Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Labyrinthine
- Violence
- Mild
- surreal
- baroque
- theatrical
- arthouse film night
- shakespeare study
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a daring and highly original visual work whose radical form divides audiences, while its nudity and dense presentation remain central points of discussion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Tempest is reimagined through Prospero’s books, recitations, visual overlays, and theatrical tableaux rather than conventional realism.
Superimpositions, inset frames, calligraphic imagery, and elaborate tableaux dominate the visual language.
The spirits’ pervasive nudity and choreographed bodies materialize themes of knowledge, art, and the relation between flesh and text.
Prospero’s desire for revenge is muted when Miranda and the son of his chief enemy fall in love.
Films like Prospero's Books, and why
Orlando
formally radical Shakespeare adaptation with theatrical artifice, dense visual design, and literary themes
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
surreal, visually ornate literary fantasy centered on theatrical performance and transformation
The Pillow Book
experimental adaptation of canonical literature using stylized tableaux, symbolism, and elaborate production design
Titus
fantastical Shakespeare adaptation emphasizing visual invention, magic, and heightened theatricality
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Greenaway
- Release Date
- 1991-08-30
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (106)
Cast
- John Gielgud
- Michael Clark
- Michel Blanc
- Erland Josephson
- Isabelle Pasco
- Tom Bell
- Kenneth Cranham
- Mark Rylance
- Marie Angel
- Ute Lemper
Common questions
- What is Prospero's Books about?
- Peter Greenaway turns Shakespeare’s island romance into a sumptuous, disorienting meditation on magic, authorship, revenge, and the liberating power of art.
- What is Prospero's Books like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Prospero's Books as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as labyrinthine.
- Is Prospero's Books violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Prospero's Books as mild.
- What did critics think of Prospero's Books?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a daring and highly original visual work whose radical form divides audiences, while its nudity and dense presentation remain central points of discussion.
- Which films are like Prospero's Books?
- Films with a similar feel include Orlando, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The Pillow Book, and Titus.
- How long is Prospero's Books?
- Prospero's Books runs 126 minutes.
