The Belly of an Architect

"Art is the food for madness."

1987 1h 58m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 135

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Stourley Kracklite, a driven, detail-obsessed architect, travels from America to Rome with his much younger wife, Louisa, 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.

“Art is the food for madness.”

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Cast

Brian Dennehy
Stourley Kracklite
Chloe Webb
Louisa Kracklite
Lambert Wilson
Caspasian Speckler
Sergio Fantoni
Io Speckler
Stefania Casini
Flavia Speckler
Vanni Corbellini
Frederico
Alfredo Varelli
Julio
Geoffrey Copleston
Caspetti

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Greenaway
Writers: Peter Greenaway
Languages: Italian, English
Countries: Italy, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Greenaway, shot by Sacha Vierny. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wim Mertens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Greenaway directs. Sacha Vierny behind the camera. Wim Mertens scores. John Wilson cuts. Produced in Italy, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4International production across 2 countries: Italy, United Kingdom.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Peter Greenaway, shot by Sacha Vierny. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Wim Mertens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Brian Dennehy and Chloe Webb and Lambert Wilson carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Art is the food for madness.".
11IMDB entry: tt0092637 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "rome, italy", "architect", "architecture", "older man younger woman relationship".