The Baby of Macon (1993)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
The Daughter	Julia Ormond
The Bishop’s Son	Ralph Fiennes
The Bishop	Philip Stone	-
Cosimo Medici	Jonathan Lacey	-
The Father Confessor	Don Henderson	-
Mother Superior	Ceila Gregory	-

Review

This visual spectacle from Peter Greenaway descends into narrative disarray. The Baby of Macon is bizarre and violent. It's also speculative and surreal, but above all, it's a chaotic tale, and that undermines much of the film's potential. The Baby of Macon serves as a sequel in Greenaway's ongoing historical trilogy. The first film, Prosperos Books from 1991 was arguably a little more audience-friendly. The Baby of Macon, on the other hand, is so speculative that you're ultimately punished for engaging with the plot. The Baby of Macon boasts outstanding effects and costumes. It's also repellently gory, which of course is part of Greenaway's pack and parcel. So if the prospect of seeing a bull impale a man through the stomach or a mob hacking limbs and worse off a young boy does not deter you, then The Baby of Macon may hold some appeal.