This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but millions of other items are. Join Amazon Prime today. Already a member? Sign in.

Get it for less! Order it used

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

See larger image

Share your own customer images

The Baby Of Macon [VHS] [1993]

VHS ~ Julia Ormond

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom [DVD] [1975]

DVD ~ Paolo Bonacelli

3.4 out of 5 stars (29) �14.98

Shortbus [DVD] [2006]

DVD ~ Yolanda Ross

3.7 out of 5 stars (24) �3.97

The Pillow Book [DVD] [1996]

DVD ~ Vivian Wu

3.8 out of 5 stars (8)

Smilla's Sense of Snow [DVD] [1997] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

DVD ~ Julia Ormond

3.7 out of 5 stars (12)

8.1/2 Women [DVD] [1999]

DVD ~ John Standing

2.2 out of 5 stars (5) �3.98

› Explore similar items

Product details

Actors: Julia Ormond, Ralph Fiennes, Philip Stone, Jonathan Lacey, Don Henderson
Directors: Peter Greenaway
Format: Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Classification: 18
Studio: Electric Pictures
VHS Release Date: 30 Dec 1996
Run Time: 117 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00004RRC7
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 220 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)
Popular in these categories:
#2 in Video > World Cinema > British
#2 in Video > World Cinema > Directors > Greenaway, Peter
#69 in Video > Drama

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Synopsis
In a community suffering a plague of barrenness believed to be a divine punishment, an old woman past childbearing age gives birth to a beautiful child. The story is told as a theatre play before a lively audience in the 1650s.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

art movie(3)

greenaway(3)

bfi(2)

1989(1)

cook(1)

decadent(1)

gaultier(1)

lover(1)

mirren(1)

peter(1)

richard bohringer(1)

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	44% buy The Cook Thief, His Wife And Her Lover [DVD] [1989] 4.5 out of 5 stars (23) �10.08
	24% buy 8.1/2 Women [DVD] [1999] 2.2 out of 5 stars (5) �3.98
	12% buy The Pillow Book [DVD] [1996] 3.8 out of 5 stars (8)
	11% buy The Draughtsman's Contract [1982] [DVD] 4.1 out of 5 stars (15) �12.58

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked Greenaway, 23 Feb 2004

By	"opusv5" - See all my reviews

This film, which was not popular with critics upon release (cerca 1993), has basic Greenaway characteristics: sumptous sets, costumes, photography;ornate though literate dialogue;more than a bit of cruelty. The character played by Ralph Fiennes is so priggishly unsympathetic that it makes his portrayal of Goeth in "Schindler's List" aimiable by comparison. If this film has any striking feature, it is the last segment, where Julia Ormond is raped to death by a succession of men. This scene caused people to leave the theatre when the film was initially released. It is truly horrifying, if only because you don't see what it going on, only hear it. Unlike some contemporary reviewers, I don't think it was done gratuitously, and may open eyes as and increase sensitivity to this dreadful crime.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a real curiousity, 9 Nov 2006

By	D. I. Shipley "David Shipley" (Gravesend, KENT United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Director Peter Greenaway, no stranger to making films with an OTT content made this - The Baby Of Macon in 1994. It was slammed by many critics for being too OTT (even by Greenaway's standards) and indeed many of the audience who did show up to watch it, tended to walk out in disgust at some of the sequences. The film faded quietly away in cinemas and its subsequent releases on both vhs and dvd tended to do the same... That is a shame because while the film has its flaws, it has strengths which propel it into 4 star territory.

The film is of the recreation of a stage play put on for a bloated aristocrat. The play is about the lurid events that happened in the French town of Macon during Medieval times. However, reality and what is being played blur and soon the audience find themselves participants in the events which become increasingly (and at times disgustingly) real.
The story sees a hideously overweight and ageing woman give birth to a beautiful baby. The townspeople are incredulous that this could happen which allows one of the woman's older daughters, a manipulative and scheming individual, played by Julia Ormond to claim that the baby is hers, and arrived via a divine conception. The child does seem to have powers of healing and blessing and as his guardian the young woman is soon on her way to making a fortune from payments from those eager to benefit from the child's seemingly divine powers. However, events later take a turn for the worse and the Church is shown in an unflattering light, as it makes an unpleasant inervention when things start to spin out of control. Indeed, Greenaway is essentially accusing the Church of being a self serving institution, more interested in the maintenance of power and control, rather than carrying out its historical mission.

Be warned the gore and sexual content is very strong indeed. The graphic sex scene between Ray Fiennes and Julia Ormond is then followed by the incredibly gruesome death of Fiennes' character.
Julia Ormond's character is sentenced to be raped by over 200 men by a vengefull Church official....
The child dies and is graphically dismembered on screen by the adoring townspeople as they each seek a 'relic' from his body.The net result of this OTT content is that it tends to dilute and blur the film's message rather than underline it though.
Gore aside, the film is sumptuous to look at and the costumes are an explosion of colour and detail. The film boasts a strong cast that includes Ray Fiennes, Julia Ormond, Don Henderson and others.

To sum up, watching The Baby of Macon is an experience, you could hardly call it entertainment. However, it remains a film that should be seen. The New Zealand dvd (which at the time of writing) is the only official dvd release, has been cut but is still very gruesome. If you wish to see the uncut version of the film, then pick up a UK release vhs. Just make sure that you have a strong stomach.....

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 2 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
drama Favourite music or song from a film.	40	47 minutes ago
drama worst film you've ever seen ?	393	9 hours ago
drama Favourite last scene.	65	9 hours ago
drama Hitchcocks' best?	42	10 hours ago
drama Greatest U.S. tv series?	129	12 hours ago
drama what's been the scariest film you have seen?	23	13 hours ago
drama best comedy film ever?	25	14 hours ago

Related forums

drama (108 discussions)

Listmania!

Films to watch again and again.: A list by film fan
Empire's 500 Greatest Movies 351-375: A list by Vote for Pedro "smoothiedudie"
PGCE/Cert.Ed introductory reading list: A list by Mrs. A. Iredale

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

DVD & Blu-ray > Drama

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Fun for Everyone

Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream

From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Train Hard...Play Hard

Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

Where's My Stuff?

track your recent orders
view or change your orders in Your Account

Delivery and Returns

see our delivery rates and policies
thinking of returning an item? (See our Returns Policy)

Need Help?

Forgot your password?
Buy Gift Certificates.
still have questions? Visit our Help Pages

Your Recent History

(What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

4.5 out of 5 stars (72)�3.86

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.1 out of 5 stars (460)�6.49

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

4.1 out of 5 stars (162)�3.99

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

4.2 out of 5 stars (80)�3.86


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon