this be a baffling film . the beauty in sexual relation between men and woman be show degrade by a set of men and woman who can only be describe a a collection of oddball and misfit . greenaway acknowledge his inspiration to fellini film 8 half but whereas fellini be a titan of world cinema and greenaway be not . he have none of the maestro lightness of touch nor his ability to convey feeling and emotion with a deftness of clarity . he be pretentious and the film be divide into chapter with a write introduction to each and a if the viewer have to be guide into the film except that the write notice only stay on screen for a few second and not long enough to be read by the audience with the result that they be mostly ignore . a for the woman and only two can be describe a looker and palmira and play by polly walker and giaconda play by natacha amal . the rest ooze with ordinariness . both the woman and the men retreat from the harsh light of reality into the dim shade of fantasy . greenaway obviously want to make the point that sexual fantasy do not lead to happiness . the woman themselves be depress since they render their service in exchange for money . relation between men and woman be debase into a commercial transaction . there be no sense of joy or happiness or love in the film and indeed there be several scene that be deeply unpleasant representthe suggestion of an incestuous relationship between father and son and philip and storey emmental play respectively by john standing and matthew delamere . the callous disregard of both men that giaconda be carry their child and she in fact and get pregnant twice and the first foetus be abort and the second time and she be send away to a destination choose by the men from a flight book . both men have sex with a woman who have no leg and ( the half woman in the title ) . the beastiality that exist between beryl and play by amanda plummer and with a pig name hortense . father and son share woman between them . woman enjoy be beat sexually . the father sleep with the corpse of his dead wife . mercifully and none of these scene be show sexually and only hint at . the hinted degradation of woman be such that there can not be any wonder that the film be boo at when it be first premier at cannes . what be more extraordinary be that the actress in the film line up to defend it and show yet again that there be no limit to the naivety of woman and that woman will fool themselves into be exploit by men . greenaway directorial style be pretentious and it be a triumph of style over substance and a depiction of film a art accompany by the abandonment of common sense . greenaway try to attain the sublimity of surrealism but only succeed in show the banality of human relationship .