IMDb > The Pillow Book (1996)
The Pillow Book
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The Pillow Book (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
The Pillow Book (1996) -- US Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tri-star

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   6,467 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Peter Greenaway
Writers:
Sei Shonagon (book)
Peter Greenaway (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Pillow Book on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 June 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Things that make the heart beat faster. more
Plot:
As a young girl in Japan, Nagiko's father paints characters on her face, and her aunt reads to her from "The Pillow Book"... more | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
DVD: Review:Nightwatching
 (From The AV Club. 15 September 2009, 10:01 PM, PDT)

The Secret History
 (From IFC. 15 September 2009, 10:20 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Indescribable more (87 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vivian Wu ... Nagiko
Yoshi Oida ... The Publisher
Ken Ogata ... The Father
Hideko Yoshida ... The Aunt / The Maid

Ewan McGregor ... Jerome
Judy Ongg ... The Mother
Ken Mitsuishi ... The Husband
Yutaka Honda ... Hoki
Barbara Lott ... Jerome's Mother
Miwako Kawai ... Young Nagiko

Lynne Langdon ... Jerome's sister (as Lynne Frances Wachendorfer)
Chizuru Ohnishi ... Young Nagiko
Shiho Takamatsu ... Young Nagiko
Aki Ishimaru ... Young Nagiko
Hisashi Hidaka ... Calligrapher
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Pillow Book (France)
more
Runtime:
126 min
Aspect Ratio:
1.75 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Hong Kong, China more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The keeping of pillow books to record poems, secrets, and encounters with lovers was a common practice of noble women in Heian Japan. Although its content is unrelated to the film, a famous example was written by Sei Shonagon at about the same time as Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji which has the honor of being the world's first novel. In fact, it has been said that Sei Shonogon and Lady Murasaki were rivals in the court of Heian. more
Goofs:
Boom mic visible: Mike visible during wide shot when Nagiko kneels and Jerome signs his name on her back. 01:03:59 into the film on PAL DVDs. more
Quotes:
Nagiko: Where is a book before it is born? Who are a book's parents? Does a book need two parents - a mother and a father? Can a book be born inside another book? Where is the parent book of books? How old does a book have to be before it can give birth? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Deed Poll (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Ranryo Ou more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 42 people found the following comment useful.
Indescribable, 26 May 2002
Author: Mari-36 from CA

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.

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