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starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Andrew Robertson, Alice Coulthard, Ned Birkin, Sinéad Cusackdirected by: Andrew Birkin
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304303979
Format: Color, NTSC
ISBN: 6304303971
Label: New Yorker Video
Manufacturer: New Yorker Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: New Yorker Video
Release Date: January 01, 1998
Running Time: 101 minutes
Sales Rank: 7330
Studio: New Yorker Video
Theatrical Release Date: February 11, 1994
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
A bizarre and compelling story of family secrets based on the novel by Ian McEwan (who also wrote the novel upon which The Comfort of Strangers is based), this British film tells the complex tale of four children who conspire to hide their dead mother's body to avoid being split apart and sent to an orphanage. Their deception works for a while, as they become a self-sufficient family unit. Soon, however, mistrust and a deeply antagonistic relationship between the older siblings rife with sexual overtones, as well as a snooping suitor with designs on the older sister, threaten to destroy their well-constructed facade. Adapted and directed by Andrew Birkin, this offbeat film is disturbing but a riveting find for anyone interested in new discoveries from the world of international film. --Robert Lane
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Exquisitely well done
The steadily unabashed, unapologetic tone of this masterpiece makes for compelling viewing. Aside from the tenderly erotic sequences by which it carries off its unrelenting critique of the real world 'out there', with all its double standards and hypocrisies, the spell is woven with depth and panache. The difficulty for the viewer lies in assigning its unrelenting sensuality to mere incest; Andrew Birkin's interpretation of Ian McEwan is superb and very much to the point.
Rating: - Hollywood wouldn't dare
Adolescent children conceal the death of their parents from authorities. Finely acted and directed film with view of events through children's mores and attitudes. However, incest subplot may make the film unsuitable for some viewers. Viewers may also enjoy "Nobody Knows" (2004) and "Our Mother's House" (1967).
Rating: - AWESOME!
Awesome movie! Give it 6 stars! If you appreciate this genre, this movie is a must have!
Rating:  - Big Wow
Aspiring production designers and location scouts should take note of "The Cement Garden" (1993) as an example of especially good use of an available on-the-cheap location. Like the equally low-budget "Carnival of Souls", the film owes much of its effectiveness to the creative use of an available location. "The Cement Garden's" outdoor shots should look familiar as Stanley Kubrick used the location back in 1987 for the main battle sequence of "Full Metal Jacket". He used the abandoned Beckton Gasworks ... Read More
Rating: - The book it ain't, but it has some redeeming qualities.
The Cement Garden (Andrew Birkin, 1993)
There's a book, and it seems that where there's a book, there's a movie. It is the case that at least ninety-five, some would say closer to ninety-nine percent of the time, the movie is just not as good as the book. I tend to be a bit more liberal than most in that regard, but in this case, while the movie's decent, it has nothing on McEwan's stunning first novel.
Jack (Gormenghast's Andrew Robertson), Julie (Charlotte Gainsbourg, soon to ... Read More
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