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The Belly of an Architect

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The Belly of an Architect
DVD cover
Directed byPeter Greenaway
Written byPeter Greenaway
Produced byColin Callender
Walter Donohue
StarringBrian Dennehy
Chloe Webb
Lambert Wilson
CinematographySacha Vierny
Edited byJohn Wilson
Music byWim Mertens
Distributed byHemdale Film Corporation
Release date
  • 1987 (1987)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom / Italy
LanguageEnglish
Budget£1.8 million[1]

The Belly of an Architect is a 1987 drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, featuring original music by Glenn Branca and Wim Mertens. Starring Brian Dennehy and Chloe Webb, it was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3]

Plot

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American architect Stourley Kracklite has been commissioned to construct an exhibition in Rome dedicated to the architecture of the 18th-century French architect, Étienne-Louis Boullée, who until the 20th century remained little known. Kracklite's Italian colleagues express doubts about whether Boullée really belongs in the architectural pantheon; they note that few of his buildings were ever constructed and observe that Boullée was an inspiration for Adolf Hitler's architect Albert Speer.

As he works on the exhibition, Kracklite's marriage and health deteriorate. He becomes obsessed with Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, after hearing that Augustus's wife, Livia, supposedly poisoned him. Suffering from recurrent stomach pains, he suspects his much younger wife, Louisa, of trying to do the same. Louisa reveals that she is pregnant with Kracklite's child, conceived at the precise moment their train crossed the Italian border. Meanwhile, she has become sexually involved with Caspasian Speckler, the younger co-organiser of the exhibition. We learn that Caspasian has also been siphoning off funds from the exhibition, even as he and his Italian associates undermine Kracklite's authority and confidence. Kracklite himself is seduced by Caspasian's sister Flavia, a photographer in her apartment across from the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. The two are discovered in flagrante by Caspasian, who threatens to tell Louisa.

Louisa leaves Kracklite, who is diagnosed with stomach cancer and given only months to live. The film ends at the exhibition's opening ceremony, nine months after their arrival in Italy. Kracklite, now replaced as director by Caspasian, watches from a high vantage point as Louisa cuts the tape. As she suddenly goes into labor, Kracklite jumps to his death.

Cast

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Critical reception

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Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports 85% approval of The Belly of an Architect based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 19.
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Belly of an Architect". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  3. ^ Maslin, Janet (1 October 1987). "BELLY OF AN ARCHITECT,' FROM PETER GREENAWAY". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "The Belly of an Architect (1987)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
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