The Baby of Mâcon( 1993)

TV-MADramaHistory

69%

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Score

Exploring thoroughly modern taboos

Overview

Set halfway through the 17th century, a church play is performed for the benefit of the young aristocrat Cosimo. In the play, a grotesque old woman gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. The child's older sister is quick to exploit the situation, selling blessings from the baby, and even claiming she's the true mother by virgin birth. However, when she attempts to seduce the bishop's son, the Church exacts a terrible revenge.

Top Billed Cast

Julia Ormond
The Daughter
Ralph Fiennes
The Bishop's Son
Philip Stone
The Bishop
Jonathan Lacey
Cosimo Medici
Don Henderson
The Father Confessor
Celia Gregory
The Mother Superior
Jeff Nuttall
The Major Domo
Jessica Hynes
The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson)
Kathryn Hunter
The Second Midwife
Gabrielle Reidy
The Third Midwife
Frank Egerton
The Prompter
Phelim McDermott
The First Tutor
Tony Vogel
The Father
Tatiana Strauss
The First Nun
Louisa Milwood-Haigh
The Second Nun
Anna Nieland
The Wetnurse
Graham Valentine
Famine
Diana van Kolck
The Mother
Leslie Cuss
The Second Tutor
Rien Kroon
The Chaplain
Jan Sepers
Carpaccio
Nils Dorando
The Baby of Mâcon
Richard Blair
The First Soldier
Tony Dunham
The Second Soldier
Humphrey Sallons
Cosimo's Servant
Dennis Rudge
Entourage Servant
Hans Bosch
Entourage Servant
Sjoerd Ghijssen
Entourage Servant
Michiel Riedijk
Entourage Servant
Bert Sevenhuijsen
The Deacon
John Hartnett
Cynical Auction Bidder (uncredited)
Bastian Pastewka
Laborer (uncredited)
Dela Maria Vaags
Choir Farmer's Wives (uncredited)

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Review 1Discussion

A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Sat Jan 07 2023

I've always found Peter Greenaway films rather hit or miss, and this rather theatrical effort I found more the latter. It all centres around a sort of immaculate conception birth at the Medici court and follows the anticipatory and resultant shenanigans as human nature is (quite literally) laid bare for all to see (and that nature doesn't always come off so well!) It has something of the bawdy romp to it, with some suitably appropriate ecclesiastical excesses and loads of colour - usually red - to liven it up. The story? Well though interesting for the first twenty minutes or so, I felt it fell...