The Belly of an Architect (1987)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writer:

Peter Greenaway (writer)

Release Date:

1 October 1987 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An American architect arrives in Italy, supervising an exhibiton for a French architect, Boullée, who is famous for his oval structures...

Plot Keywords:

Stomach | Nudity | Cancer | Suicide | Surrealism

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Brian Dennehy	...	Stourley Kracklite
Chloe Webb	...	Louisa Kracklite
Lambert Wilson	...	Caspasian Speckler
Sergio Fantoni	...	Io Speckler
Stefania Casini	...	Flavia Speckler
Vanni Corbellini	...	Frederico
Alfredo Varelli	...	Julio
Geoffrey Copleston	...	Caspetti
Francesco Carnelutti	...	Pastarri
Marino Masé	...	Trettorio
Marne Maitland	...	Battistino
Claudio Spadaro	...	Mori
Rate Furlan	...	Violinist
Julian Jenkins	...	Old Doctor
Enrica Maria Scrivano	...	Mother
Ricardo Ussani	...	Little Boy
Stefano Gragnani	...	The Nose Man
Andrea Prodan	...	Young Doctor
Fabio Sartor	...	Policeman

Directed by
Peter Greenaway

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Greenaway		writer

Produced by
Conchita Airoldi	....	associate producer
Colin Callender	....	producer
Dino Di Dionisio	....	associate producer
Walter Donohue	....	producer

Original Music by
Wim Mertens

Cinematography by
Sacha Vierny

Film Editing by
John Wilson

Art Direction by
Luciana Vedovelli Levi		(as Luciana Vedovelli)

Costume Design by
Maurizio Millenotti

Makeup Department
Luigi Rocchetti	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Patrizia Massa	....	unit manager

Art Department
Giorgio Desideri	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Peter Glossop	....	production sound mixer
Peter Maxwell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Hancock	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Vincenzo Carpineta	....	assistant camera
Paolo Di Stefano	....	electrician

Casting Department
Rita Forzano	....	casting: Rome
Ellen Lewis	....	casting: New York
Simone Reynolds	....	casting: London

Editorial Department
Milfid Ellis	....	first assistant editor
Chris Wyatt	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Glenn Branca	....	composer: additional music
Paul Daniel	....	conductor

Other crew
Anna Orieti	....	production accountant
Roger Phillips	....	title designer

Production Companies

• British Screen Hemdale
• Callendar Company
• Channel Four Films
• Film Four International
• Mondial
• SACIS
• Tangram Film

Distributors

• A-Film Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cineplex Odeon Films (1987) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Hemdale Film (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hemdale Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Il ventre dell' architetto (Italy)
Der Bauch des Architekten (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Arkitektens mave (Denmark) [da]
Arkkitehdin vatsa (Finland) [fi]
Brzuch architekta (Poland) [pl]
El vientre de un arquitecto (Spain) [es]
I koilia tou arhitektona (Greece) [el]
Le ventre de l'architecte (France) [fr]

Runtime:

USA:118 min

Country:

UK | Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:R | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Aurelian Walls, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

British Screen Hemdale

Goofs:

Factual errors: A little over 20 minutes in the movie, the main character Kracklite (Brian Dennehy) starts his xerox-obsession with pictures of bellies. He clearly opens the machine, keeps the picture in sight and then makes a copy. That's impossible, in copying the original should face the machine, not the hood.

Quotes:

Stourley Kracklite: All fascists are meat-eaters.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the Finish (2003)

How can a drama make up (?) all the way to be a chilling thriller.

This is all about it!A spectacular drama so disturbing to become an "existence thriller".A deep and thorough look into the soul and the brain of a creative (in his very own way indeed) man.Psychosis breaks in, out of nowhere, to this man's mind and cripples his emotions, his thought and finally his life.The order mentioned before is exactly the event line of the film.Dark sides of our mind are brutally exposed and true inspiration appears to be not further than a step or two from madness.Excellent music that can both stand alone and brilliantly combine with the work, is what makes the film a true classic.A must see for everyone with a sense in real art.