A Zed & Two Noughts [Blu-ray]

Director: Peter Greenaway

Overview

The always elliptical Peter Greenaway once again creates a beautiful film-as-puzzle. This tale concerns twin zoologist brothers whose wives are killed in a freak car crash involving a rare swan. The brothers form an unusual and strangely close relationshi

Product Details

Release Date:	08/13/2012
UPC:	5035673010617
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	15Up
Source:	British Film Inst
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00
Sales rank:	72,987

Special Features

Full-feature Commentary with Director Peter Greenaway; Video introduction by Peter Greenaway; Extracts from ?O Zoo! ( Philip Hoffman, 1986, 7 mins); Original theatrical trailer (3 mins); The Sea in Their Blood (Peter Greenaway, 1983, 28 mins): rarely seen COI film exploring Britain's coastline, with music by Michael Nyman; A full illustrated booklet featuring film notes, biography, review and interview

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Andrea Ferreol	Alba Bewick
Brian Deacon	Oswald Deuce,Oliver Deuce
Frances Barber	Venus de Milo
Joss Ackland	Van Hoyten
Agnes Brulet	Beta Bewick
Guusje van Tilborgh	Caterina Bolnes
Gerard Thoolen	Van Meegeren
Ken Campbell	Stephen Pipe
Wolf Kahler	Felipe Arc-en-Ciel
Geoffrey Palmer	Fallast
David Attenborough	Narrator,Narrator
Jim Davidson	Joshua Plate
Michael Nyman	Composer

Technical Credits

Peter Greenaway

Kees Kasander	Producer
Peter Sainsbury	Producer
Peter Greenaway	Screenwriter
Sharon Howard-Field	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Like most Peter Greenaway films, the appeal of A Zed & Two Noughts is totally subjective. It all depends on one's tolerance for non-narrative filmmaking . Greenaway never gives the viewer an easy way into the film: plot details are doled in an off-hand, irregular fashion and the characters speak to each other in a series of cryptic sound bites dense with artistic and literary references that will be lost on many viewers. The film is easier to appreciate if approached as a puzzle box for the mind, one that happens to revolve around themes of birth, death, symmetry, and the slender differences between man and animal. Thus, A Zed & Two Noughts is pretty challenging fare but has plenty to offer the patient viewer. For instance, the film is impeccably crafted: Sacha Vierny's stunning cinematography overflows with eye-popping color and Michael Nyman's frenetic, hypnotic score rivals the most intense work of Philip Glass. The actors handle their difficult, often elliptical characterizations with skill, with Andréa Ferréol making the most vivid impression as the woman who changes the lives of the twin brother protagonists in an earth-shaking fashion. In short, A Zed & Two Noughts is not a film for those who love straightforward narratives but is well worth a look to adventurous viewers looking for a challenge that is easy on the eyes.