Rating: 
Summary: Humorous, intellectual, perverse and over the top. GREAT!
Review: If you're looking for a movie to leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end...then this is not for you! It is a visual essay as much as it is an anthology of scientific and philosophical musings. The film is about two brothers - Oliver & Oswald Deuce (played by Eric & Brian Deacon), zoologists by profession, whose wives die in a car accident. The driver, Alba Bewick (played by Andrea Ferreol) ends up with an amputated leg. Oliver & Oswald in their quest for details about the accident end up in a three-way love affair with Alba. The brothers become obsessed with decay, while Alba becomes obsessed with her one leg and eventually has her doctor amputate it as well. After the accident, the brothers engage in philosophical and scientific conversations about the beginnings of life on earth, evolution and the mechanics of decomposition. Soon after the accident Oswald says "I can't bear the thought of her (his wife) just rotting away." Then the Deuce brothers begin a conversation about how the decomposition of a body begins, the intestinal bacteria that set off the process and how in one lick of the human tongue the are 100,000 of these bacteria. And how Adam might have passed 200,000 of them onto Eve in a French Kiss. Then one of them says "What if Eve kissed Adam?" - "Unlikely! She would have used the first 100,000 (bacteria) on the apple" This is absolutely hilarious... they are having a hypothetical conversation about Genesis as if Adam & Eve were the true origin of mankind, when in reality, as scientists they cannot take such religious concepts seriously. At one point Oliver is watching a film on the evolution of species and the narrator says "If evolution had happened in a span of 365 days, then, man made his first appearance on the evening of December 31 just as daylight is fading." We hear the narrator of these documentaries on evolution a number of times in the background, later we hear him saying "...it is difficult for people to comprehend the evolutionary leap between the most sophisticated of apes to MAN, and more difficult still how LIFE could emerge out of NOTHING." College-level biology students and philosophy students would enjoy this film. The contrast between the moral and the perverse becomes increasingly intensified in the film with the use of philosophical quotes and excerpts. For example, when we are introduced to a woman named Venus DeMilo, she's dressed in black going into the zoo (where the Deuce brothers work) and a man with whom she obviously had sexual encounters asks her "How are the zebras?" In a very indifferent tone she answers, "Black and White." That is a wordplay on the aristotelian, objectivist, Ayn Rand idea of the black and white, good and evil. Venus DeMilo makes it very clear she finds obejctivism tedious, and the question of whether the zebra is a "black animal with white stripes or a white animal with black stripes" is irrelevant. There is a scene in the film which I found particularly intriguing, Venus DeMilo and Oliver are naked on the bed (presumably after a sexual encounter) and he has a tray full of live snails. He plays with the snails while she rants on and on with superficial small talk. Then she asks, "Why do you like snails so much?" Oliver says, "They're a primitive form of life... they help the world DECAY! They're also hermaphrodite... they can satisfy their own sexual needs!" Which in the context of things could be taken to be an indicator of the degree of contempt he feels toward having to resort to her for sexual satisfaction. Later when he's visiting a recovering Alba, Oliver blames her for the death of his wife. At this time we learn that Alba was ten weeks pregnant. Olivers says "It's your fault my wife is dead. Pregnant women are notoriously unreliable...especially when they're trying to procure an abortion!" Later in the film, Alba announces to the brothers that she's pregnant. Oliver and Oswald want to know who the father is. Alba says, "As far as I'm concerned you are both the fathers...what's a few SPERMATOZOA among brothers?" Then while the three of them are in bed Alba announces to them that she can tell they are twins. Oliver and Oswald admit to it, saying that even their wives never knew they were twins, and furthermore they were siamese twins. A Zed and Two Noughts is deeply intellectual at times, very irreverent, silly, and hystecally funny. Goes over the top in just about every scene. Writer and Director Peter Greenaway is brilliant. I have seen two other films by him: Drowning by Numbers and Prospero's Books. Both were beautifully photographed as is A Zed and Two Noughts. Art students should enjoy Peter Greenaway's use of chiaroscuro in his sets, the atmospheres created in his films through the use of light and shadow are magnificent. The characters in the film are like caricatures, much like people in real life. The film blurs the line between humans as the superior creatures certain philosophies claim them to be and the primitive, hairless apes they remain at their very core...their self-awareness notwithstanding. This film is a must see for the Liberal Arts Student.
Rating:
Summary: A must see
Review: The very first time I watched this film was not in a theatre but on a small black and white TV (at the time I was about 17 and still living with my parents, so what do you expect :-). It made a tremendous impression on me then and it's still my favorite film ever. The plot is rich and weird, the music addictive and the dialogues are both odd and witty. As you might expect of one of the early films by Greenaway, the alphabet plays a big part in this film. A film about the beginnings of life, birth, life itself, death and decay. Excellent usage of clips of natural history films with the distinctive voice of David Attenborough. There are many storylines in this film and there's a kind of character development you don't see to often in these modern times. Greenaway created an atmosphere I had never seen before in films and very few films are even coming close to it.All in all, as you might have noticed, I'm a sucker for this film. I can recommend it to anyone. And hey, if you don't like the pictures, you can still play the DVD and not watch it, but enjoy the soundtrack.
Rating:
Summary: Origins of Life, Vermeer, symmetry. ZOO.... and OOZe
Review: Everytime I see A Zed and Two Noughts I catch a phrase that I missed the double meaning on the previous time I watched it. Perhaps the fascination of watching bodies decay clouds my perceptions. Perhaps the beauty of the photographic images by Sacha Vierny, The arresting music by Michael Nyman, or the insistent guiding hand of Director Peter Greenaway (who is creating his own cinematic alphabet here, later to be explored in his subsequent films, and drawing upon his wonderful short films and early opus The Falls) is too much for one viewing to contain! Or perhaps it is getting wrapped up in the same mystery that consumes the twin zoologists. Why death, and why a car accident involving a pregnant Swan on Swann's way, no less??!! Speaking of doubles, you have the twin brothers, their two dead wives, the two legless lovers, the doctor who is a descendant of the master forger (a great faker must be praised I guess!) Van Meegeren, himself a double (dubious) of the painter Vermeer,or the fact that there are Vermeers in the film, and they are doubled on camera in certain shots, and more and more...
Is this a waste of film? DEFINITELY NOT. You go into a film with the knowledge you have up to that point, and sometimes a film challenges you to rise to the occasion as opposed to talking down to an audience. This is not for people who think watching a movie means some quiet time and maybe a laugh or two. This is a film where you are constantly challenged to make observations and opinions based on what you are shown. There is a thesis here, and I am not sure whether it is an artistic thesis, a scientific thesis, a moral and ethical thesis, or all or none of the above, but what I do know is that this is one of the most challenging pieces of moving image I have ever seen (I have only seen about 1,600 films in my life, so I admit I have not seen that much), and it is easier to walk away from it then to stay and appreciate the rich complexities of knowledge this film draws from. The choice is yours but I highly recommend it for knowledge seekers.
The DVD is of great quality, and except for the lack of extras (I would have LOVED to have seen the trailer for this film), it is a worthy purchase.
Rating:
Summary: A different kind of surreal..
Review: With "A Zed and Two Noughts", Greenaway has cultivated a very surreal film. I won't go into examples (many are to be found in other reviews), but suffice to say that the situations are highly unlike those you will encounter in any other film, however the sheer bizarre nature of most of the images don't strike the viewer as such at first glance because the way the movie is presented is so alien to the idea of a surreal film. Let me explain that a bit.
Make no mistake- this is a very dark, fairly graphic, and strange film. The thing is, it's presented with such elegant grandeur that the weird factor of the scenes is often somewhat muted by the feeling of watching a sophisticated living painting. I've only seen one other of Greenaway's films (The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover), but I've noticed this quality in that movie as well. It's not that Greenaway shies away from the money shot... quite the contrary. But the outlandish usually has a very striking effect the first time in most films, and these scenes are almost overwhelmed by a lush, full set. In most other surreal or fringe movies, things are presented in a more realistic(?) or tangible way, where here they are happening in a world that seems like a dream.
The dream-like quality also comes from the score, which repeats often and plays over much of the film. The music has a certain refined urgency, a drive that makes every scene where it appears seem like a climax of some sort.
Overall, this is a film that takes some getting used to.. even if you love it the first time you see it. Some may be thrown off by the arty self-importance that this movie is doused with, but the effect just isn't the same without it. Pretensiousness is a very good thing when it's necessary for the feel and atmosphere of the total product. Highly recommended to those who enjoy surreal films that follow no rules... even the unwritten rules of surreal films. ;)
Rating:
Summary: A dark celebration by the simetry
Review: This film is an intelligent puzzle. You must be building the story , the clues are given ironically, tragicaly and above all subrepticiously.
Two twins married with two sisters , a swan , murder, guilty the same lover, the one and the couple are engaged, come together , and become unending laberynth of borgian proportions. A man dreams that another guy dreams. This story is just fascinatong
The archetipes are precisely defined. Oparin makes his own web.
The feelings involved around a common tragedy, just having the zoo as a huge frame where the life begins and ends, without any pain, with natural precision. The speling music of Nyman, Sacha Vierny and his amazing photography, the dark poetry supports the dialogues, the desperation seems even not forced but she assumes slowly its place in the play.
Greenaway is a brilliant director with a unpleasant life's view. What it realy is amazing is the total absence of feelings in every one of the depicted characters. ou won't see a teardrop, even in the worst of one situation.
The homagge to Vermeer makes the film still more interesting, arrestong and provocative, in a style who reminds us to Luis Buñuel but without the religious ethics underlayed of the spanish director.
Certainly the multiple readings that Zoo and two noughts offer us walk around the biology, the huge affection of Greenaway by the insects, worms and all that little universe who survives under our indiferent behavior.
This trilogy of films together with the bely of an architect and drowning by numbers, allows us to traduce the universe of this excentric and irreverent film maker.
Don't miss this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Z--O--O......
Review: If you are not a Peter Greenaway disciple, this film will leave you cold or confused or both. If you are familiar with his films, then this one is a must. As usual, his subject matter is decadent to say the least---death and decay (the latter being the most significant) and his approach is purely cinematic. His characters are by and large afflicted in one way or another with idiosyncrasies that range from the pathetic to the outlandish. But it is his visual approach to storytelling that really challenges. In this film, twin brothers are obsessed with watching things decay. A local zoo provides plenty of opportunity to explore their voyeuristic quests. They film (using time-lapse photography) fruit then dead animals as they slowly rot and turn to dust. A bizarre sub-plot features a woman who ends up having both legs amputated and finally wants to become one of their "experiments". The brothers eventually decide to become one of their own film subjects. To grasp a viewing experience like this, one has to be ready for often disorienting symbolism in colors, objects, decorating motifs and photographic images (as well as generous nudity) to grasp it in full. I cannot completely describe this film---it has to be seen to be appreciated as most of his other work does. Maybe see it a couple of times ...his films justify the time spent. But usually they are not for the easily turned-off as this one certainly isn't. Greenaway qualifies as an "art" director and there is really no one quite like him. His special touches are evident here that distinguish him from other off-beat directors. His films also carry an oddly sardonic sense of humor that sometimes helps to offset the often mind-boggling action and imagery. He is a modern day artist and his films are in a league of their own. Maybe it should be called the "Greenaway genre".
Rating:
Summary: Grim Death Psycho Study
Review: A bizarre low-key study of twin brothers obsessed with death and decay, this Peter Greenaway film tackles some issues later covered by Cronenberg in "Dead Ringers". The time-lapse photography scenes of animal bodies decaying (including maggots, etc.) are interspersed throughout the film creating a dark mood to the strange and somewhat tragically funny proceedings of 2 brothers on a downward spiral of insanity. This was the first Greenaway film I saw in the late 80's and, although it has many of the standard techniques and elements Greenaway used in his subsequent films (which I am not much a fan of), it has a uniqueness of its own and I would recommend it to indie film fans and even horror buffs looking for some headier material. Even if you're not real big on Greenaway, you may want to check this one out. The DVD is a simple package from Fox-Lorber (of course), but the image is sharp and it's letterboxed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pointless
Review: Like many of Peter Greenaway's movies, this one suffers from several problems. The most critical of these is that his opening scenes never emotionally tie you to any of the characters, resulting in you watching 2 hours of film without really caring. Secondly, his filming technique is basically more appropriate for a play - all the scenes look like they were specifically made as movie sets rather than as natural surroundings, and his direction of the lighting makes it obvious that everything is artificially lit. Thirdly, his subject matter. always bizarre, just isn't interesting. Why can't he pick the bizarre and the interesting? If you like film noir, then this isn't it. Having sat through 113 minutes of this, all I was left with was how pointless and a waste of film this was.
Rating:
Summary: A classic. Though obviously has limited appeal!
Review: A Zed & Two Noughts is a great, "arty" movie with some crazy speeded-up visuals of decaying animals and an absolutely brilliant soundtrack by Michael Nyman. It's the kind of movie that you see once and never forget what you've seen and heard afterwards. One more thing: I just wanted to point out that the English entertainer ("blue" stand-up comedian, sitcom star & game-show host) Jim Davidson stars as the zoo keeper in this movie. For anybody who knows of Jim, this is possibly the most unexpected thing he has ever been in. Whenever I watch this film, I'm always left wondering how he got involved with such a surreal, dark production like Z-O-O...
Rating:
Summary: my favorite Greenaway film
Review: A mesmerizing examination of grief and decay. Two brothers, scientists, struggle to confront the death of their wives. Surrendering to their intellects, they embark on a study of physical decay. At first, their aloofness and sangfroid are somewhat baffling. They are difficult characters for a viewer to relate to, a deliberate move by Greenaway to create one of his trademark slightly surreal worlds. They seem to be trying to reason themselves out of their loss, but in a manner in which we cannot quite believe two people would. Little by little this alternate reality of Greenway's is brought into sharp focus as a view onto our own. The brother's actions become more strange and pathetic. Their humanity, and more importantly their fallibility - spiritual, emotion, and physical - is exposed. By the end of the film we have a truer, albeit inconclusive, sense of what they have lost.
Greenaway's juxtaposition of educational and documentary footage with the dramatically bold and lush stylistics used to tell the story seems like the perfect foil to the film's central meditation on science and human nature. This culminates in the darkly humorous final scene. He affirms the inescapable connectedness between humanity and nature, as the brothers' last great exposition (for these are not formal experiments, the results always being known beforehand) - the culmination of their intellectual lives - is quickly undone. Short-circuited by the very elements they tried to document. The visual beauty and use of sombre and stirring music are unforgettable. Greenaway has orchestrated an undertaking of sumptuous breadth and scope.
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