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IMDbPro

The Belly of an Architect

  • 19871987
  • RR
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
The Belly of an Architect (1987)
Home Video Trailer from MGM
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
39 Photos
  • Drama
An architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.An architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.An architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Writer
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Stars
    • Brian Dennehy
    • Chloe Webb
    • Lambert Wilson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Writer
    • Peter Greenaway
  • Stars
    • Brian Dennehy
    • Chloe Webb
    • Lambert Wilson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 33User reviews
    • 32Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    The Belly of An Architect
    Trailer 1:32
    The Belly of An Architect

    Photos39

    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    A1 movie poster -  59 x 84 cm or 23 x 33 inches
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)
    The Belly of an Architect (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brian Dennehy
    Brian Dennehy
    • Stourley Krackliteas Stourley Kracklite
    Chloe Webb
    Chloe Webb
    • Louisa Krackliteas Louisa Kracklite
    Lambert Wilson
    Lambert Wilson
    • Caspasian Speckleras Caspasian Speckler
    Sergio Fantoni
    Sergio Fantoni
    • Io Speckleras Io Speckler
    Stefania Casini
    Stefania Casini
    • Flavia Speckleras Flavia Speckler
    Vanni Corbellini
    • Fredericoas Frederico
    Alfredo Varelli
    • Julioas Julio
    Geoffrey Copleston
    • Caspettias Caspetti
    Francesco Carnelutti
    Francesco Carnelutti
    • Pastarrias Pastarri
    Marino Masé
    Marino Masé
    • Trettorioas Trettorio
    • (as Marino Mase)
    Marne Maitland
    Marne Maitland
    • Battistinoas Battistino
    Claudio Spadaro
    Claudio Spadaro
    • Morias Mori
    Rate Furlan
    • Violinistas Violinist
    Julian Jenkins
    • Old Doctoras Old Doctor
    Enrica Maria Scrivano
    • Motheras Mother
    Ricardo Ussani
    • Little Boyas Little Boy
    Stefano Gragnani
    • The Nose Manas The Nose Man
    Andrea Prodan
    • Young Doctoras Young Doctor
    • Director
      • Peter Greenaway
    • Writer
      • Peter Greenaway
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Brian Dennehy was quoted after the release as saying "I've made lots of movies but only one film."
    • Goofs
      When photocopying the picture of Augustus, Kracklite puts the picture in upside down which would have given a blank copy (unless the same picture was on both sides). Additionally, it would not be possible to achieve the level of resolution of Augustus' abdomen from such a small picture.
    • Quotes

      Caspasian Speckler: Your wife is very beautiful, Signor Kracklite, especially when she is pregnant.

      Stourley Kracklite: Yes, that's right. She is pregnant. But not with your child, Speckler.

      Caspasian Speckler: True. I'm very grateful to you for that. Your child, shall we say, is the most perfect contraceptive.

      [Kracklite turns and punches Speckler in the nose]

    • Connections
      Referenced in Peter Greenaway in Indianapolis (1997)

    User reviews33

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    When Is Too Much Not Enough?
    Brian Dennehy and Chloe Webb come to Rome. He's an architect who has been working for ten years on an exhibit about Etienne-Louis Boullee, and it has reached the stage where the physical labor has to be done. As the project moves sluggishly forward, Dennehy can't figure out where the money is going. All he knows is that Roman architect Lambert Wilson is carrying on an affair with Miss Webb, angling to take over the exhibit, and he has new and distressing pains in his gut.

    Peter Greenaway directs High Art films that flirt with the limits of watchability -- I've never been able to get past the initial image in PROSPERO'S BOOK, of John Gielgud in hs bath, watered by cherubs like a garden fountain. This one is very watchable, with its bits of color, and Dennehy's solid performance against the wreckage of classical art through the movie's Rome; there's one funny moment when he uses the feet of a colossal sculpture to scratch his back. Yet, in the end, Dennehy's performance takes over the entire movie, leaving everyone else as bit players. Others' motives, except for Lambert's greed, remain obscure. Is Greenaway satirizing the excessive intellectualization of a practical art of which he himself is guilty?
    helpful•5
    2
    • boblipton
    • Dec 30, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 13, 1990 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Der Bauch des Architekten
    • Filming locations
      • Altare della Patria, Piazza Venezia, Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Callender Company
      • Mondial
      • Tangram Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $287,725
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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