Prospero's Books 1991

Vincent Canby, New York Times: Greenaway is not a frivolous film maker. He doesn't shoot a lot of material with the expectation of stumbling upon a found object within. His films are planned from the first frame to the last. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Gone is any sense of drama or character; the cluttered spectacle yields no overriding design but simply disconnected MTV-like conceits or mini-ideas every three seconds. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It is simply a work of original art, which Greenaway asks us to accept or reject on his own terms. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: To some degree, the relentless proliferation of ideas smothers the dramatic highs and lows, but this is a minor quibble compared to the sheer ambition and audacity of the overall conception. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: The product of a feverish, overflowing imagination, this almost impossibly dense take on The Tempest displays both the director's audacious brilliance and lewd extravagance at full tilt. Read more

Joe Brown, Washington Post: Ravishing but incomprehensible. Read more

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: Prospero's Books references the masterpieces of the past in a manner that antagonizes our pleasure in the arts rather than enhancing it. Read more