The Pillow Book

The Pillow Book (1996)

  • 78% of critics liked it
    (27 reviews)

  • 77% of users liked it
    (12,565 ratings)

Peter Greenaway directed this elliptical and visually intricate tale of the far side of erotic and intellectual attraction. As a girl, Nagiko would receive a special gift each year from her father: a calligrapher (Ken Ogata) who would carefully paint a poem on her face, as her aunt (Hideko Yoshida)… More

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NC-17, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By
Peter Greenaway
Written By
Sei Shonagon, Peter Greenaway
Genres
Drama, Art House & International, Special Interest, Cult Movies
In Theaters
Jun 6, 1997 Wide
On DVD
Dec 15, 1998
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

    Yawn.

  • Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

    Never less than mesmerizing, even when you're not exactly sure what exactly Greenaway is trying to say.

  • Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    Both exhilarating and exhausting, The Pillow Book is undeniably bold, sometimes beautiful, filmmaking.

  • Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

    Manages to carry on Peter Greenaway's tradition of cherishing both the erotic and the exotic.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Anthony L


    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. *re-review* I just watched this again after 15 years and have completely changed my mind. I guess I was… More

  • Greg S


    A beautiful woman is obsessed with inking characters on human flesh, making herself and her lovers into living books. Gorgeous and sensual, with layered images and pictures framed inside of other pictures. Greenaway's painterly picture is a loving tribute both to calligraphy and… More

  • jay n


    Well it was different that's for sure.

  • Tsubaki S


    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.

  • xGary X


    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.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Cast

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