On my “about” page I listed my favourite movie as Prospero’s Books, a 1991 interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest by Peter Greenway. I remember the first time that I saw this movie, it had just been released at the movie theatres and I didn’t really know what to expect other than that it was supposedly “visually stunning”. Well, visually stunning is just my cup of tea, and I was not disappointed, in this case the hype was surpassed by the reality.
I’d never seen anything like it, or at least, not on film. I was at art school at this time learning computer graphics, and my favourite program was Photoshop 2.0 (yes, this was before they invented layers). I’ve always had a love of collage, and Photoshop seemed a magical tool that allowed me to create images that could match whatever I could imagine, and it was these types of images that I saw moving for the first time in Prospero’s Books.
I remember thinking that it was “the first film of the 21st century”. The combination of typography, calligraphy, still and moving images… it was just breathtaking. It was more than just stunning, it was an orgasm of imagery, and my eyes simply couldn’t take in everything that was happening on screen.
A common comment about the movie is that it is full of naked people, and that’s true enough. They’re just the spirits that inhabit the island, created with magic by Prospero, along with most of the sets and props as well, virtually everything on the island is an illusion.
Throughout the movie, Greenway shows us short snippets of each of Prospero’s books of magic, and it is in these scenes that the animation and graphics are really especially spectacular.
Most people seem to find the film “too much”, but I think that’s part of what I love about it, Greenaway’s maximalism. It’s in your face, over the top, visual and aural exuberance. Every step is choreographed; every set, a reference to classical art. The costumes (yes, there are some), are made of luxurious fabrics, and some of them even change colours. And to set it all to life, the score by Michael Nyman is wonderful.
It’s been almost 20 years now that I first saw this movie. I’ve owned it on VHS tape, but it has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray, I’ll buy it when it is, this movie would be stunning in high-def. I think I’ve probably watched it dozens of times over the years, and I still look to it for inspiration when I need to be reminded of the sheer joy of creativity.
Here’s is one of my favourite scenes, the wedding of Amanda and Ferdinand. The goddesses Juno, Ceres and Iris officiate, each singing a blessing on the couple.
Enjoy…
Dear Robert,
Thank you so much for this inspiring post.
I was also an art student when Prospero’s Books arrived to the local cinema in Lisbon, spreading all this beauty around.
The Book of Mythologies seems to be inhabited by the multiple faces of our common identity, giving shapes and sounds to our unspoken words. Thank you for reminding us that freedom and joy are the true seeds of being.
I loved this film and it may be time to rewatch it again… If you can get a hold of it, the book, which contains a shot by shot script plus an interesting introduction, screenshots, illustrations and reference paintings, is well worth the read!