8½ Women
8 1⁄2 Women is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway and starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, and Vivian Wu. An international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany, it was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
| 8 1⁄2 Women | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Greenaway |
| Produced by | Kees Kasander |
| Written by | Peter Greenaway |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Frank Loesser Giuseppe Verdi |
| Cinematography | Reinier van Brummelen Sacha Vierny |
| Edited by | Elmer Leupen |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom Netherlands Luxembourg Germany |
| Language | English Italian Japanese Latin |
| Box office | $424,123[1] |
Plot
After the death of his wife Amelia, wealthy businessman Philip Emmenthal (John Standing) and his son Storey (Matthew Delamere) open their own private harem in their family residence in Geneva. They get the idea while watching Federico Fellini's 8 1⁄2 and after Storey is "given" a woman, Simato (Shizuka Inoh), to waive her pachinko debts. They sign one-year contracts with eight (and a half) women to this effect.
The women each have a gimmick (one is a nun, another a kabuki performer, etc.). Philip soon becomes dominated by his favorite of the concubines, Palmira (Polly Walker), who has no interest in Storey as a lover, despite what their contract might stipulate. Philip dies, the concubines' contracts expire, and Storey is left alone with Giulietta (the titular "1⁄2") and of course the money and the houses.
While the film deals with and graphically describes diverse sexual acts in conversation, the film does not feature any sex scenes as such.
Cast
- John Standing as Philip Emmenthal
- Matthew Delamere as Storey Emmenthal
- Vivian Wu as Kita
- Shizuka Inoh as Simato
- Toni Collette as Griselda / Sister Concordia
- Amanda Plummer as Beryl
- Natacha Amal as Giaconda
- Barbara Sarafian as Clothilde
- Kirina Mano as Mio
- Manna Fujiwara as Giulietta/Half Woman
- Polly Walker as Palmira
- Elizabeth Berrington as Celeste
- Myriam Muller as Marianne
- Don Warrington as Simon
- Claire Johnston as Amelia
Reception
8 1⁄2 Women received mixed to negative reviews. As of November 2019 it holds a 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[3] and 36/100 (an average of critics' reviews) on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[4]
The film opened at the box office at #50 with $92,000[5] and grossed $424,123 domestically.[1]
References
- 8 1⁄2 Women at Box Office Mojo
- "Festival de Cannes: 8½ Women". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- 8 1⁄2 Women at Rotten Tomatoes
- 8 1⁄2 Women at Metacritic
- Box Office Mojo (30 July 2000). "Weekend Box Office Results for May 26-28, 2000 - Box Office Mojo". Amazon.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.