A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writer:

Peter Greenaway (written by)

Release Date:

25 May 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Oliver Deuce, a successful doctor, is shattered when his wife is killed in a freak car accident involving...

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Zoo | Car Accident | Obsession | Suicide

Cast

Andréa Ferréol	...	Alba Bewick
Brian Deacon	...	Oswald Deuce
Eric Deacon	...	Oliver Deuce
Frances Barber	...	Venus de Milo
Joss Ackland	...	Van Hoyten
Jim Davidson	...	Joshua Plate
Agnès 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	...	Documentary Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Spain:T | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Rotterdam Zoo, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

British Film Institute (BFI)

Trivia:

References to Greek Mythology: Alba Bewick is referred to as 'Leda' (in Greek mythology, Leda gave birth to twins Castor & Pollux after being seduced by Zeus in the guise of a swan); in the film, Alba decides to name the twins she gives birth to as 'Castor & Pollydeuces' (in reference to the mythological Gemini twins Castor & Pollux).

Quotes:

Alba Bewick: In the land of the legless the one-legged woman is queen.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Drowning by Numbers (1988)

Soundtrack:

An Elephant Never Forgets

"In the land of the leg-less, the one-leg woman is queen"

Two zoologist twin brothers lose each of their wives in a freak car crash involving an escaped swan from the zoo. They become obsessed with understanding death, and the creation of life. They study decaying objects, creation films, and trifling details of the accident & the days events that led to the crash. They seek answers with the zoo's prostitute and the one-legged woman (who is the sole survivor of the car crash).

Beautiful scenes, and memorizing music.

The first time I saw this film I was screening it for the staff at my theatre. Everyone but me left to see something else. I could not take my eyes off of the screen. It was amazing. This film may sound a little morbid, but it is about two people dealing with death in his own way. Maybe I liked it so much because I too recently lost some loved ones just prior to seeing this film. I have seen it numerous times since, and I even bought the tape.

Do NOT miss this film!