The Belly of an Architect

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The Belly of an Architect

R

1987

1h 58m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Stourley Kracklite (Brian Dennehy), a driven, detail-obsessed architect, travels from America to Rome with his much younger wife, Louisa (Chloe Webb), to oversee an architectural homage to a personal hero, 18th-century master builder Etienne-Louis Boullée. En route by train, Stourley and Louisa conceive a much-wanted child -- but Stourley's obsession with his wife's expanding belly, her perceived infidelity, and his own recurrent bouts of abdominal pain reach epic and dangerous proportions.

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Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

[Brian] Dennehy is outstanding as a man out of his element, and the cinematic rendering of Rome's classic structures is a visual feast.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 20, 2020

Full Review

Ángel Luis Inurria

El Pais (Spain)

Presumptuous, cold, and distant. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 3, 2020

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 4/5

Nov 30, 2007

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Dennehy achieves Brando-esque emotional power.

Rated: B+

Apr 9, 2007

Full Review

Randy Shulman

Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

Rated: 3/5

Jun 30, 2005

Full Review

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

There's a good deal here to relish, even if the piece as a whole eventually descends into the same hermetic serialism of motifs that has consumed most of Greenaway's pictures.

Rated: B

Aug 28, 2004

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Donald D

Just let this film envelop you it is a wonder of cinema. It’s a watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Absolute masterpiece from Peter Greenaway. A visual feast of style, music and visuals. Not to mention the plot which is very unique and original. The performance of Brian Dennehy is spot on perfect and brings a heightens up the sense of tragedy that permeates the film. Its Peter Greenaway at its best!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the greatest, the most beautiful and underrated films of all time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

The thing about this is that, despite good performances, as far as I can see, it's a lot of nothing. Sure, it's more of a character study than linear story, but, even taking this into consideration, it still doesn't deliver anything that I think is really worth watching. There are some good ideas here, but that's all they are - ideas that never come to fruition.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'd recommend this movie to the architects...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

A visually striking tale of obsession with a powerful performance by Dennehy, and the usual sexual flourishes from Greenaway.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Peter Greenaway

Director

Brian Dennehy

Stourley Kracklite

Chloe Webb

Louisa Kracklite

Lambert Wilson

Caspasian Speckler

Sergio Fantoni

Io Speckler

Stephania Cassini

Flavia Speckler

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Synopsis

Stourley Kracklite (Brian Dennehy), a driven, detail-obsessed architect, travels from America to Rome with his much younger wife, Louisa (Chloe Webb), to oversee an architectural homage to a personal hero, 18th-century master builder Etienne-Louis Boullée. En route by train, Stourley and Louisa conceive a much-wanted child -- but Stourley's obsession with his wife's expanding belly, her perceived infidelity, and his own recurrent bouts of abdominal pain reach epic and dangerous proportions.

Director: Peter Greenaway
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 23, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.3K
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround

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