The Pillow Book (1996)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writers:

Sei Shonagon (book)
Peter Greenaway (written by)

Release Date:

6 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Things that make the heart beat faster.

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"...

Plot Keywords:

Diary | Japan | Writing On Body | Japanese | Writing

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Pillow Book (France)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

France | UK | Netherlands | Luxembourg

Language:

English | Cantonese | Italian | Japanese | Mandarin | French

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18A | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Kasander & Wigman Productions

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.

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.

Quotes:

Nagiko: Farewells can be both beautiful and despicable. Saying farewell to one who is loved is very complicated. Why should a person be obligated to stand such sweet pain and such bitter pleasure?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Deed Poll (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Taimu-Mashin no nai Jidai

Visually Stunning

Erotic, seductive, intellectual, visually stunning film. The painted calligraphy on skin was amazingly sensuous.

I couldn't force myself to watch '8 1/2 Women' which was my first Greenway film, so I hoped against my better judgment that this movie would be different -- and it was. I've read reviews that say this movie moves slow, but I didn't feel that at all. I think the character introspection is very important - I felt I knew Nagito. I understood her desire, her confusion and her pain. The ending is beautifully done - Nagito is the perfect tragic heroine. This is a must see for anyone looking for a sensual erotic film; unlike most you have seen before.