The Baby of Macon (1993) directed by Peter Greenaway
viewed on May 23, 2020
Synopsis:
An old woman gives birth to a baby, viewed by onlookers of what is apparently a theater. No one can believe that an ugly old woman could be the mother of such a beautiful child. A young woman (who turns out to be the old woman's daughter) claims to be the baby's mother. As she is a virgin, the baby is viewed as a miracle though the idea is an affront to the Cardinal. Some years later, the child (now about 7 or 8 years old) is considered a miracle worker. The daughter demands money or valuables from those who seek his aid.
The Cardinal's son does not believe her story. Either she is a virgin, so the child is not her son, or she is not a virgin. She brings him to a dungeon in which she has imprisoned her mother and father, but the man refuses to believe that the ugly old woman could be the actual mother.. The daughter brings him to a manger where she seduces him, while her son looks on. Once he penetrates her, he will see that she is indeed a virgin. But as he is about to do so, the child commands (through his thoughts) a bull to gore the man. And then he forces his mother to kill him with s scythe. The horrified crowd takes the child away from her.
The child continues to perform miracles. The Church, now in control of him, makes money by auctioning off the child's blood to the highest bidder.
The daughter returns and smothers the baby to death. The Cardinal wants to hang her, but according to the law of the land, he cannot hang a virgin. So he gives dispensation for those who would rape her first, which is done 208 times. She dies before she can be hung
The crowd, seeking mementos from the dead child, first steal every bit of his clothing. Then gradually dismember the body part by part, until there is nothing left.
Comments:
As usual with Greenaway, the production is sumptuous combining moments of great beauty with moments of horror, sometimes simultaneously. Greenaway is rather like a more intellectual version of Ken Russell. Like Russell, his films waver between moments that are powerful and visually stunning, and moments that are idiotic or distasteful. It's hard to look away.
The film is saved by touches of dry humor and by the intensity of Ormond's performance. The distancing device of having the events apparently being observed as a stage play provide some relief from the horrors.
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