Small Beans 253. Frame Rate: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (Feat. Tom Reimann)
Feb 3, 2020
In this conversation, Tom Reimann, a podcaster from the Gamefully Unemployed network, joins hosts Michael and Abe to dissect Peter Greenaway's provocative film. They dive into the film's grotesque elements like vomit and excrement, labeling it an elaborate joke on high art. Tom explores its allegorical themes, comparing characters to symbols of Thatcher-era England. The trio also discusses the striking color palette and the film's brutal cannibalistic climax, sparking captivating insights into its artistic layers.
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Post-Film Appetite Loss
- Tom Reimann watched the film after Christmas with leftovers and couldn't eat afterward because of its grotesque imagery.
- He avoided food for hours, proving the movie's intentional visceral impact on viewers.
Food Equals Shame And Death
- Greenaway deliberately blurs eating, excretion, sex, and blood to collapse bodily urges into a single symbolic register.
- The film repeatedly asserts that luxury and taste ultimately become 'shit', undermining pretensions of refinement.
Brechtian Characters Turn Real
- Greenaway stages characters as almost Brechtian symbols rather than fully rounded people.
- The dishwasher boy functions like a Greek chorus until he becomes a real child, flipping formal play into real cruelty.
