[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Le Cuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant

Original title: The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
  • 1989
  • 13
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
44K
YOUR RATING
Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Richard Bohringer, and Alan Howard in Le Cuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant (1989)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:09
2 Videos
80 Photos
Dark ComedyCrimeDrama

At an opulent gourmet restaurant, a woman carries on an affair with deadly consequences.At an opulent gourmet restaurant, a woman carries on an affair with deadly consequences.At an opulent gourmet restaurant, a woman carries on an affair with deadly consequences.

  • Director
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Writer
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Stars
    • Richard Bohringer
    • Michael Gambon
    • Helen Mirren
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    44K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Peter Greenaway
    • Writer
      • Peter Greenaway
    • Stars
      • Richard Bohringer
      • Michael Gambon
      • Helen Mirren
    • 223User reviews
    • 90Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:09
    Official Trailer
    The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
    Trailer 1:09
    The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
    The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
    Trailer 1:09
    The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

    Photos80

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 73
    View Poster

    Top cast46

    Edit
    Richard Bohringer
    Richard Bohringer
    • Richard Borst
    Michael Gambon
    Michael Gambon
    • Albert
    Helen Mirren
    Helen Mirren
    • Georgina
    Alan Howard
    Alan Howard
    • Michael
    Tim Roth
    Tim Roth
    • Mitchel
    Ciarán Hinds
    Ciarán Hinds
    • Cory
    • (as Ciaran Hinds)
    Gary Olsen
    • Spangler
    Ewan Stewart
    Ewan Stewart
    • Harris
    Roger Ashton-Griffiths
    Roger Ashton-Griffiths
    • Turpin
    • (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
    Ron Cook
    Ron Cook
    • Mews
    Liz Smith
    Liz Smith
    • Grace
    Emer Gillespie
    Emer Gillespie
    • Patricia
    Janet Henfrey
    Janet Henfrey
    • Alice
    Arnie Breeveld
    Arnie Breeveld
    • Eden
    Tony Alleff
    Tony Alleff
    • Troy
    Paul Russell
    Paul Russell
    • Pup
    Alex Kingston
    Alex Kingston
    • Adele
    Ian Sears
    • Phillipe
    • Director
      • Peter Greenaway
    • Writer
      • Peter Greenaway
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews223

    7.543.8K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10Maurice_Rodney

    Color changes everything!

    The "inside story" of this film is color. Most professional reviewers, with nation-wide media exposure, missed this underlying story element entirely, as did I, until half way through my first viewing. Once I realized the colors of the costumes changed, as the characters passed from room to room, I had to go back and see it again. That's how I got hooked.

    During the next viewing, I took note of the creativity and effort that went into the design and construction of the costumes, several times, as each one had to be rendered in several colors. The next time through, I noticed how the color of each room related to the activity that normally took place there, even in the outdoor sequences. With the subsequent viewing, I concentrated on the soundtrack.

    From that point on, my awareness of all these elements, served to enhance my appreciation of each character and his or her contribution to the story line. That's when the much talked about "gross-out" aspects of the film seemed to diminish in their ability to shock. In fact, by that point, they seemed to fit much more naturally, although the "NC-17" rating is absolutely appropriate.

    This is a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears of intelligent "adult" viewers. Not to be missed.
    ThreeSadTigers

    Greenaway's elaborate and ornate revenger's tragedy - a must see film!

    With the Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, Greenaway creates a self-contained world that is both a fabrication and abstraction of reality, but also an extremist reflection (nee, microcosm) of British society in the nineteen-eighties. The characters that he chooses to put forward to the audience as protagonists are archetypes of social and political caricatures that we would find in that particular decade; but heightened to conform to the over-the-top opulence/pestilence found central to the plot. His ability to craft characters and situations that resonate beyond the context of a particular scenario, coupled with his bitterness and unwillingness to conform is what sets him up as a satirist of serious note. He also elevates the film beyond the realms of mere art-house experimentation by fashioning a seriously funny script, which has ample opportunities for central character Albert Spica to prove himself the ultimate charismatic bully - part cockney hard man, part pantomime villain - who is never less than compulsively terrifying.

    The plot is a simple construct centred on the theme of revenge and the need for personal freedom. This is mixed in with the socio-political undertones as well as Greenaway's many references to art, theatre, film and literature. It is also elevated by the impeccable cinematic qualities that we hold synonymous with the director's work. Everything here is about pushing things beyond the reasonable limitations; so we have a stunningly intricate set that is both theatrically simplistic, but also as other-worldly as anything from the work of say Gilliam or Jeunet. The costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier scream over-the-top chic, whilst often mirroring the use of colour employed by the production designers. Greenaway even breaks continuity by having Helen Mirren's costumes change colour as she moves through each room of the restaurant, so that we have a green dress in the kitchen, a red dress in the dinning area (inspired by Hitchcock's vertigo no less) and a white dress in the lavatory. It's an audacious move, but one that pays off in the creation of a completely self-contained world; something that is further established by Sacha Vierny's sumptuous cinematography and the wonderfully bombastic music of the ever-excellent Michael Nyman.

    Some have clearly found the film's various abstractions problematic (yes, it is theatrical, yes it is occasionally shocking, and yes, it does evolve in a world of its own ostentatious creation). But it's also as artistic a film as you can get; a fact that some here have disputed. The reason that some define this as artistic refers to the use of colour, light and composition. The architecture of the sets too, and the way in which the production designers have chosen to dress them also adds to the artistic stylisation of the film. These factors are important to the narrative, as they are symbolic to what Greenaway is trying to convey, as well as what the characters are all about. Because of this, the design of the film becomes AS important as the framework, if not more so. But this film is more than a mere arty exploration; it's funny and intelligent and features a slew of great performances from a wonderfully eclectic cast. Michael Gambon as the thief Spica gives a grandstand performance to rival his own Phillip Marlow from The Singing Detective; hamming things up spectacularly but still retaining that much needed sense of humanity. The same can be said of the other principals too.

    Mirren as the wife exudes a quite and restrained sexuality in what must be her best performance, whist Richard Bohringer as the cook is in some represents the linchpin/catalyst for the film. Elsewhere we find everyone from Tim Roth to Ian Dury popping up to give the film some added character and easily furthering the film's already cult appeal. This was a turning point for Greenaway; a move towards the more expressive, elaborate and self-contained style of film-making found in films like Prospero's Books and the Baby of Maçon and away from the more easy to digest classics like the Draughtsman's Contract, Drowning by Numbers and A Zed and Two Noughts.
    8claudio_carvalho

    Albert's Special Treat

    The cruel and sadistic crime boss Albert Spica (Michael Gambon) has dinner every night in his restaurant with his wife Georgina Spica (Helen Mirren) and his gang. Albert abuses of his wife, his gangsters, the chef Richard Borst (Richard Bohringer) and the restaurant employees.

    When Georgina meets the gentle bookseller Michael (Alan Howard) in the restaurant, they have a torrid affair in the restroom and in the store, and they are covered by Richard. However the prostitute Pat discloses to Albert that he has been betrayed by Georgina and Albert kills Michael. However Georgina plots revenge against Albert with the support of Richard and the victims of Albert.

    "The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover" is one of the most grotesque, eschatological, bizarre and weird films that I have ever seen. But it is also absolutely original and mesmerizing, with intense use of colors, and with the contrast of vulgarity and art. Food, eschatology, sex, cruelty, torture, cannibalism and revenge are entwined along 124 minutes running time. The result is not pleasant and only specific audiences will appreciate this film. Last time I had seen this film was on 08 September 2000 on VHS. My vote is eight.

    Title (Brazil): "O Cozinheiro, o Ladrão, Sua Mulher e o Amante" ("The Cook the Thief, His Wife and the Lover")
    investmentally_challenge

    Is to film what a twinkie is to nutrition

    I sat transfixed by this film's ability to become increasingly depraved, always without any redeeming quality whatsoever. We would have left except that I became fascinated by the ability of the director and writer to hit bottom and then keep drilling. The story is familiar enough but there are no protagonists. There really are no antagonists either. Just a bunch of people you care nothing about doing things you don't want to know about. If a friend did this stuff to another human and wanted to tell you about it, you would scream for him/her to stop.

    To top it off it has a score by Michael Nyman who had just enough talent to write one bad film score and retreads it for every film that a producer is stupid enough to hire him to score.
    10onionhasayoyo

    An unforgettable piece of total cinema

    First of all, I have to say that this film is one of my personal favorites, and that it is one of those things one must see during his or her lifetime.

    Truthfully, however, I first got into this film after hearing clips of the soundtrack on the Japanese version of Iron Chef, during a time before it was acquired by the Food Network. This film score, composed by the great post-minimalist Michael Nyman, is still one of the most haunting and soul-stirring scores in my opinion, if not the one of the most impressionable bodies of musical work ever. I still listen to the album on a weekly basis - it gets under your skin that way.

    The film itself is a piece of total art, as others have said. The sets are saturated with their singular color schemes (blue for the restaurant's exterior, green for the kitchen, white for the restrooms, and red for the main dining hall) , and people who have any sort of artistic training have valued and will continue to value this film as a character study of color. In this present age where most films present their interpretations of visual thrill through costly CG and SFX technologies, this film is a testament to how color can be a driving influence behind effective set design and cinematography.

    The principal actors, including the always amazing Helen Mirren and Michael Gambon, are first rate. Helen Mirren's Georgina is a truly heart-wrenching character, especially in the face of Gambon's portrayal of Albert Spica, a poor excuse for a human being and one of cinema's cruelest villains. The cook and lover are merely catalysts, serving to instigate the final act that is the undoing of Albert's overreaching tyranny.

    I suppose the anti-Thatcher sentiment is highly applicable to this film, but since I am not a British citizen, I feel that I cannot comment on this. However, I think the film's allegory can also be applied to other scenarios where a brutish figure uses violence and exploitation as a way to control others whose primary fault is only residing in the same physical/social/legal domain as the brute.

    In short, a masterpiece.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The four title characters were named for the actors and actress writer and director Peter Greenaway originally wanted to play them. Richard (The Cook) was for Richard Bohringer, the only one of Greenaway's original choices retained in the final movie. Albert (The Thief) was named after Albert Finney, while Georgina (His Wife) was for Georgina Hale. Michael (The Lover) was named, interestingly enough, for Sir Michael Gambon, who Greenaway eventually re-cast as Albert.
    • Goofs
      When Albert (Michael Gambon) goes into the ladies' toilet and starts throwing women out of the cubicles, the second one has, as you would expect, her underwear around her knees. But her skirt rides right up, revealing that she is still wearing her underwear and that the ones below are a prop.
    • Quotes

      Georgina: Try the cock, Albert. It's a delicacy, and you know where it's been.

    • Crazy credits
      Closing credits epilogue: "And a special thanks to those very many people who patiently & repeatedly performed as patients & nurses in the hospital ward, and as diners in the Hollandais Restaurant."
    • Alternate versions
      An edited, R-rated version is available on video.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: I Love You to Death/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Cry-Baby/The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover/Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Memorial
      Written by Michael Nyman

      Performed by The Michael Nyman Band

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ

    • How long is The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover?
      Powered by Alexa
    • What is the correct way to formulate the title of the film?
    • What is the name of the restaurant in the film?
    • What's on the menu?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1, 1989 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • Netherlands
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Dutch
    • Also known as
      • El cocinero, el ladrón, su esposa y su amante
    • Filming locations
      • Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Allarts
      • Elsevier-Vendex Film Beheer
      • Allarts Cook
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,724,701
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $252,223
      • Apr 8, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,527,316
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Richard Bohringer, and Alan Howard in Le Cuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant (1989)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Le Cuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant (1989) in Brazil?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.