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Prospero's Books (1991)

R | | Drama, Fantasy | 30 August 1991 (UK)
Prospero's Books Poster
The magician Prospero attempts to stop his daughter's affair with an enemy.

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Peter Greenaway

Stars:

John Gielgud, Michael Clark, Michel Blanc | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

On Disc

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Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 22 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Gielgud ... Prospero
Michael Clark Michael Clark ... Caliban
Michel Blanc ... Alonso
Erland Josephson ... Gonzalo
Isabelle Pasco ... Miranda
Tom Bell ... Antonio
Kenneth Cranham ... Sebastian
Mark Rylance ... Ferdinand
Gerard Thoolen ... Adrian
Pierre Bokma ... Francisco
Jim van der Woude Jim van der Woude ... Trinculo
Michiel Romeyn Michiel Romeyn ... Stephano
Orpheo Orpheo ... Ariel
Paul Russell Paul Russell ... Ariel
James Thierrée James Thierrée ... Ariel (as James Thiérrée)
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

An exiled magician finds an opportunity for revenge against his enemies muted when his daughter and the son of his chief enemy fall in love in this uniquely structured retelling of the 'The Tempest'. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

nudity | shakespeare adaptation | book | urination | shakespeare's the tempest | See All (21) »

Taglines:

A magician's spell, the innocence of young love and a dream of revenge unite to create a tempest.

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

UK | Netherlands | France | Italy | Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1991 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

A Última Tempestade See more »

Filming Locations:

UK See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

£1,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,750,301
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allarts, Cinéa, Caméra One See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the "animated" books include images from (or allusions to) Eadweard Muybridge's motion studies, specifically from his eleven-volume study "Animal Locomotion (1885)", featuring his galloping horse, running bison, and studies of walking, jumping, and throwing. See more »

Alternate Versions

The German DVD version has two title cards before the opening credits explaining prior events and the premise of the film. See more »

Connections

Version of The Tempest (1939) See more »

Soundtracks

Prospero's Magic
Written by Michael Nyman
See more »

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User Reviews

The best motion picture ever made in the history of cinematography
5 February 2004 | by petrovich-1 – See all my reviews

This film is one of the very few examples of a cinema as a visual art and that is why it irritates so many people. It's very sad but one doesn't need a screen to follow 99,9 % of the movies made for the last one hundred years of the history of cinematography: you can simply broadcast them on radio. But this one belongs to 0,1 %(as well as Fellini's Otto e Mezzo, or Paradzhanov's Sayat Nova, for example) that you really have to WATCH. So try to perceive "Prospero's Books" not just as an illustrative material to some pieces of literature, but as an art exhibition in motion. Maybe that will make it easier for you, dear Hollywood junk viewer.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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