Three women named Cissie Colpitts (who the fuck knows, I men they are related so there’s that… anyway, they’re played by Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson, and Joely Richardson… the last of whom you cats n’ creeps may remember from 2019’s Nick Cage starring Lovecraft adaptation, The Color Out of Space) become involved in the ol’ murder biz after Cissie (watch the movie to see which one!) catches her lout of a hubbie havin’ a skin-slappin’ case of the naked horneys with a younger lady!
After a post-coital drowning via bathtub, said louse of a spouse is done for, Cissie and the other Cissies manage to cover it up thanks to a hot-to-trot coroner, Madgett (Bernard Hill) by name, who is promised sexual favors for his help but is left perpetually blue in the balls.
Before long, the other Cissies’ get sick of the married life with similarly deadly results, and ol’ Madgett is called upon time and time again with more empty promises… will that horny goof ever fuckin’ learn?!!
Oh, and all of this is narrated by a young jump-rope enthusiast that lives in the neighborhood…
Cissie!
Coming from writer/director Peter Greenaway (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover), Drowning By Numbers is a pseudo-fairy tale by way of pitch-black comedy filled with quirky characters who manage to delight no matter how morally dubious their decision making process may be, a twisty-turny plot, and smart dialog filled with wit.
While all of the above would doubtless entertain on it’s own, we also get a strong cast… many of whom have no qualms about getting naked as the script demands (though Hill and Jason Edwards, as Madgett’s son Smut, definitely provide the lion’s share of the laughs to be had here with their constant invention of ludicrous games with similarly insane rules), and opulent cinematography courtesy of Sacha Vierny (aided by the outstanding lighting present that utilizes bright hues and gels in a way most of us boils n’ ghouls are unaccustomed to… I.e. here they are made to add a magical, dream-like quality rather than Bava-esque horror.
Adding to the mysteries is the film’s fixation with numerology, in particular the sum of one hundred, which is reached from displaying numbers in order until the total is reached throughout the picture (look for them in truly bizarre places… ).
All of this looks absolutely gorgeous due to the 4K transfer (supervised by Greenaway himself) featuring images rich with saturated, brilliant color, excellent detail, and deep obsidian blacks. It’s all truly gorgeous and enhances the beauty of the film to perfect effect.
Also included on this Severin release are a solid assortment of extras (spread across both the 4K and Blu-ray additions contained here) that kick off with an audio commentary courtesy of Greenaway (followed by an interview with the same) that takes us through the film’s production, themes, and his thoughts on film-making in general, in fascinating detail.
Next comes an interview with Hill, an archival featurette where Greenaway goes through the picture’s creation from inception to getting before the cameras, the film’s trailer, and a collection of concept art focusing on the games featured in the narrative.
Drowning By Numbers is a delightfully strange, often surreal, and ultimately engaging tale of murder that is truly a one of a kind feast for the ol’ eerie eyeballs, and Severin makes it easy on those putrid peepers indeed!
