A Zed & Two Noughts

Infobox_Film
name = A Zed & Two Noughts


writer = Peter Greenaway
starring = Andréa Ferréol
Brian Deacon
Eric Deacon
Frances Barber
Joss Ackland
director = Peter Greenaway
music = Michael Nyman
cinematography = Sacha Vierny
producer = Kees Kasander
Peter Sainsbury
movie_music = Michael Nyman
distributor = Artificial Eye (UK),
Skouras Pictures (US)
released = 1985
runtime = 115 min
language = English
amg_id = 1:56129
imdb_id = 0090366
budget =

"A Zed & Two Noughts" (A.K.A. "Zoo") is a 1985 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway.

Plot

The plot centres on twin brothers, Oswald and Oliver Deuce, whose wives are killed in a car accident. The brothers enter a relationship with Alba Bewick, the driver of the car, who lost one of her legs in the accident. In an attempt to fathom the reason for their wives' death they become obsessed with decay, making numerous time-lapse films of decaying animals. Culminating in the ultimate experiment, "A Zed & Two Noughts" is not one of Greenaway's more accessible works. It features a memorable soundtrack by Michael Nyman.

oundtrack

Infobox Album
Name = A Zed & Two Noughts
Type = soundtrack
Longtype =
Artist = Michael Nyman


Cover size =
Caption = Original UK cover
Released = 1985
Recorded =
Genre = Contemporary classical music, film scores, minimalism
Length = 41:25
Language =
Label = TER (UK)
Virgin Venture, Caroline (USA)
Director =
Producer = David Cunningham
Reviews =
Compiler =
Chronology =
Last album = "The Kiss and Other Movements" 1985
This album = "A Zed & Two Noughts" 1985
Next album = "And Do They Do/Zoo Caprices" 1986
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = A Zed And Two Noughts
Type = Soundtrack


Cover size = 200
Lower caption = Copyright 1990 Virgin Venture
Border =

Elements of Michael Nyman's score invoke the "Dies Irae" section from Heinrich Ignaz Biber's "Requiem ex F con terza minore". The "Angelfish Decay"/"Swan Rot"/"L'Escargot" theme was originally written for "Childs Play", a dance work commissioned by Lucinda Childs.

Track listing

#Angelfish Decay
#Car Crash
#Time Lapse
#Prawn Watching
#Bisocosis Populi
#Swan Rot
#Delft Waltz
#Up for Crabs
#Vermeer's Wife
#Venus de Milo
#Lady in the Red Hat
#L'Escargot

Personnel

Performance of the soundtrack is credited to Nyman, Alexander Balanescu, Elisabeth Perry, Sarah Leonard, and "The Zoo Orchestra". This is not the Michael Nyman Band, but rather the following musicians, as indicated in the film credits:

*Arno Bons
*Gerard Bouwhis
*Bas Dekker
*Pieter Gouderjaan
*Rob Hageman
*John Helstone
*Jan Jansen
*Sofia Kiss
*Henk Leether
*Beverly Lund
*Gerrit Oloeman

*Jelle Schouten
*Jorn Shroeder
*Peter Stan
*Win Steinman
*Leo Van Oostron
*Marien Van Staalen
*Adri Van Velson
*Peter Veenhuizen
*Lene Te Voortwis
*Frans Vreugdenhil
*Gerbrand Westveen

The score is in the Michael Nyman Band's repertoire, particularly "Time Lapse" and "Prawn Watching", but they do not perform on the soundtrack.

*Produced by David Cunningham
*Recorded at VARA Studio, Berry Street Studio and Olympic Studios
*Mixed at Olympic Studios
*Digital editing at Finesplice
*Mastered by Tim Young and Michael J. Dutton

The album was issued on compact disc in the United States June 4, 1991, with a new cover featuring Ferreol in-between the Deacons in bed, and the title spelled "A Zed And Two Noughts". The original LP cover showed a zebra in a cage, as does the UK CD. A digitally remastered edition was released in the United States with the 1991 cover on March 29, 2004.

References

External links

* [http://petergreenaway.org.uk/zoo.htm A Zed & Two Noughts at petergreenaway.org.uk]
* [http://www.petergreenaway.com Peter Greenaway's official site]
*
* [http://filmwalrus.blogspot.com/2008/01/review-of-zed-and-two-noughts.html A Zed and Two Noughts] review at [http://filmwalrus.blogspot.com/ The Film Walrus]