Ewan McGregor, Hideko Yoshida, Judy Ongg

Set in contemporary Japan and Hong Kong, a successful model revives memories of her calligrapher father by having her lovers give her pleasure by writing on her body. An affair with an Englishman lead...( read more  read more... )s her to start writing herself, using others as her paper.

Flixster Users

80% liked it

3,104 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

25 critics

NC-17, 2 hrs. 6 min.

Directed by: Peter Greenaway

Release Date: June 6, 1997

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DVD Release Date: December 15, 1998

Stats: 697 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (697)


  • September 28, 2009
    Great film, Peter Greenaway direction is beautiful! This is the first film were Hollywood took note of the young Ewan McGregor too but it?s Vivian Wu who steals the show.
  • April 17, 2008
    Everytime i try to get into this film i encounter a solid wall that won't let me pass. Vivian Wu should be in more movies, naked if possible.
  • March 14, 2007
    Greenaway is definitely an acquired taste; he IS painfully affected and pretentious, but his sumptuous visuals can more than make up for it, and this is probably the most beautiful example of his work.
  • March 5, 2007
    This movie was pretty weird and slow at times, but it was beautiful and was very artistically shot. There was always a lot going on visually (pictures within pictures, subtitles, text, lots and lots of text). The music reminded me of a Clockwork Orange. And as an added bonus t...( read more)here is lots of completely naked Ewan McGregor. I was watching a little bit of it again before I returned it and I realized I really like the girl's voice.
  • January 15, 2007
    I love this film. Its amazing....And that has nothing to do with Ewan McGregor's lack of clothes... :P Parts of it are vile, but its worth watching!!
  • November 4, 2009
    interesante montaje!
  • October 9, 2009
    la pelicula mas romantica que he visto,
  • September 20, 2009
    A feast for the eyes, and the senses. Ewan McGregor finally dares to play a totally different role.

    This complex, erotic, artistic, stylish and beautiful Greenaway tale makes you wonder about our true motivations; the outstanding and depressing (but even so, masterful) direct...( read more)ion leads us to an incredible journey to the psychology of the protagonist Nagiko and the secondary characters, which represent many of the most important aspects of life.

    This sexual odyssey is worth been watched several times so you can find different and meaningful things after each time. A masterpiece of mofern era, The Pillow Book is a rare gem of contemporary cinematography, and a breathtaking alternative look at the artistic expression.

    94/100
  • June 17, 2009
    Sensual, artistic, and mesmerizingly beautiful. This film is one of a kind, the whole concept is very original and the story is enchanting.
  • June 8, 2009
    Easily my favorite Ewan McGregor movie. It may be rated NC-17, but it is NOT porn. It is subtle in it's symbolism, contains spectacular acting and a gripping story.

Comments


  • tumadretumadre
    November 10, 2006
    The film has written and spoken dialogue in twenty-five languages - English, French, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Latin, Hebrew, necrotic Egyptian ... and it has written calligraphic text on paper, wood, and flesh, on flat and curved surfaces, vertically and horizontally, on both living and dead flesh, in neon, on screens, in projection, as sub-title, inter-title, and sur-title, as High Art and low art, as advertisement and banker's check and registration plate, on photograph, on blackboard, as letter correspondence, as photocopy facsimile, and spoken, chanted, and sung, with and without music ... a mocking challenge. You want text? Cinema wants text? Cinema pretends to eschew text? Then we can give you text to mock that smug suggestion that cinema thinks it is pictures.

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The Pillow Book Trivia


  • Ewan McGregor paints his signature on a girls hand with black ink?  Answer »
  • The foreign film, 'The Pillow Book', starred this actor who ended up becoming an actual piece of parchment in the movie.  Answer »
  • This actor has appeared in 'A life less ordinary','The Island','The pillow book' and 'Emma'  Answer »
  • Who starred in all of these films? Shallow Grave The Pillow book Trainspotting A Life Less Ordinary  Answer »

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