DramaHistory

The Baby of Mâcon

- Exploring thoroughly modern taboos

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.

Release Date : 1993-09-17

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Cine ElectraAllartsLa Sept CinémaUGC FilmsFilm4 Productions

Production Country : FranceGermanyNetherlandsUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : The Daughter

Original Name : Julia Ormond

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Bishop's Son

Original Name : Ralph Fiennes

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Bishop

Original Name : Philip Stone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cosimo Medici

Original Name : Jonathan Lacey

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Father Confessor

Original Name : Don Henderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Mother Superior

Original Name : Celia Gregory

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Major Domo

Original Name : Jeff Nuttall

Gender : Male

Character Name : The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson)

Original Name : Jessica Hynes

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Second Midwife

Original Name : Kathryn Hunter

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Third Midwife

Original Name : Gabrielle Reidy

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Prompter

Original Name : Frank Egerton

Gender : Male

Character Name : The First Tutor

Original Name : Phelim McDermott

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Father

Original Name : Tony Vogel

Gender : Male

Character Name : The First Nun

Original Name : Tatiana Strauss

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Second Nun

Original Name : Louisa Milwood-Haigh

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Wetnurse

Original Name : Anna Nieland

Gender : Male

Character Name : Famine

Original Name : Graham Valentine

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Mother

Original Name : Diana van Kolck

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Second Tutor

Original Name : Leslie Cuss

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Chaplain

Original Name : Rien Kroon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carpaccio

Original Name : Jan Sepers

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Baby of Mâcon

Original Name : Nils Dorando

Gender : Male

Character Name : The First Soldier

Original Name : Richard Blair

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Second Soldier

Original Name : Tony Dunham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cosimo's Servant

Original Name : Humphrey Sallons

Gender : Male

Character Name : Entourage Servant

Original Name : Dennis Rudge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Entourage Servant

Original Name : Hans Bosch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Entourage Servant

Original Name : Sjoerd Ghijssen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Entourage Servant

Original Name : Michiel Riedijk

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Deacon

Original Name : Bert Sevenhuijsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cynical Auction Bidder (uncredited)

Original Name : John Hartnett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Laborer (uncredited)

Original Name : Bastian Pastewka

Gender : Male

Character Name : Choir Farmer's Wives (uncredited)

Original Name : Dela Maria Vaags

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-01-07

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 into pantomime territory all too quickly. The cast are a collection of reasonably competent talent, but too much of the emphasis of this production is on the style, imagery along with an admittedly glorious choral score that does so much to add to the vivid and seamy look of this rather lengthy effort. The message is clear enough, but it has something of sledgehammer and nut to it; there is no subtlety or nuance to it, it's an intellectual brute of a film before a denouement that confirms what most of us - certainly those without religious convictions - may have expected from the outset. As with all of his films, this is certainly worth watching - but as to enjoying it, well I didn't really.