creation on her face in a family ritual celebration. However, with adulthood and marriage, her spouse is neither interested nor willing to continue her tradition. Frustrated at her inability to find a lover who is a good calligrapher, or a calligrapher who is a good lover, Wu finally meets a bi-sexual translator, Jerome (McGregor) who offers himself to Wu as a living surface for her erotic creativity. Inspired by the opportunity to obtain revenge on the publisher who blackmailed her father and is Jerome's lover, Wu's character, Nagiko creates the ultimate love poem illuminated in red, gold and black characters and delivered to the publisher on the naked body of Jerome.
The Pillow Book is adult eroticism at it's most sensuous and visual best. It is a story that revels in the binaries of the profane and grotesque, yet delights the eye with Greenaway's ability to translate a vision of love and horror into a singular statement of lush physical beauty and passionate sexuality.
This is what an Art movie can do!
hernan_amado3 October 2002
Peter Grenaway has carried out a very interesting, controversial and original movie, in which he actually keeps the viewer wondering what'll happen to the movie's characters, especially Ewan Macgregor's who surely gave the most challenging performance of his career, since many privileged actors would be embarrassed or would turn down the part that Ewan had in this movie. Ewan Macgregor gives a very complex and interesting performance, he is not embarrassed to be totally naked and to have mild sex scenes with both a woman and a man, in this case Nagiko, and the editor! Ewan has showed the viewers he's not ashamed to do whatever the character requires him to do, in this case frontal nudes and as I mentioned earlier, love scenes with another man. I found Ewan Macgregor convincing for the part because he was really serious about what he was doing. He knew he wasn't simply acting for a rude movie, but an artistic one. With `The Pillow Book' he has demonstrated great range!. The way this film shows Japanese culture is outstanding; it makes us learn more about other cultures. I found this film very informative about the people in Japan and what their culture is like. The plot of "The Pillow Book" is very original; it shows a lot of nudes, written bodies and flashy ways to write on skin. Those are some of the reasons why Peter Grenaway should be acclaimed. This is not a film you see everyday. I'm sure Peter Grenaway worked hard to carry out this artistic film. It's not easy to find lead actors who want to do frontal nudes or have sex scenes with other men. Neither is it easy to write a screenplay for this complex movie.
I must stress that the musical score was not well chosen. At the beginning of the movie we listened to a somewhat terrifying music, but over the course of the movie there were happy melodies that were not supposed to be there, especially at the end, a ridiculous happy music is played. Was it a comedy movie? A comical music has nothing to do with this movie, since it's a drama and artistic movie, which makes people think.
This is a very original movie, I'd have never thought of a story like "The Pillow Book". Some people may find this movie rude because of the sexual and nudity content, but I found just what it is, artistic!
The movie was good overall, but there were some unbelievably ridiculous scenes. For instance when Jerome is dead, the old man cuts his skin, and begins kissing it, which I consider farfetched and unbelievably pointless.
I'd recommend this movie because of its interpretability and originality, nevertheless if you consider frontal nudity and some sex scenes rude or offensive, do not watch it, because you'll be extremely disturbed, otherwise try to know what an Art movie can do! 7/10
I must stress that the musical score was not well chosen. At the beginning of the movie we listened to a somewhat terrifying music, but over the course of the movie there were happy melodies that were not supposed to be there, especially at the end, a ridiculous happy music is played. Was it a comedy movie? A comical music has nothing to do with this movie, since it's a drama and artistic movie, which makes people think.
This is a very original movie, I'd have never thought of a story like "The Pillow Book". Some people may find this movie rude because of the sexual and nudity content, but I found just what it is, artistic!
The movie was good overall, but there were some unbelievably ridiculous scenes. For instance when Jerome is dead, the old man cuts his skin, and begins kissing it, which I consider farfetched and unbelievably pointless.
I'd recommend this movie because of its interpretability and originality, nevertheless if you consider frontal nudity and some sex scenes rude or offensive, do not watch it, because you'll be extremely disturbed, otherwise try to know what an Art movie can do! 7/10
Complete Rubbish
Incubus2112 August 2002
Might this possibly be one of the worst movies of all time? Indeed, I believe it may very well be. It's definitely in my top 5. Slow, ponderous, overly pretentious, trite, self-congratulatory, what more can I say? Oh, the dialogue is complete rubbish and the delivery of it is even worse. I was not impressed from the start of the movie but somehow forced myself through the full 2 hours just to see how truly low it could go. The movie was utterly pointless. You really couldn't care less about the characters. They are not appealing at all. I would also add that you couldn't care less how the movie ends, but, since the movie has no real plot, that's kind of a moot point. Don't think I didn't appreciate this b/c I'm not an "artsy" type, b/c I enjoy plenty of good "artsy" movies, but this movie takes itself WAY too seriously and I can't fathom why, because it's complete rubbish all around, from start to end. And visually, it's OK at best, but again it takes itself way too seriously. Avoid like the plague.
Cinematic Art
LVGraham14 October 1999
Anything by Greenaway is bound to be cinematic Art, but this effort is particularly brilliant.
It has full-frontal nudity, male and female -- not presented necessarily in sexual context, but you might want to pick your audience carefully. The nudity and homosexuality in the film are handled offhandedly and without prejudice, thus removing any hint of perversion or pornography. I know that sounds odd, but believe me, I'm a very conservative individual/artist.
But that's not The Film -- the plot is intriguing, the Art is breathtaking, and the calligraphy, ahhhhhhh, is astoundingly beautiful, especially when transcribed on human form. The vessel and the content are one -- how sublime of author and director.
My criticism? Sometimes Greenaway seems to think that we can simultaneously process all five lanes of the highway that run in his head. I, for one, am willing to watch his films twice. (Well, maybe not "The Falls").
Greenaway offers food for my soul -- I kiss both his eyes.
It has full-frontal nudity, male and female -- not presented necessarily in sexual context, but you might want to pick your audience carefully. The nudity and homosexuality in the film are handled offhandedly and without prejudice, thus removing any hint of perversion or pornography. I know that sounds odd, but believe me, I'm a very conservative individual/artist.
But that's not The Film -- the plot is intriguing, the Art is breathtaking, and the calligraphy, ahhhhhhh, is astoundingly beautiful, especially when transcribed on human form. The vessel and the content are one -- how sublime of author and director.
My criticism? Sometimes Greenaway seems to think that we can simultaneously process all five lanes of the highway that run in his head. I, for one, am willing to watch his films twice. (Well, maybe not "The Falls").
Greenaway offers food for my soul -- I kiss both his eyes.
Ignorant dabbling in Oriental cultures...
KFL2 October 2001
I can only comment on the Japanese aspects of this film, but...anyone familiar with Japanese language or culture will find themselves cringing fairly frequently throughout this. Nagiko, ostensibly Japanese (but played by a Chinese actress, Vivian Wu), oddly insists on using English when speaking with other Japanese. Even McGregor is brave enough to venture a few fractured Japanese phrases...but not Ms. Wu. The Japanese actually spoken in several places is unnatural, and the English subtitles are often incorrect (i.e. mixing up the 7th and 8th books, etc).
If fidelity to native cultures is not an issue for you, however, The Pillow Book is enticing, with the hallmarks of a Greenaway film--sumptuous visuals, original treatment, weak storyline. Still, worth one viewing.
If fidelity to native cultures is not an issue for you, however, The Pillow Book is enticing, with the hallmarks of a Greenaway film--sumptuous visuals, original treatment, weak storyline. Still, worth one viewing.
Terrible.
igmu8 December 2005
Visually cluttered, plot less, incredibly mind-numbing rubbish. Not even close to Greenaway's better work. Avoid at all costs!
The overlapping 'split screen' effects do nothing more than confuse, the film is very dark for a lot of the time and the 'artistic' composing of images is pretentious in the extreme.
There is absolutely nothing to recommend about this film; even the nudity is incredibly unerotic, which seeing it fills a large part of the film soon gets very boring.
Plus, how anyone can say that the acting of Ewen MacGregor is brilliant is beyond me. He showed more ability in the Star Wars series, and that's saying something.
I've not been so unimpressed with a film since I saw 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People'!
The overlapping 'split screen' effects do nothing more than confuse, the film is very dark for a lot of the time and the 'artistic' composing of images is pretentious in the extreme.
There is absolutely nothing to recommend about this film; even the nudity is incredibly unerotic, which seeing it fills a large part of the film soon gets very boring.
Plus, how anyone can say that the acting of Ewen MacGregor is brilliant is beyond me. He showed more ability in the Star Wars series, and that's saying something.
I've not been so unimpressed with a film since I saw 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People'!
An erotic masterpiece.
raymond-1518 October 1999
"The Pillow Book" is an erotic masterpiece. A story that unravels like a Japanese scroll. It teases and excites us with floating images. It's Greenaway's masterful technique, the same that he used so successfully in "Prospero's Books". He captures our attention and plays with our emotions. I don't understand one character in Japanese calligraphy but the idea of writing a poem or a prayer or a story on human skin is certainly an original one. Calligraphy is always charming to look at as the camera wanders about the human anatomy. Even the Lord's prayer in English takes on a very personal meaning when it scrawls across the chest and arms and ends up somewhere below the navel. The story itself is simple enough. Its about two people -a Japanese girl and a Westerner - falling in love. There's nothing new in that. But it's the progression of their romance through their calligraphic foreplay that binds our attention. It's beautifully and delicately portrayed - somewhat dream-like in its presentation. There's a suicide scene which one might expect would draw this romantic drama to a close, but no! the story gathers pace and races on to unexpected heights. Based on observations made by Sei Shonagon in the 10th century, the Pillow Book is a collection of 13 essays entitled "Book of Youth", "Book of the Seducer". "Book of Secrets", "Book of the Dead" etc. But essentially this is about "The Book of the Lover". Some audience will cringe with horror when they see how this book is prepared. Ewan McGregor and Vivian Wu are to be congratulated on their exceptional performances( and backed by a competent cast} in a most original and memorable production.
Sex as Text and Language as Intimacy
Keltic-25 July 2000
_The Pillow Book_ isn't for everyone. In visual terms, the adjective that comes to mind is "busy". For a significant proportion of the film, there is more than one "screen" to pay attention to, with almost constant use of various overlays, inserts and other optical effects, as well as black and white flashback sequences. These effects add up to a rather dreamlike sensation as the film drifts from one image to the next. However, over time they do become somewhat distracting.
In terms of narrative, _The Pillow Book_ raises and explores many questions regarding the interrelations between sexuality and textuality; the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature, which are described at one point as the two great pleasures, here become one. Calligraphy becomes a means of intimacy, love and sexual pleasure, and the human body becomes the parchment for a literary work of art. Intriguing material that will keep an engaged viewer thinking for hours.
In terms of narrative, _The Pillow Book_ raises and explores many questions regarding the interrelations between sexuality and textuality; the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature, which are described at one point as the two great pleasures, here become one. Calligraphy becomes a means of intimacy, love and sexual pleasure, and the human body becomes the parchment for a literary work of art. Intriguing material that will keep an engaged viewer thinking for hours.
What The ?
terrors8929 April 2005
I will give someone $20 if they can explain to me what the hell this movie is about and what it is trying to say and what in God's name is Ewan McGregor doing in it. This movie makes no sense. I am sure it has something to do with art, but it beats the hell out of me what.
The movie is about a young Chinese woman named Nagiko, played by Vivian Wu (Joy Luck Club) who has had calligraphy painted on her body since she was a little girl. As she gets older she keeps looking for more calligraphers so she can continue to be painted on and have sex with some of them. She meets Jerome, Ewan McGregor (Star Wars I, II, and III) and she has a thing with him where we get to see his schlong in all of its glory. There is some kind of homo erotic thing with a Japanese editor but don't know why he is there or what his purpose is but hey, whatever.
Um, I guess the writer and director, Peter Greenaway, has some reason for putting this book onto film. If you ask me, it's so that he can have Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor nude for most of the film. While that sounds like a good idea, its not. There appears to be no other point to this movie, what do nude bodies look like with paint on them and what does it mean? Peter Greenaway has written and directed two of the worst movies ever put on film, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover, and this movie, all though for different reasons. First, there is no story other than the garbage I have tried to explain. Second, Greenaway edits the film where there is a picture within a picture scene, I guess so he can double the torture that he is giving you. Third, the sound editing is horrible. The beginning of the movie has a Buddhist chant but it is so loud that birds outside my window were collapsing from the pain. Then he goes into the movie and everybody is speaking almost at a whisper. Then he switches scenes and the music is so loud that the human body is forced into the fetal position until the noise stops. I am sure he made his choices for a reason, but to the layman, it doesn't make work.
This is just a horrible movie and I am amazed that people look at it and like it. Greenaway should never be allowed to touch film and he in fact should be a canvas, but the paint should be honey and he should have to lie in the middle of a desert with army ants eating him alive for this movie. Never, ever do a movie like this again. Greenaway should be forced to remove elephant dung from every zoo in the world for the next 20 years.
*This movie review and others can be seen at www.bbmc.dockratent.com*
The movie is about a young Chinese woman named Nagiko, played by Vivian Wu (Joy Luck Club) who has had calligraphy painted on her body since she was a little girl. As she gets older she keeps looking for more calligraphers so she can continue to be painted on and have sex with some of them. She meets Jerome, Ewan McGregor (Star Wars I, II, and III) and she has a thing with him where we get to see his schlong in all of its glory. There is some kind of homo erotic thing with a Japanese editor but don't know why he is there or what his purpose is but hey, whatever.
Um, I guess the writer and director, Peter Greenaway, has some reason for putting this book onto film. If you ask me, it's so that he can have Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor nude for most of the film. While that sounds like a good idea, its not. There appears to be no other point to this movie, what do nude bodies look like with paint on them and what does it mean? Peter Greenaway has written and directed two of the worst movies ever put on film, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover, and this movie, all though for different reasons. First, there is no story other than the garbage I have tried to explain. Second, Greenaway edits the film where there is a picture within a picture scene, I guess so he can double the torture that he is giving you. Third, the sound editing is horrible. The beginning of the movie has a Buddhist chant but it is so loud that birds outside my window were collapsing from the pain. Then he goes into the movie and everybody is speaking almost at a whisper. Then he switches scenes and the music is so loud that the human body is forced into the fetal position until the noise stops. I am sure he made his choices for a reason, but to the layman, it doesn't make work.
This is just a horrible movie and I am amazed that people look at it and like it. Greenaway should never be allowed to touch film and he in fact should be a canvas, but the paint should be honey and he should have to lie in the middle of a desert with army ants eating him alive for this movie. Never, ever do a movie like this again. Greenaway should be forced to remove elephant dung from every zoo in the world for the next 20 years.
*This movie review and others can be seen at www.bbmc.dockratent.com*
Indescribable
PeachHamBeach26 May 2002
God, what words to use when trying to describe this film!!! Exotic, erotic??? Those are obvious choices that pop right up. Quite a bit of this film is spoken in Japanese, and I usually hate films with subtitles, yet I loved THE PILLOW BOOK. It is sensual, delicate and beautifully executed. The music is mysterious and sexy. The way it is filmed is pure art, like the unfolding of the pages of the book it's about. Nagiko (Vivian Wu) is trying to publish a book written in caligraphy but is rejected. Looking for someone with perfect skin, she decides to use the method of writing her caligraphy onto human skin the way her father did when she was a girl. There is plenty of naked Ewan McGregor to behold, and he gives a fine...ahem...acting performance also!!! Of course this film won't appeal to just anyone, but if you're in the mood for a visually striking, colorful, cultural piece of art film, try this one out.
Obsession 101
ilikeimdb29 January 2011
Miller Analogy Test: Occasionally cold is to Antarctica as Occasionally obsessional is to Peter Greenaway. This film goes way beyond being a study in art form and the blending of body and calligraphy -- the detour into Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-land morphs into a permanent trip to the insane asylum. Let's consider the repetitive elements: Body calligraphy starting from the first scene that reoccurs year by year, and later in more modern life, day-by-day; the picture-in-picture techniques; the subtitled translations; the various books that appear in many guises. This is fractal film making where the larger image is actually repeated copies in ever smaller form without boundaries, without any consideration outside of art, form, and the pure expression of sensuality (in all senses, but particularly vision and touch). // I suspect I'm one of the few people giving this movie a mid-rating. Except to observe a tour-de-force of a singular obsession, I can't imagine why one would voluntarily see the whole movie.
Visually Stunning
mreed121 February 2005
Erotic, seductive, intellectual, visually stunning film. The painted calligraphy on skin was amazingly sensuous.
I couldn't force myself to watch '8 1/2 Women' which was my first Greenway film, so I hoped against my better judgment that this movie would be different -- and it was. I've read reviews that say this movie moves slow, but I didn't feel that at all. I think the character introspection is very important - I felt I knew Nagito. I understood her desire, her confusion and her pain. The ending is beautifully done - Nagito is the perfect tragic heroine. This is a must see for anyone looking for a sensual erotic film; unlike most you have seen before.
I couldn't force myself to watch '8 1/2 Women' which was my first Greenway film, so I hoped against my better judgment that this movie would be different -- and it was. I've read reviews that say this movie moves slow, but I didn't feel that at all. I think the character introspection is very important - I felt I knew Nagito. I understood her desire, her confusion and her pain. The ending is beautifully done - Nagito is the perfect tragic heroine. This is a must see for anyone looking for a sensual erotic film; unlike most you have seen before.
Skin as canvas for a woman's love story.
rnd12 December 1999
Untied to anything concrete, "The Pillow Book" presents the interesting perspective of a young woman's sexuality. Directed oddly; it expositions through screen in screen images, by swift changes in time, and repetitious cues of music. The plot, Nagiko's retaliation against a lecherous book publisher for his abuse of her father, remains secondary to the stunning visual and emotional work.
The cultural of practice of writing on the body is Nagiko's erotic challenge. A ritual performed on childrens' birthdays, Nagiko carries this body art into her adulthood, recreating it into her mode of sexual communication. In a lover, she seeks both a man who will appreciate her sexuality and have proper calligraphic form to please her sense of art. It is difficult (she tells us in voice over,) since the best calligraphers are shy and inhibited, and, the best lovers are easily distracted. Her search presents amusing situations: she asks a man in an elevator to write his name under the soft flesh of her breasts, a sort of cold call for prospective lovers. Ultimately, Jerome (Ewan McGregor,) a young English translator, presents the necessary credentials. Jerome challenges Nagiko to use him as her canvas, an idea that confuses her at first. She can not discern the pleasure of writing on someone other than herself. Intrigued, she tries it. The transition from canvas to writer binds Nagiko to Jerome in a way in which lovers become more than lovers. This is the best work of the film. Their lust is conceived in a strange nudity marked with the figures of their poetry; in these scenes the cinematography overwhelms. Brushed black, gold and red paint on their bodies swirls as they go from writing table to bed to bath. The director can make black ink running down the drain of a bathtub look beautiful. Their emotional development culminates in a test of betrayal. Jerome stands outside Nagiko's apartment screaming to be let in, while she sits on the other side, barren in a pale dress, crying. Spending most of the film undressed, it is jarring to see her the most naked she has ever been, in a floor length gown.
The film is not for literal minded people. Nagiko's lifestyle is vague and the constant camera work drifting by is not easy to follow. Dialogue is sparse and many embellishments, such as French subtitles to a French song seem eye-rollingly arthouse. The plot includes various uncomfortable turns. But the film has much to offer: a female lead not only comfortable in her sexuality but driven to satisfy it, beautiful poetry, imagery, ideas to pick over days after seeing the film. I won't forgot this one.
The cultural of practice of writing on the body is Nagiko's erotic challenge. A ritual performed on childrens' birthdays, Nagiko carries this body art into her adulthood, recreating it into her mode of sexual communication. In a lover, she seeks both a man who will appreciate her sexuality and have proper calligraphic form to please her sense of art. It is difficult (she tells us in voice over,) since the best calligraphers are shy and inhibited, and, the best lovers are easily distracted. Her search presents amusing situations: she asks a man in an elevator to write his name under the soft flesh of her breasts, a sort of cold call for prospective lovers. Ultimately, Jerome (Ewan McGregor,) a young English translator, presents the necessary credentials. Jerome challenges Nagiko to use him as her canvas, an idea that confuses her at first. She can not discern the pleasure of writing on someone other than herself. Intrigued, she tries it. The transition from canvas to writer binds Nagiko to Jerome in a way in which lovers become more than lovers. This is the best work of the film. Their lust is conceived in a strange nudity marked with the figures of their poetry; in these scenes the cinematography overwhelms. Brushed black, gold and red paint on their bodies swirls as they go from writing table to bed to bath. The director can make black ink running down the drain of a bathtub look beautiful. Their emotional development culminates in a test of betrayal. Jerome stands outside Nagiko's apartment screaming to be let in, while she sits on the other side, barren in a pale dress, crying. Spending most of the film undressed, it is jarring to see her the most naked she has ever been, in a floor length gown.
The film is not for literal minded people. Nagiko's lifestyle is vague and the constant camera work drifting by is not easy to follow. Dialogue is sparse and many embellishments, such as French subtitles to a French song seem eye-rollingly arthouse. The plot includes various uncomfortable turns. But the film has much to offer: a female lead not only comfortable in her sexuality but driven to satisfy it, beautiful poetry, imagery, ideas to pick over days after seeing the film. I won't forgot this one.
Pretentious, annoying, and poorly-written, but good-looking.
crunchy-228 March 1999
Greenaway gets points for showing scads of penises. There are naked men on screen for fully half of this movie. However, the story is straight out of sophomore film (fiction, poetry, whatever) class. The writing is terrible and melodramatic. The look of the film is actually quite stunning at times, but good looks can only overcome so many glaring personality flaws.
Strange, Surreal, Sensual and Intoxicating! A great film!
NateManD10 August 2005
"Pillowbook" maybe one of Peter Greenaway's most amazing films next to "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". If you want to see Ewan McGregor completely naked for extended periods of time, now's your chance. I'd probably walk around nude too, if I was as well endowed as him! The "Pillowbook" concerns the character Nagiko, played by the sexy Vivian Wu. (She made me say Woooh!) Growing up Nagiko has fond memories of her father who was an author. He would paint calligraphy on her face. She also enjoyed the pillow-book that her aunt had read to her with it's sensual stories. One memory that troubles her was her father being blackmailed for sexual favors by a gay publisher. He did this to get his stories published. All grown up Nagiko develops a fetish to be written on with ink. She goes through many men, but has no luck. She also has the desire to create her own pillow-book of lists and obsessions. Then she meets Jerome (Ewan Mcgregor) an English translator, it's a strange love at first sight. The only problem is that he has sloppy handwriting. So Jerome offer's himself to be written on like the pages of the book. Little does she know that Jerome is bisexual and having relations with the same publisher that had blackmailed her father growing up. When she realizes this she uses Jerome to seduce the publisher with his written body. She wants to get her book published. Nagiko narrates the film saying, "If I couldn't seduce the publisher, I could at least seduce the publisher's lover." Talk about twisted! As the film moves along it becomes more strange and surreal, with frame within frame of words and images. The screen breaks down into boxes and into lists at points. It's easy to get confused during your first viewing, like Greenaway's other films. "The Pillowbook" is not your typical erotic film, it's also a story of betrayal and vengeance. One things for sure, Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor have such great sexual chemistry together. This creates a hypnotic and beautiful effect on the viewer.
?!
Jeremy_Urquhart1 December 2023
I was considering watching either Prospero's Books or The Pillow Book tonight, because I've been meaning to watch more Peter Greenaway lately. I went with the latter because it seemed a little less challenging, but from what I can tell, both films are pretty wild/experimental stylistically. I'll get around to Prospero's Books eventually, and I guess time will tell if that one's somehow even stranger than The Pillow Book.
I knew what to expect (roughly) thematically and narratively, but I guess the visuals caught me off-guard. Greenaway makes this film look unlike much else out there (besides some of his other 1990s work I guess), and it's overall difficult to get used to. It's even harder to describe. I don't know what the words are, but the style of this is just crazy.
I didn't love it, but I respect it. There's a vision here and it's one that's realized in an uncompromising and often graphic fashion, for better or worse... and I don't know what's more Peter Greenaway than that.
I knew what to expect (roughly) thematically and narratively, but I guess the visuals caught me off-guard. Greenaway makes this film look unlike much else out there (besides some of his other 1990s work I guess), and it's overall difficult to get used to. It's even harder to describe. I don't know what the words are, but the style of this is just crazy.
I didn't love it, but I respect it. There's a vision here and it's one that's realized in an uncompromising and often graphic fashion, for better or worse... and I don't know what's more Peter Greenaway than that.
The Filmgoers Book Of The Truly Awful.
xmw679 June 2000
Since The Baby Of Macon, Peter Greenaway's brain has gone mysteriously AWOL. Whereby his films up to then were atmospheric, intellectually stimulating, and also very attractive to look at (not to mention some brilliant Michael Nyman scores), his more recent efforts must surely be vying for some of the most excruciatingly boring films ever made. The Pillow Book is unfortunately a prime example. This film lacks almost everything but originality. But originality on it's own does not always make for a good viewing experience. However, if you suffer from insomnia then i can guarantee that you will be sound asleep after about 15 minutes. Please try and ignore other users who have said that this film is a masterpiece - IT IS NOT - avoid it like the plague. You have been warned!!.
Awe inspiring originality!
Moo-V-MaVen1 September 2005
Seems most, if not all, movies today are so formulaic (I can only watch so much Jane Austen: Bridget Jones' Diary, Cold Comfort Farm, others?). A revenge/love story, this picture made me fall in love with Ewan McGregor! Such a skilled actor at such an early age and willing to go to such extremes! Because the acting, camera and editing were so fabulous, this movie could have easily been without words.
Ewan's character was so innocent and gullible. The female lead's character was very strong and overpowering. Imagine being in the position of having to protect your father and then seek vengeance on his destroyer. And such a small delicate woman.
While there were some awkward moments revealing the immaturity of the female lead and some disgusting circumstances propelling her toward revenge, in all, I have to rate this movie excellent for the editing, camera, story, and high impact acting. It was very moving.
Ewan's character was so innocent and gullible. The female lead's character was very strong and overpowering. Imagine being in the position of having to protect your father and then seek vengeance on his destroyer. And such a small delicate woman.
While there were some awkward moments revealing the immaturity of the female lead and some disgusting circumstances propelling her toward revenge, in all, I have to rate this movie excellent for the editing, camera, story, and high impact acting. It was very moving.
This is called art?
stiv-71 October 1999
I could only sit through about 1/2 an hour of this nauseatingly gruesome, so-called "erotic" tale. Although well acted, it's a little too disturbing for my tastes. I'll stick with some of Ewan MacGregor's lighter material, like "Emma" and even the new Star Wars trilogy.
More bizarre than erotic
harry_tk_yung14 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler warning !!!
Nude bodies are not necessarily erotic, not even in the act of having sex. May very well be, but not necessarily. Vivian Wu is exceedingly more erotic, fully clothed, in The Soong Sisters (1997), than in the numerous nude scenes in Pillow Book.
I use `bizarre' here in a very neutral sense. Most interesting, if only just to myself, is that while watching Pillow Book, I was struck with its similarity with The Cook the Thief, his Wife and her Lover (1989), without realising that they were both directed by the same man, Peter Greenaway. Both are about revenging a lover (and more in the case of Pillow Book) and in both, the dead body of the lover has an important part to play. Very noire, both.
The unique thing about Pillow Book is not quite unique. Calligraphy on a human body was featured in Kaidan (1964), albeit under a set of entirely different circumstances. There, to avoid being abducted by a band of ghosts, a monk had magical calligraphy written all over his body to make himself invisible to the ghosts. But alas, through an oversight, his ears were left uncovered, and were eventually torn off and carried away by the ghosts. `The monk without ears' is the best of the four separate short stories in Kaidan, which is in turn among the best of its genre.
Without getting into all the intricate details, the main plot of the Pillow Booke surrounds Kagiko's (Vivian Wu) endeavours to get her book published, by sending separate chapters to the publisher, in the form writings on nude male bodies. The book is an intimate record of her spiritual and sensual voyage. Of particular importance is the encounter with Jerome (Ewan MeGregor) whom she uses initially as a channel to reach the publisher who is also Jerome's gay lover. When a genuine love relationship develops between Kagiko and Jerome, she finds herself consumed in jealousy as his liaison with the publisher continues. Unable to obtain Kagiko's forgiveness, Jerome kills himself. Then comes the most bizarre part, when the publisher steals Jerome's body from the grave, removes the skin upon which a chapter of Kagiko's book has been written, and makes it into a volume that he keeps as a souvenir. The ensuing revenue, although markedly different in substance, is remarkably similar in spirit to the revenge in `The Cook .'.
A lot has been said about the aesthetic quality of this film. What strikes me even more is the sound, particularly in two scenes. One is the long scene that traces the development of the relationship between Kagiko and Jerome, accompanied throughout by a jazzy, languid French song, with the lyrics wandering lazily across the bottom of the screen (not as superimposed sub-titles, but as an integral part of the frame). I thought this is very clever and goes a long way in eliciting the audience's empathy with the pair. The other is Jerome's suicide, accompanied by eccentric, truncated music in pulsating strings, which pinpoints his frustration with surgical precision.
Not everything is flawless in this movie. The picture-in-picture technique is way over-used, to the point of being an irritating distraction. As well, the jumpy style in the beginning is too flashy, e.g. the abrupt cut from the stoic black-and-white Japanese domestic scene to the kaleidoscope-like Hong Kong fashion show, accomplishing nothing more than the director saying, `Hey, look here, I can do this!' Fortunately, he has the good sense of stopping when he should.
Interesting to observe that the IMDB comments have been as polarised as ever possible. For me, Wu, and McGregor to a less extent (as he is really in a supporting role here), are worth the price of the ticket, or, to be exact, the DVD.
Nude bodies are not necessarily erotic, not even in the act of having sex. May very well be, but not necessarily. Vivian Wu is exceedingly more erotic, fully clothed, in The Soong Sisters (1997), than in the numerous nude scenes in Pillow Book.
I use `bizarre' here in a very neutral sense. Most interesting, if only just to myself, is that while watching Pillow Book, I was struck with its similarity with The Cook the Thief, his Wife and her Lover (1989), without realising that they were both directed by the same man, Peter Greenaway. Both are about revenging a lover (and more in the case of Pillow Book) and in both, the dead body of the lover has an important part to play. Very noire, both.
The unique thing about Pillow Book is not quite unique. Calligraphy on a human body was featured in Kaidan (1964), albeit under a set of entirely different circumstances. There, to avoid being abducted by a band of ghosts, a monk had magical calligraphy written all over his body to make himself invisible to the ghosts. But alas, through an oversight, his ears were left uncovered, and were eventually torn off and carried away by the ghosts. `The monk without ears' is the best of the four separate short stories in Kaidan, which is in turn among the best of its genre.
Without getting into all the intricate details, the main plot of the Pillow Booke surrounds Kagiko's (Vivian Wu) endeavours to get her book published, by sending separate chapters to the publisher, in the form writings on nude male bodies. The book is an intimate record of her spiritual and sensual voyage. Of particular importance is the encounter with Jerome (Ewan MeGregor) whom she uses initially as a channel to reach the publisher who is also Jerome's gay lover. When a genuine love relationship develops between Kagiko and Jerome, she finds herself consumed in jealousy as his liaison with the publisher continues. Unable to obtain Kagiko's forgiveness, Jerome kills himself. Then comes the most bizarre part, when the publisher steals Jerome's body from the grave, removes the skin upon which a chapter of Kagiko's book has been written, and makes it into a volume that he keeps as a souvenir. The ensuing revenue, although markedly different in substance, is remarkably similar in spirit to the revenge in `The Cook .'.
A lot has been said about the aesthetic quality of this film. What strikes me even more is the sound, particularly in two scenes. One is the long scene that traces the development of the relationship between Kagiko and Jerome, accompanied throughout by a jazzy, languid French song, with the lyrics wandering lazily across the bottom of the screen (not as superimposed sub-titles, but as an integral part of the frame). I thought this is very clever and goes a long way in eliciting the audience's empathy with the pair. The other is Jerome's suicide, accompanied by eccentric, truncated music in pulsating strings, which pinpoints his frustration with surgical precision.
Not everything is flawless in this movie. The picture-in-picture technique is way over-used, to the point of being an irritating distraction. As well, the jumpy style in the beginning is too flashy, e.g. the abrupt cut from the stoic black-and-white Japanese domestic scene to the kaleidoscope-like Hong Kong fashion show, accomplishing nothing more than the director saying, `Hey, look here, I can do this!' Fortunately, he has the good sense of stopping when he should.
Interesting to observe that the IMDB comments have been as polarised as ever possible. For me, Wu, and McGregor to a less extent (as he is really in a supporting role here), are worth the price of the ticket, or, to be exact, the DVD.
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