2B - Thursday, November 15, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 'THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER' 0989) REDUCTIVE REASONING Picking one and one apart. 4 Dinner for any and all By BRANDON CONRADIS DailyArts Writer Released during the last gasp in the decade of excess - an era when the film world was domi- nated by flag-waving action films and endless cycles of box-office- friendly franchises -Peter Green- away's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" (1989) may seem like the odd man out when it comes to notable arthouse films of the succes to the max, tore o and s too mi but di Too b most rable f to dat how e dec a< mater ine art The Thief, is fair big-cit (Heler of an ster ( Park") a hum ard, "I Frenc "Diva' time. Though it had a fairly his unruly guests under control. sful theatrical run thanks Sounds straightforward, right? then-fledgling studio Mira- Well, this is a Greenaway film, Greenaway's stunning mix- which means any semblance fblack comedy, social satire of plot is ultimately peripheral, heer depravity was simply instead allowing the infamous uch for most viewers and all British director of such films as sappeared on home video. "Drowning by Numbers" (1988) ad, since it's easily one of the and "The Pillow Book" (1996) to accomplished and memo- indulge in some of his customary 'ilms released by that studio bouts of twisted humor, grotesque e and a perfect example of imagery and visual trickery. ven the most objectionable Figuring into the plot's wire- thin framework are such varied delights as cannibalism, violence From the with silverware, rampant (and explicit) nudity on the part of its ,ade of excess middle-aged actors and - last but by no means least - sex in a strange gem. meat locker. This isn't your typi- cal romantic drama, folks. Though it has been argued that the restaurant - which, apart ial can be crafted into genu- from a few fleeting scenes, serves t. asthe settingfor the entire picture plot of "The Cook, the - is actually an allegory for Mar- His Wife, and Her Lover" garet Thatcher-era Great Britain, ly unremarkable: At a posh it's really the film's aesthetic and ty restaurant, the aging wife dramatic qualities that serve as n Mirren, "The Queen") the focus of Greenaway's vision. oafish and abusive gang- From the first frame, the film is a Michael Gambon, "Gosford feast for the eyes, brimming with ) begins an illicit affair with vibrant colors and eye-catching ble bookkeeper (Alan How- sets and costumes. But that's not David Copperfield") while a to say these elements overshadow h cook (Richard Bohringer, the performances, which are uni- ") frantically tries to keep formly outstanding and heighten SCOURTESY OF SMIRAMAX the tragic and comic aspects of the storyline. Mirren and Gam- bon are especially impressive, delivering Greenaway's acidic dialogue with gusto and fusing their shared scenes with the sort of sexual and comic tension that characterizes the film as a whole. Another Greenaway trade- mark is his fascination with cin- ematic "games." His earlier film, "Drowning by Numbers," con- tains the numbers one through 99 interspersed,inorder, throughout the entire film. In "The Cook," the game is subtler but equally memorable: Characters' cos- tumes change colors from shot to shot to match the colors of the sets. It's a classic Greenaway tac- tic that pulls the viewer into the film even if toe is tempted to turn away from the more repulsive events on display. "The Cook" also benefits from a haunting score by Greenaway's regular composer, Michael Nyman, which turns the film's disturbing and unforgettable cli- max into a true tour-de-force. Few films from the '80s are more deserving of rediscovery than this one. Not only is it Green- away's best film, but it's also one of the finest films to come out of Britain since - well, since Marga- ret Thatcher was prime minister. The Daily Arts guide to the best upcoming events Today 11.15.07 Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitor series lecture: Rebekah Mondrak 5 p.m. At the Michigan Theater Free Figure Drawing Workshop 8 p.m. At the Alice C. Lloyd art studio Free Creative Arts Orchestra 8 p.m. At Rackham Auditorium Free Tomorrow 11.16.07 F.O.K.U.S. presents Forum: The Roots of Reggae's Past and Present sp.m. At the Michigan League, Room 4 Free Enter the Haggis 8 p.m. At The Ark $15/$20 Amazin' Blue presents: AMAZIN' Pre-game, Go BLUE! 8 p.m. At Rackham Auditorium $7 with student ID/$12 Saturday 11.17.07 Society for Electro-Acoustic Music 8 p.m. At the E.V. Moore Building, McIntosh Theater Free - Please send all press releases and event information to artspage@michigandaily.com. I I WEEK IN REVIEW " "But, Dad, celebrities are commodities!" ASH- LEY OLSEN, new significant other to Lance Arm- strong, accompanied the cyclist's daughter show and tell. No word on a two-for-one deal with Mary Kate.. Say it ain't so, Ellen. ELLEN DEGE- NERES crossed the Writers Guild picket line to tape another episode of her show. " We knew it all along: MIT kids care about the environment - and are stupendously lazy. In an effort to make sure your feet never carry the rest of your body, the school has come up with the concept of tiny, stackable city cars. They'd chill outside subway and bus stops and would run on electricity. No word yet if the carbon footprint you won't leave will make up for your friends who stop hanging out with you. " Whoa. GIBSON has developed a guitar that tunes itself and is expected to drop in about a year. No, John Mayer riffs won't sound better. Neither will you. 4 a I I 0 0 0 0 ds