The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover (1989)
From the back catalogue of British writer-director Peter Greenaway comes a fascinating cinematic exploration of the darker, more unsettling of human appetites. Starring Richard Bohringer as The Cook, Michael Gambon as The Thief, Helen Mirren as The Wife and Alan Howard as Her Lover, the film depicts an ever more disturbing chain of events, sparked by vanity, greed and lust.
Thuggish gangster Albert Spica (Gambon) takes over the highly revered Le Hollandaise Restaurant – much to the disgust of chef Richard Borst (Bohringer). His oafish ways cause tension and conflict among staff and patrons alike. As his abused wife, Georgina (Mirren), becomes increasingly bored with his behaviour, she strikes up a passionate affair with regular customer and bookshop owner, Michael (Howard). When their indiscretions are discovered by Spica, violence ensues – engulfing the group until Spica is forced to face the consequences of all his terrible actions in a most disturbing fashion.
Food, the preparation of it and, particularly, the consumption of it, are all central to the film’s theme -so much so that Greenaway uses lengthy tracking shots through the establishment to convey the process of digestion. Customers consume a variety of dishes – indulging their senses and gorging themselves. Their feasting of food is reflected in the main characters feasting upon each other – spiritually, emotionally and, in the final analysis, physically.