At Le Hollandais gourmet restaurant, every night is filled with opulence, decadence and gluttony. But when the cook, a thief, his wife and her lover all come together, they unleash a shockin... Read allAt Le Hollandais gourmet restaurant, every night is filled with opulence, decadence and gluttony. But when the cook, a thief, his wife and her lover all come together, they unleash a shocking torrent of sex, food, murder and revenge.At Le Hollandais gourmet restaurant, every night is filled with opulence, decadence and gluttony. But when the cook, a thief, his wife and her lover all come together, they unleash a shocking torrent of sex, food, murder and revenge.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 11 nominations
Ciarán Hinds
- Cory
- (as Ciaran Hinds)
Roger Ashton-Griffiths
- Turpin
- (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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.
- GoofsWhen 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.
- Crazy creditsClosing 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 versionsAn edited, R-rated version is available on video.
Featured review
The Divine Comedy
Imagine the universe as a restaurant. The parking lot is the world. The kitchen is purgatory. The ladies's room is heaven. The dining room is hell. Hell is ruled over by Albert Spica, (Satan) excellently played by Michael Gobon. Dante is Michael (Alan Howard) a cataloger of French books. Beatrice, Dante's perfect woman, Georgina Spica (Helen Mirren) who is married to the devil.
In the beginning, the cook (God) in the real world is seen kicked and smeared and fed dog feces by Gabon. He is humiliated and in tears, but He endures and eventually helps to further the love between Howard and MIrren. Sex, in its pure form, is looked at as something sacred. Gabon lords over everyone in his realm with a tyrant's fist, caring nothing about anyone or anything. He wants two three things out of lifesuperiority to all other being, food and sex, while Mirren, as a reluctant Persephone, sneaks off to be with Howard. A couple of times Gabon even finds his way into the sanctity of heaven, but this is only short-lived.
The mood of the film is dark-black, heralded by brilliant reds or greens, and the tenor of an angelic child throughout. Every image is like a painting. Emotions creep in from all directions.
This is a film that would never, no matter what year it was produced, have won an Academy Award. It is too refined, to subtle, too sensual, too intelligent.
Watch it, rent it, buy it. It must be seen.
In the beginning, the cook (God) in the real world is seen kicked and smeared and fed dog feces by Gabon. He is humiliated and in tears, but He endures and eventually helps to further the love between Howard and MIrren. Sex, in its pure form, is looked at as something sacred. Gabon lords over everyone in his realm with a tyrant's fist, caring nothing about anyone or anything. He wants two three things out of lifesuperiority to all other being, food and sex, while Mirren, as a reluctant Persephone, sneaks off to be with Howard. A couple of times Gabon even finds his way into the sanctity of heaven, but this is only short-lived.
The mood of the film is dark-black, heralded by brilliant reds or greens, and the tenor of an angelic child throughout. Every image is like a painting. Emotions creep in from all directions.
This is a film that would never, no matter what year it was produced, have won an Academy Award. It is too refined, to subtle, too sensual, too intelligent.
Watch it, rent it, buy it. It must be seen.
helpful•22974
- Minerva_Meybridge
- Mar 21, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Der Koch, der Dieb, seine Frau und ihr Liebhaber
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,724,701
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $252,223
- Apr 8, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $8,526,030
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![Helen Mirren in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTlmM2U5YmQtMTcxYy00MzgyLTkyMDItZjY5Yjc3OTJkMTAzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)
Top Gap
What is the streaming release date of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) in Brazil?
Answer