The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)

Timing: 2:4 (124 min)

7.365/10
593

7.675/10
13632

7.5/10
45000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 30

Actors and characters

Release date

1989-10-13

Country

France, Netherlands, United Kingdom

Production

Film4 Productions, Allarts, Elsevier-Vendex Film Beheer, Allarts Cook, Erato Films, Erbograph Co.

Genre

Crime, Drama

Budget

$2 300 000

Revenue

$7 724 701

Website

Director

Peter Greenaway

Actors

Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard, Tim Roth, Ciarán Hinds, Liz Smith, Gary Olsen, Ewan Stewart, Roger Ashton-Griffiths
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Kees Kasander

Operator

Sacha Vierny

Composer

Michael Nyman

Artist

Audition

Sharon Howard-Field

Editing

John Wilson
All team (20)

• The film opens with the author's line: 'This film is dedicated to everyone I hate.'
• A painting by Dutch artist Frans Hals, 'The Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Militia Company,' hangs on the wall in the 'Dutchmen' restaurant.
• The composition 'Fish Beach,' which appears repeatedly in the film, was not included on the soundtrack and is not mentioned in the credits, as it was originally written for the film 'The Drowning Pool' (1988).
• At the beginning of the film, when Spikers' people bring the neon letters, they initially arrange them to spell ASPIC (from the French “viper,” and also jellied meat).
• The boy from the kitchen performs the composition “Miserere,” which contains the words: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” – a quote from Psalm 51:7, echoing the boy’s profession – he is a dishwasher.
• The composition "Fish Beach," which appears repeatedly in the film, was not included on the soundtrack or mentioned in the credits, as it was originally written for the film "Drowning by Numbers" (1988).
• At the beginning of the film, when Spiky's people bring the neon letters, they initially arrange them to spell ASPIC (from the French for "viper," and also aspic jelly).
• The boy in the kitchen performs the composition "Miserere," which includes the lyrics: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" – a quote from Psalm 51:7, echoing the boy's profession as a dishwasher.