Prospero's Books (1991)

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Peter Greenaway (writer)

Release Date:

30 August 1991 (UK)

Genre:

Fantasy | Drama

Tagline:

A magician's spell, the innocence of young love and a dream of revenge unite to create a tempest.

Plot:

An exiled magician finds an opportunity for revenge against his enemies muted when his daughter and...

Plot Keywords:

Erotic | Cult Director | Theatre | Scene Based On Painting | Experimental Film

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

John Gielgud	...	Prospero
Michael Clark	...	Caliban
Michel Blanc	...	Alonso
Erland Josephson	...	Gonzalo
Isabelle Pasco	...	Miranda
Tom Bell	...	Antonio
Kenneth Cranham	...	Sebastian
Mark Rylance	...	Ferdinand
Gerard Thoolen	...	Adrian
Pierre Bokma	...	Francisco
Jim van der Woude	...	Trinculo
Michiel Romeyn	...	Stephano
Orpheo	...	Ariel
Paul Russell	...	Ariel
James Thiérrée	...	Ariel

Runtime:

129 min | 124 min

Country:

France | Netherlands | UK | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (bw) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Allarts

Trivia:

Prospero was John Gielgud's favorite stage role and he had attempted to mount a film of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" for decades, contacting Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa and 'Ingmar Bergman' about directing and Welles and Albert Finney about playing Caliban. The version with Welles directing and playing Caliban was in preparation until the financial failure of Welles' and Gielgud's film of 'Falstaff (1966)' forced the project to fall through, where it laid dormant until Gielgud finally convinced Peter Greenaway to make this version.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Peter Greenaway in Indianapolis (1997) (V)

Visually & artistically stunning

The film opens with a cornucopia of fascinating images, including many naked bodies. The are a lot of nude bodies on show in this film. Some swimming underwater, some prancing around liberally. Sir John Gielgud is the prominent figure and voice of the film. He tells us all about the books, and his daughter on an island where they both are located. The story isn't going to entrap many viewers, but the look of it all really needs to be watched. Greenaway opens image after image in the centre of each frame, and large books are opened. The front of a woman's body is removed to reveal all her internal organs. It really deserves to be seen just to look at it all. This film is very appealing to the eye.