Don't listen to the negative reviews

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Blistering performances.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

One of Greenaway's most accessible movies, TBOAA has an actual story-line (unlike the unwatchable "Prospero's Books"), and we actually get to see the faces of the actors (as opposed to "The Cook, The Thief, Some Cannibalism & Plenty Of Shouting from Gambon"). We are fortunately spared Greenaway's trademark set-ups in which all the protagonists are approximately 12 miles away from the camera lens, while rhythmic, monotonous classical music accompanies their every distant move.I didn't find the movie particularly stunning visually, I have no idea what fans of this movie are talking about when they praise the sets and the photography. You can see shots like this in any National Geographic documentary about Ancient Rome or the city's museums and architecture. Greenaway occasionally sets up scenes in an effective way, certainly managing to get the maximum out of the rather thin plot, but there is little here that deserves utterances of "wow!". Let's not get over-excited here, people, just because the movie was made by a man who is considered avant-garde and whom it is hence forbidden to criticize too much (an unwritten rule in the hypothetical "Movie Buff's Guide Of Pretentious European Movies").This is close to a 2-hour movie, and yet very little unfolds. Dennehy predictably gets cheated by his ugly wife, gets ill, has a brief and predictable fling with the sister of the guy who is screwing his wife, and then kills himself at the end. His death coincides with the birth of his child, and we see Boulee's year of death right above his dead body. Frankly, that kind of "symbolism" never gets me too excited. Dennehy's obsession with bellies and Boulee may hold some mysterious grip on Greenaway, and maybe some of his more rabid followers as well, but it doesn't exactly offer anything of significance or even "depth". Tossing historical, architectural, and art references left and right does not a great movie make. Again, I can get all that information on the internet, by watching a documentary, or reading. Not that I was annoyed by that, but it boggles the mind why some film fans wet their pants over this kind of thing.It was predictable that at least one of the main three characters would die at the end. I was even a bit surprised that there wasn't more tragedy happening, with perhaps a scuffle, knives stabbing bellies, people losing their noses, heads rolling into bins... Greenaway never shied away from bombastic conclusions. Suicide, rape, or murder, how else could the movie end? Greenaway was fortunate to have had someone like Dennehy, because quite frankly the rest of the cast was miserably uninteresting and flat.This brings me to my main criticism. Dennehy comes to Italy - not Mars - and yet the behaviour that he encounters is that of a bunch of very rude, stone-faced, evil Romans that seem to have been shipped straight from planet Greenaway to our little Earth. Whether the director has something concrete against the Italian people, or whether he was just being typically "weird" in the worst European-cinema tradition, I don't know. The interaction between the American guest and the Italians is usually illogical, sometimes strange, and often just plain silly. An example of the latter would be the way Dennehy punches some brash young Italians on two occasions. If you wanna be "weeeeeird", then be weird all the way, instead of creating a movie that remains undecided whether it wants to be realistic or all-out experimental.

Dreamlike, beautifully shot by great Sasha Vernie and equally disturbing (as all Greenaway's movies are), "The Belly of an Architect" (1987) tells the story of an American architect, Stourley Kracklite (Brian Dennehy) who came to Rome to work on the exhibition dedicated to the French architect of the 18th century, Etienne-Louis Boullee (1728 - 1799). Stourley brings with him his much younger wife Louisa with whom is passionately in love. Everything looks good for him – he's got a project of his dreams to work on, his wife is with him, and his Italian colleagues seem to be supportive and exited about the exhibit as much as he is. Soon, though, the things begin to change and look rather grim – Stourley's pregnant wife enters the affair with a younger man, the work does not move as quickly as it was planned and on the top of all, Stourley gets sick and perhaps more seriously than he thinks.When I watch Peter Greenaway's films, I know they will be a feast for brain, eyes, and ears – his films consist of frames so perfectly composed that you want to capture every moment of them and exclaim like Goethe's Faust did, "Stay a while! You are so lovely!". The music in his films matches the visual beauty perfectly, and his outlook at the familiar world is always original and arresting even if it lacks warmth and sentimentality. "The Belly of an Architect" is all that: it is filled with symbolism and references to history, Art, and anatomy. It is also a social satire on difference between cultures but it is a compelling and moving story of one man's descending to chaos, hopelessness, despair, and eventually death. This is the first Greenaway's movie since "The cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" that made me feel compassion for its protagonist. I believe it is due to the incredible performance by Brian Dennehy - quite unusual name for a Greenaway's film but was he great as the architect of the title. Dennehy creates a character that is not likable as the film begins but heartbreaking and tragic by the end.8/10

One of my favorite Greenaway films. Story, visuals, metaphor, acting, music...it's got it all. The visuals of Rome are stunning. Wim Mertens' musical accompaniment is brilliant and on par with any modern minimalist composition. After years of seeing his TV roles, I was completely floored by the depth and authenticity Brian Dennehey brought to the main character. I've watched this film at least a dozen times over the years and enjoy it thoroughly each time. Unlike a previous reviewer, I don't see the need to judge this film based on how much it resembles previous or subsequent Greenaway films. "Belly of An Architect" is not as abstract as some of the other Greenaway films, but that shouldn't be viewed as a negative. The film is great and rich in its own right. I highly recommend it.

This is all about it!A spectacular drama so disturbing to become an "existence thriller".A deep and thorough look into the soul and the brain of a creative (in his very own way indeed) man.Psychosis breaks in, out of nowhere, to this man's mind and cripples his emotions, his thought and finally his life.The order mentioned before is exactly the event line of the film.Dark sides of our mind are brutally exposed and true inspiration appears to be not further than a step or two from madness.Excellent music that can both stand alone and brilliantly combine with the work, is what makes the film a true classic.A must see for everyone with a sense in real art.