Baby of Macon

Theatrical, Visually stunning, great performances and storytelling...this is one of the most incredible movies I have ever seen. Themes include corruption in society, complicity to abomination, child explotation, power dynamics, the position of women in society, the role of the audience- even what a movie is and could be. It contains one of the most shocking scenes I have ever seen in film ever- but it is essential to the plot. This movie stayed with me days after I saw it and changed how I viewed films. Julia Ormond's performance as the daughter is one of the bravest, most amazing things I have ever seen. Peter Greenaway's best movie- to be viewed at your own risk. Gorgeous soundtrack.

One could, if one wanted to, draw a line from the unprecedented and historic international controversy surrounding Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation Of Christ” in 1988, directly to the banning and suppression of this extraordinary film just 5 years later in 1993, with it’s searing and brutal Brechtian-style attack on the entire mythos of Christian theology. And one could even speculate that Greenaway was possibly influenced by the immense impact that “Last Temptation” had around the world in terms of it’s epic assault on the conventional iconography of Jesus, and spurred on to put his own unique and innovative signature on the same hot-button subject matter.

The Baby of Mâcon is a must-buy for any Greenaway completist. Although this Blu-Ray has no special features beyond subtitles, it will play on any Region A or B players. Therefore, Greenaway fans in the U.S. without a region-free player can finally experience some of Greenaway's best work as it was meant to be seen, with Sacha Vierny seriously outdoing himself as a cinematographerThat said, it's a brutal film to sit through. There is little of the dark humor that enriched his early work so much. After The Cook the Thief, Greenaway became less and less interested in engaging with his audience; moreover, the movies increasingly start to feel like art installations. Despite a few breathtaking setpieces and some excellent performances from the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Kubrick regular Philip Stone, Mâcon can be a punishing experience. It lacks the re-watch value of The Cook the Thief or even A Zed & Two Noughts--not that the man himself would care either way. On the other hand, it was the last time Peter Greenaway made a truly interesting film. Probably for the completists only.A final note: This was also Greenaway's first film after his falling-out with Michael Nyman. His newer films have greatly suffered without Nyman's music. This one has some nice classical cues, at least.

Meh... I thought the theatre-style portrayal of each character detracted from the movie's intended aim - which I feel was a commentary on religious fanaticism and groupthink. It's basically a drama with elements of a farce or a comedy. Scenes that would otherwise be considerably unnerving are obscured. The moral and storyline are in tact, but the delivery leaves much to be desired.

First--it's great to be able to get this film in the US more easily. Second--this is the BEST I've ever seen this film. The aspect ration is correct, the clarity and color are AMAZING, and the sound is wonderful. Finally, we've gotten a copy that doesn't blur out the nudity (as did many copies that came from older Asian prints) and gives the proper aspect ratio and good picture quality (it's a revelation when compared to the previous Austrailian dvd--a good product, but still inferior).Anyone who liked this movie will be stunned when they see this blu ray. No extras and no subtitles, but, that's not a big problem.

This DVD was authored incorrectly. It should be framed as a 2.35:1 anamorphic image, but instead is "squeezed" so that everything inside the frame is stretched vertically and looks taller, probably to a 1.85:1 image. If you have a dvd or blu-ray player that upconverts, you can finnagle the image and eliminate the problem, but people with regular dvd players don't have that option. The manufacturer needs to fix this. The film is visually stunning, and should be presented properly.

Greenaway's best in my opinion

As pretentious as it is sumptuous. Peak Greenaway? Suitable for a '60s mindset (Living Theater and all that when untrained actors held sway). Julia Ormond channels Glenda Jackson in Peter Brook's Marat/Sade. Enough said.