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Scott Ventura >> Movie Commentary >> January 1998 >> A Zed & Two Noughts

A Zed & Two Noughts

Movie Commentary by Scott Ventura

Details

Scott's Rating:
1 / 5
Times Seen:
1
Viewing Date:
January 1998
IMDB Name:
Zed & Two Noughts, A (1985)
Director:
Peter Greenaway
Keywords:
comedy
Made:
1985
MPAA Rating:
Unrated

Misunderstood

British films always leave me feeling as though I missed something. I can never parse British English as well as I can American English, so I suspect I'm not often getting the whole thing. In the case of A Zed & Two Noughts, there was a lot more than dialogue to miss. Writer/director Peter Greenaway is very heavy on the symbolism and obscure literary refernces, such that the elements that would make a movie like this enjoyable tend to sail past the unknowing audience unnoticed.

Gore

This film is not for the weak stomach. It features two brothers who are obsessed with decay. Their wives died in the same car accident, and the brothers grill the only survivor, the driver (now minus one leg) for details of that fateful shopping trip. They take those details and study their potential for decay, using very graphic time-lapses, which the viewer gets to see. That gets a little creepy.

The film is, however, supposed to be a comedy! Some of the dialogue is funny. Many of the situations are funny. The ending is ironic, but not anything resembling a punchline. I don't think I'll be seeing this one again. I'd give Greenaway another try, but something with less gore to it.




Copyright 1998-2001 by Scott Ventura. All rights reserved.