Prospero 's Books - wikipedia Prospero 's Books Prospero 's Books Theatrical poster. Directed by Peter Greenaway Produced by Masato Hara Kees Kasander Katsufumi Nakamura Yoshinobu Namano Denis Wigman Roland Wigman Written by Peter Greenaway Starring John Gielgud Michael Clark Isabelle Pasco Tom Bell Kenneth Cranham Mark Rylance Jim VD Woude Gerard Thoolen Pierre Bokma Music by Michael Nyman Cinematography Sacha Vierny Edited by Marina Rodbyl Distributed by Miramax Films Release date 30 August 1991 ( 1991 - 08 - 30 ) ( United Kingdom ) 15 November 1991 ( 1991 - 11 - 15 ) ( United States ; limited ) 6 December 1991 ( 1991 - 12 - 06 ) ( Australia ) Running time 129 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English Budget £ 1,500,000 Box office $1,750,301 Prospero 's Books is a 1991 British avant - garde film adaptation of William Shakespeare 's The Tempest, written and directed by Peter Greenaway. John Gielgud plays Prospero, the protagonist who provides the off - screen narration and the voices to the other story characters. Stylistically, Prospero 's Books is narratively and cinematically innovative in its techniques, combining mime, dance, opera, and animation. Edited in Japan, the film makes extensive use of digital image manipulation ( using Hi - Vision video inserts and the Paintbox system ), often overlaying multiple moving and still pictures with animations. Michael Nyman composed the musical score and Karine Saporta choreographed the dance. The film is also notable for its extensive use of nudity, reminiscent of Renaissance paintings of mythological characters. The nude actors and extras represent a cross-section of male and female humanity. Contents 1 Plot 2 The Books 3 Cast 4 Production and financing 5 Soundtrack 5.1 Track listing 5.2 Performers 5.3 Michael Nyman Band 5.4 Technical 6 Reception 7 References 8 External links Plot Prospero 's Books is a complex tale based upon William Shakespeare 's The Tempest. Miranda, the daughter of Prospero, an exiled magician, falls in love with Ferdinand, the son of his enemy ; while the sorcerer 's sprite, Ariel, convinces him to abandon revenge against the traitors from his earlier life. In the film, Prospero stands in for Shakespeare himself, and is seen writing and speaking the story 's action as it unfolds. Ariel is played by four actors : three acrobats -- a boy, an adolescent, and a youth -- and a boy singer. Each represents a classical elemental. The Books The books of Prospero number 24 according to the production design which outlines each volume 's content. The list is reminiscent of the lost books of Epicurus. A Book of Water A Book of Mirrors A Book of Mythologies A Primer of the Small Stars An Atlas Belonging to Orpheus A Harsh Book of Geometry The Book of Colours The Vesalius Anatomy of Birth An Alphabetical Inventory of the Dead A Book of Travellers ' Tales The Book of the Earth A Book of Architecture and Other Music The Ninety - Two Conceits of the Minotaur The Book of Languages End - plants A Book of Love A Bestiary of Past, Present and Future Animals The Book of Utopias The Book of Universal Cosmography Lore of Ruins The Autobiographies of Pasiphae and Semiramis A Book of Motion The Book of Games Thirty - Six Plays Cast John Gielgud as Prospero Michael Clark as Caliban Michel Blanc as Alonso Erland Josephson as Gonzalo Isabelle Pasco as Miranda Tom Bell as Antonio Kenneth Cranham as Sebastian Mark Rylance as Ferdinand Gerard Thoolen as Adrian Pierre Bokma as Francisco Jim van der Woude as Trinculo Michiel Romeyn as Stephano Paul Russell as Ariel James Thiérrée as Ariel Production and financing Gielgud is quoted as saying that a film of The Tempest ( with him as Prospero ) was his life 's ambition, as he had been in four stage productions in 1931, 1940, 1957, and 1974. He had approached Alain Resnais, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, and Orson Welles about directing him in it, with Benjamin Britten to compose its score, and Albert Finney as Caliban, before Greenaway agreed. The closest earlier attempts came to being made was in 1967, with Welles both directing and playing Caliban. But after the commercial failure of their film collaboration, Chimes at Midnight, financing for a cinematic Tempest collapsed. The film was screened out of competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Soundtrack This was the last of the collaborations between director Peter Greenaway and composer Michael Nyman. Most of the film 's music cues, ( excepting Ariel 's songs and the Masque ) are from an earlier concert, La Traversée de Paris and the score from A Zed & Two Noughts. The soundtrack album is Nyman 's sixteenth release. Track listing Full fathom five -- 1 : 58 Prospero 's curse -- 2 : 38 While you here do snoring lie * -- 1 : 06 Prospero 's Magic -- 5 : 11 Miranda -- 3 : 54 Twelve years since -- 2 : 45 Come unto these yellow sands * -- 3 : 44 History of Sycorax -- 3 : 25 Come and go * -- 1 : 16 Cornfield -- 6 : 26 Where the bee sucks * -- 4 : 48 Caliban 's pit -- 2 : 56 Reconciliation -- 2 : 31 THE MASQUE+ -- 12 : 12 Performers Sarah Leonard, Ariel * Marie Angel, Iris + Ute Lemper, Ceres + Deborah Conway, Juno + Michael Nyman Band Alexander Balanescu, violin Jonathan Carney, violin, viola Elisabeth Perry, violin Clare Connors, violin Kate Musker, viola Tony Hinnigan, cello Justin Pearson, cello Paul Morgan, double bass Tim Amhurst, double bass Lynda Houghton, double bass Martin Elliott, bass guitar David Rix, clarinet, bass clarinet John Harle, soprano & alto saxophone David Roach, soprano & alto axophone Jamie Talbot, soprano & alto saxophone Andrew Findon, tenor & baritone saxophone, piccolo, flute Graham Ashton, trumpet Richard Clews, horn Marjorie Dunn, horn Nigel Barr, bass trombone Steve Saunders, bass trombone Michael Nyman, piano & musical direction Prospero 's Books Photos by Marc Guillaumont Design : Creative Partnership Soundtrack album by Michael Nyman Released 12 November 1991 ( 1991 - 11 - 12 ) Recorded PRT Studios and Abbey Road Studios, London Genre Soundtrack, Contemporary classical, art song, Minimalist music Length 54 : 58 Language English Label London Argo Producer David Cunningham Michael Nyman chronology String Quartets 1 - 3 ( 1991 ) Prospero 's Books ( 1991 ) The Michael Nyman Songbook ( 1992 ) Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic link Technical Produced by David Cunningham Engineer : Michael J. Dutton Assistant engineer : Dillon Gallagher ( PRT ), Chris Brown ( Abbey Road Studios ) Mixed by Michael J. Dutton, Michael Nyman, and David Cunningham at PRT Studios and Abbey Road Studios Edited at Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew Art Direction : Ann Bradbeer Photography : Marc Guillamot Design : Creative Partnership Artist representative : Don Mousseau Reception Aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports 67 % approval of Prospero 's Books, with an average rating of 5.9 / 10 and a critical consensus of, `` There is no middle ground for viewers of Peter Greenaway 's work, but for his fans, Prospero 's Books is reliably daring. '' Roger Ebert gave the work three stars out of four and argued, `` Most of the reviews of this film have missed the point ; this is not a narrative, it need not make sense, and it is not ' too difficult ' because it could not have been any less so. It is simply a work of original art, which Greenaway asks us to accept or reject on his own terms. '' References Jump up ^ Prospero 's Books : A Film of the Shakespeare 's The Tempest, Peter Greenaway, Four Walls Eight Windows ( October 1991 ) Jump up ^ Sir John Gielgud : A Life in Letters, Arcade Publishing ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ `` Festival de Cannes : Prospero 's Books ''. festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Prospero 's Books ( 1991 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2017. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( November 27, 1991 ). `` Prospero 's Books Movie Review ( 1991 ) ''. Retrieved January 27, 2017. External links Prospero 's Books on IMDb Prospero 's Books at AllMovie Films directed by Peter Greenaway Vertical Features Remake ( 1978 ) The Falls ( 1980 ) The Draughtsman 's Contract ( 1982 ) The Coastline ( 1983 ) A Zed & Two Noughts ( 1985 ) The Belly of an Architect ( 1987 ) Drowning by Numbers ( 1988 ) The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover ( 1989 ) A TV Dante ( 1989 ) Prospero 's Books ( 1991 ) The Baby of Mâcon ( 1993 ) Stairs 1 Geneva ( 1994 ) The Pillow Book ( 1996 ) 81⁄2 Women ( 1999 ) The Tulse Luper Suitcases ( 2003 ) Nightwatching ( 2007 ) Rembrandt 's J'Accuse ( 2008 ) Castle Amerongen ( 2011 ) Goltzius and the Pelican Company ( 2012 ) Eisenstein in Guanajuato ( 2015 ) Michael Nyman Michael Nyman Band members Current Gabrielle Lester Catherine Thompson Kate Musker Tony Hinnigan David Roach Simon Haram Andrew Findon Nigel Barr Dave Lee Steve Sidwell Martin Elliott Sarah Leonard Former Alexander Bălănescu John Harle Chris Laurence Ann Morfee Jonathan Carney Madeleine Mitchell Jamie Talbot Georgina Born Marjorie Dunn Beverley Davison Barry Guy John Greaves Andrew Shulman Michael Thompson Richard Watkins John Metcalfe Christian Forshaw Ute Lemper Marie Angel Hilary Summers Omar Ebrahim David Cunningham Molly Nyman Nyman - produced albums Decay Music ' The Masterwork ' Award Winning Fish - Knife Michael Nyman The Draughtsman 's Contract The Cold Room The Kiss and Other Movements A Zed & Two Noughts And Do They Do / Zoo Caprices The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Drowning by Numbers La Traversée de Paris The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover Out of the Ruins La Sept String Quartets 1 -- 3 Prospero 's Books The Michael Nyman Songbook The Hairdresser 's Husband The Essential Michael Nyman Band Time Will Pronounce The Piano Michael Nyman for Yohji Yamamoto The Piano Concerto / MGV À la folie Live Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs Carrington The Diary of Anne Frank After Extra Time The Ogre Enemy Zero Concertos Gattaca The Suit and the Photograph Strong on Oaks, Strong on the Causes of Oaks Practical Magic Ravenous Wonderland The Commissar Vanishes Nabbie 's Love The End of the Affair The Claim String Quartets 2, 3 & 4 / If & Why Facing Goya 24 Heures de la vie d'une femme Sangam : Michael Nyman Meets Indian Masters The Actors Man and Boy : Dada The Piano Sings The Libertine The Composer 's Cut Series Vol. I : The Draughtsman 's Contract The Composer 's Cut Series Vol. II : Nyman / Greenaway Revisited The Composer 's Cut Series Vol. III : The Piano Six Celan Songs The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi Acts of Beauty Exit no Exit Nyman Brass Love Counts Mozart 252 8 Lust Songs : I Sonetti Lussuriosi The Glare Acoustic Accordions Nyman - contributed albums The Pavilion of Dreams The Sensual World Piano Circus Taking a Line for a Second Walk Twentieth - Century Blues : The Songs of Noel Coward Generation Sex Compilations Pure Moods The Very Best of Michael Nyman : Film Music 1980 -- 2001 Man on Wire Additional operas Tristram Shandy Letters, Riddles and Writs Vital Statistics La Princesse de Milan Unreleased film scores Vertical Features Remake The Falls Brimstone and Treacle Ballet Mécanique Monsieur Hire Mesmer Katie and Orbie Titch Act Without Words I Man with a Movie Camera Nathalie... À propos de Nice A Cock and Bull Story Major individual compositions Memorial MGV Les Disques du Crépuscule Minimalist music Systems music William Shakespeare 's The Tempest Characters Prospero Miranda Ariel Caliban Sycorax Ferdinand Gonzalo Stephano Sources A True Reportory of the Wracke and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates, Knight Decades of the New World Montaigne 's Essays Ovid 's Metamorphoses Erasmus 's Naufragium Commedia dell'arte Sea Venture Films 1911 1963 1979 1980 Adaptations Music Three Shakespeare Songs ( Vaughan Williams ) The Tempest ( Sullivan ) The Tempest ( Sibelius ) The Tempest ( Tchaikovsky ) The Tempest ( ballet ) ( Nordheim ) `` Do n't Pay the Ferryman '' ( 1982 ) Screen Yellow Sky ( 1948 ) Forbidden Planet ( 1956 ) Tempest ( 1982 ) The Journey to Melonia ( 1989 ) Prospero 's Books ( 1991 ) Painting Scene from Shakespeare 's The Tempest ( Hogarth ) Ferdinand Lured by Ariel ( Millais ) Musicals Beach Blanket Tempest Return to the Forbidden Planet Amaluna Plays The Tempest ( Dryden ) The Sea Voyage The Mock Tempest ( 1674 Duffet ) Une Tempête ( 1969 Césaire ) The Sea ( play ) ( 1973 ) I 'll Be The Devil ( 2008 ) Opera The Tempest ( 1756 Smith ) Die Geisterinsel ( libretto 1796 ) Die Geisterinsel ( 1798 Reichardt ) Die Geisterinsel ( 1805 Zumsteeg ) Der Sturm ( 1955 Martin ) Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs ( 1991 Nyman ) The Tempest ( Adès 2004 ) The Enchanted Island ( 2011 Sams ) Poetry and prose fiction Caliban upon Setebos ( Browning ) The Sea and the Mirror ( Auden ) Indigo ( Warner ) A Midsummer Tempest ( Anderson ) Island ( Rogers ) Hag - Seed ( Atwood ) Phrases `` Ariel 's Song '' `` Brave new world '' `` Ding Dong Bell '' `` Full fathom five '' `` Sea change '' `` What 's past is prologue '' Sculpture The Tempest ( 1966 ) GND : 4277308 - 8 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prospero%27s_Books&oldid=827595106 '' Categories : 1991 films English - language films 1990s drama films 1990s fantasy films British films British drama films British fantasy films Films directed by Peter Greenaway Films based on The Tempest 1991 soundtracks Film soundtracks French films French drama films French fantasy films Films set on islands Magic realism films Films scored by Michael Nyman Hidden categories : Use British English from March 2016 Use dmy dates from March 2016 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats Articles with album ratings that need to be turned into prose Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Deutsch Français Italiano Latina Nederlands Русский Українська 中文 3 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 February 2018, at 17 : 11. 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Question: actor who starred as title character in prosperos books
Answer: John Gielgud