The Pillow Book
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Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

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  • Starring: Ewan McGregor, Vivian Wu
  • Summary: Three experiences make an indelible impression in a young girl's childhood: her father's tender calligraphy on her face and neck, the text of a noblewoman's sensual diary (or pillow book), and the discovery that her father is being blackmailed. These three images become a single obsession when the girl becomes a woman (Vivian Wu of The Joy Luck Club) and meets a man (Trainspotting's Ewan McGregor) who offers his body to her, both as a blank page to write upon and as a weapon of revenge. (Columbia TriStar)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    Wu is a fine, supple tabula rasa; McGregor (Trainspotting) shows again that he is one of the boldest, most charming young actors.
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Janet Maslin
    80
    The film is best watched as a richly sensual stylistic exercise filled with audaciously beautiful imagery, captivating symmetries and brilliantly facile tricks.
  3. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Tim Appelo
    58
    Greenaway's latest, The Pillow Book, might disappoint purists because it is relatively intelligible. [27 Jun 1997]
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  4. Empire
    Reviewed by: Leah Jewett
    30
    Here both Greenaway's strengths and weaknesses are on show as he toys with the viewers' capacity to ingest blurring metaphors and convoluted content.

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