Peter Greenaway

[D_Tilly_De_Toilet]

After Bergman’s death in 2007 I was convinced there were no more “giants” of film in the world. There are, of course, many good filmmakers still alive today (Jean-Luc Godard, Bela Tarr, and Werner Herzog come to mind) but none that I would have classified as a master. Peter Greenaway, however, is a worthy candidate for this title.

YouTube - PETER GREENAWAY: CINEMA OF THE FUTURE pt1

YouTube - Peter Greenaway European Graduate School 2008 1

The first link is part of a lecture (not sure where the rest of it is) and the second is one he gave at EGS. As an aspiring filmmaker I find what Greenaway has to say particularly interesting and was delighted to find someone who thought somewhere along the same lines as myself. In fact, now one of my goals in life is to migrate to Switzerland and become his disciple haha

Thoughts?

(I tried posting this in the "Endowed Artists" group but it wouldn't let me. Go figure.)

 

[798686]

Didn't he make the Pillowbook?

 

[HellsKitchenmanNYC]

Did he do The Cook, The Thief.......? I can't remember now. If so I agree he's great.

 

[D_Tilly_De_Toilet]

Didn't he make the Pillowbook?

Did he do The Cook, The Thief.......?

Yes to both.

 

[Yorkie]

I like his work but I haven't seen anything much that he's done since The Pillow Book.
It was good to see The Draughtsman's Contract on tv again a couple of weeks ago.A Zed & Two Noughts has been on recently too.I think Drowning By Numbers was my favourite of his '80s films.

 

[ruggero]

I love his work particularly liked "The Draughtmans Contract" and could so easily watch Ewan McGregors cock forever in "Pillowbook" (what a philistine I am, but..then again, where are we ?)
And Bergman, well, the Seventh Seal catered fully to my medievalist fantasies. God I love Black and White photos and film, it has a magic that is lost with colour and special effects.
Cheers mate.
Oh and don't sign off until you've seen Akira Kurosawas "Rashomon", "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo" all B/W and pure film, really important films, well the first two, are the latter is also a fun comedy. (And Toshiro Mifune was a hunk in every movie!)

 

[erratic]

I agree that Greenaway is incredible, but I really think that one can only be called a "master" after a fairly commanding body of work has been built up. It doesn't have to be a huge body of work (ehem - Kubrick), but a string of films that show enough independent thinking, technical skill, and artistic vision to really stand out. I'd argue Terrence Malick deserves to be called a master (though I was personally disappointed with "The Thin Red Line").

But yeah...The Pillow Book...Ewan MacGregor...oy.