Your beautiful pen, take the cap off

[sovay]

Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book (1996) is the natural progression from Prospero's Books (1991), one of the most thoroughly erotic movies I have ever seen, and I would have a lot more to say about it if I hadn't found out, shortly after rushthatspeaks and I finished watching and gaudior came home, that their moving company had turned themselves into fail.

At some point in the night, I remember saying to reversepolarity, "Today has been brought to you by the numbers duct tape, boxes, and the letter what the fuck."

The move will happen and my cousins are amazing, but I stand by the description.

Comments

[deliasherman.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a tale of horror. Hope it goes more smoothly from now on.

As for Pillow Book. It had a very strong effect on me--I loved it, but it upset me so profoundly I can't even think about it without having nightmares. Usually, I'm not such a delicate flower, but that one got me, for some reason, in a place that not even the poetry of Romeo & Juliet can touch.

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

I really think the universe is telling them something, and that something is that only cisgender white heteronormative folk are happy where they're going.

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear of moving troubles, those can be the worst kind of all -- best to Rush and family and friends.

I loved The Pillow Book when I saw it ten+ years ago (it seems like it must have been that long ago at least) -- I suddenly realized that I cannot recall the occasion, but the film remains vivid. I only saw Prospero's Books for the first time a few months ago, but I can well imagine that they form a strong pair and progression. The ending of the later made of the two is so perfectly apt and yet so horrific that it seemed to simultaneously ruin what went before but also fulfill it, so that everything wonderful about the film was really only possible because of how it ended, but now having written that I'm thinking I'm forgetting or misremembering too much and simply must watch it again, watch both of them again.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Your post reminded me how much I've wished it were possible to get hold of Greenaway's A TV Dante (1989), with Bob Peck and John Gielgud as Dante and Virgil respectively. I saw and loved it on TV when it came out, and it's very clearly the direct predecessor of Prospero's Books, but was never as far as I can see put on DVD.

Anyhow, I just got to googling and I see that it's now available to download, at Digital Classics. I definitely recommend it, if you're tracing the Greenaway trajectory. Maybe a treat for after the moving crisis?

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear of the moving fail.

That was a beautiful film. If you ever feel like writing about it, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts.

[eredien]

I wish that I'd been there to watch that movie with you! I love it to bits and am super-glad that you got to see it before Rush & Co. left.