---
title: "The Pillow Book: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-pillow-book/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-pillow-book"
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Pillow Book (1995): what the critics said

Critics' score 64 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative.

The available reviews lean positive on The Pillow Book, with praise concentrated on its elaborate visual construction. Critics repeatedly single out the inventive imagery, intricate compositions and split-screen effects, finding sensual pleasure in a film that can otherwise feel cerebral. Even the harsher assessments acknowledge images worth looking at. The performances receive less consistent attention, though Variety praises the actors’ commitment to Greenaway’s approach.

The divide is over whether that approach sustains a drama. Reservations extend from an ordinary plot beneath the decoration to thin characterisation and emotional coldness; some favourable reviews share these concerns without finding them decisive. The AV Club finds unexpected humanity and satisfaction, while the Los Angeles Times sees weak drama and unpersuasive direction of the actors. The spread is wide: admirers find the visual invention sufficient reward, while detractors find the experience muddled or dull.

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1995. 

The review finds the film dense but enormously impressive, ultimately calling it awesome and beautiful. It singles out the inventive visual design and the actors’ commitment to Greenaway’s vision for praise.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/the-pillow-book-1117794006/)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 4/5. 

The critic finds the film extraordinary and visually ravishing, though also over-decorated and emotionally cold. The split-screen motifs are singled out as a wonder to behold.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-9he7cl/the-pillow-book/)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 1997. 

Maslin finds the film a spellbinding, highly seductive stylistic exercise, though its plot has a banal core. She especially praises its audacious imagery and intricate visual design.

[Read the review](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/pillow-film-review.html)

## The AV Club — Keith Phipps

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. 

Phipps finds the film surprisingly humane and satisfying, despite its cerebral detachment. He singles out its inventive visuals, which sometimes become sensual rather than merely dazzling.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-pillow-book-1798195192)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint is visible in the supplied page text.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pillow-book-1997)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable. The metadata describes Nagiko’s birthday rituals without revealing what the critic praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-pillow-book)

## Empire — Leah Jewett

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 1996. 

Jewett finds the film an opaque, muddled experience despite its sensual qualities. She criticizes its skin-as-paper imagery for wearing thin and its failure to develop characters or illuminate Japanese rites.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pillow-book-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 1997. 

Turan finds the film visually arresting but ultimately cold, pretentious, and dull. He praises the imagery illustrating the classical text’s lists, while faulting Greenaway’s weak drama and direction of the actors.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-06-ca-467-story.html)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-pillow-book.md