Why am I posting this? 

A) Because this is by far the best encoding of the film I've ever seen.

B) It was originally in MKV format, whereas I prefer AVI format. So I converted it (without any loss of data).

C) Others may also prefer it in AVI format instead of MKV.

D) Because by uploading this, there is a small but finite chance someone who's never seen the film might notice the post and thereby might watch this film, which is extraordinary.

Note: You can find the MKV version of this @piratebay: #8825020 (user "aoloffline")

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Instead of providing you with my own, surely inadequate description of this film I have decided to quote from an existing description (with some grammatical and spelling corrections) that will certainly better help shed some light on the profound beauty and subtle complexities in the meticulous formation of each and every scene in this MAJOR work of art. 

This is not film. This is art.

You will surely need to watch this work of art several times before you begin to grasp its intense and penetrating, although awful insight into the human condition. Also, just visually, at best you'll only see about one fifth of the artwork on your first viewing.

Onto unknown and non-native-English-speaking reviewer:
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By [unknown author], posted on "wordpress" (2012/09/21/mise-en-scene-in-the-cook-the-thief-his-wife-and-her-lover/)

[Note: Many edits by myself, hopefully retaining the original meaning.]

Peter Greenaway's film, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, has various sophisticated themes. It can be seen through the eyes of a tragedy, love story or criticism of social class. The construction of setting deliberates the costumes, and the dramatic colors of each setting construct several possible meanings. The filth and vulgarity evoke the constant emotion in the audience and hint at being references to social movements.

First off the camera movement affects the audience’s point of view. Continuous tracking shots guide the setting of the film. Starting outside, the spectator's view is far away from the characters. Moving towards the kitchen and then to the dining follows a continuous camera movement "through the wall". Thus the camera movement is separated from the character’s view giving the film an implicit theme of a play. Camera movements are also accompanied with music. Shown in the beginning kitchen scene, when the camera pan from left to right, the movement is timed with Pup’s singing. Also the characters’ stage movement during various events, the camera pans go from left to right. According to Johnston (2002), 

[Johnston, 2002]
"The reoccurring camera angles help structure the spatial organization of the film. This dominates the thematic and aesthetic depiction. You can look at this film just like as you look at a painting. Greenway’s interest in paintings is demonstrated throughout the film. Slow pans, rather than close-ups dominate multiple shots. Even the dining room table camera angles are consistent with the painting displayed behind them. The camera work rarely goes to a character’s point of view. Instead a consistency of space is arranged. Rather than focusing on each character’s point of view at the table, the camera perspectives portray the Dutch painting. These static camera views provide a fixed perspective, just like watching a play. This violent and obscure love story resembles a Jacobean drama as it implies ideas of moral corruption. Greenway's obvious interest in Jacobean dramas of this type inspires and drives the film's basic form; in the manner of a play. In terms of settings, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover focuses almost entirely within the boundaries of three main areas: the street, the kitchen, and the restaurant which together serve as a rigidly structured environment within which most of the action occurs"
[/Johnston, 2002]

Each different setting is assigned an explicit color code and certain style. These spaces are symbolic in many ways. The director uses art, history, and different time periods along with political dimensions dictated in each room. The film begins with a brutal scene of Albert beating and defiling a man. Already, Albert is depicted as a monstrous man who uses vulgar and obscene language. Blue lighting dominates the outside setting as well as the truck but is contracted by subtle yellows. Two trucks are set in the scene, one containing ice and the other meat. The meat truck (on the right) shows a young boy who is leaning out the back. This can symbolize the idea of the body as he accompanies the various assortments of meat. On the left side of the frame, a second truck illumines its surroundings slightly in soft yellow, contrasting the dark blues of the scene. Within this truck is a young woman apparently sucking on a piece of ice. This, one can interpret as representing sexuality. This opening scene hints at the upcoming narrative. Crime is both committed and symbolized in this scene, as Albert beats a naked, defiled man. The lighting of this scene gives allusions of the violence and dark uprising within the film. Though separated from the main settings, the outside parking lot dictates the threats that radiate from the inside setting. Towards the end of the film the meat truck contains rotting flesh, perhaps depicting the pollution of society, or its inevitable decay.

Red lighting illuminates the restaurant putting emphasis on the narrative’s violence. The main symbolic purpose of the restaurant is the staging of class and respectable society. A main focus in the restaurant is the painting seen behind Albert’s table, which is also his main meeting place. According to D’Arcy (1999), the painting by Frans Hal, a group portrait of Officers of the Civic Guard was painted in 1616. Hal’s painting represents the committee involved in Dutch political affairs during this time period. The connection between the painting and the film is the obvious remaking of the Dutch clothes worn by Albert and his men. They are also positioned in a similar manner around the table that mirrors the picture. Therefore this room represents the turning of the century as well as early seventeenth-century social system. Albert and his gang can then be compared to seventeenth century anti-statism. He and his crew use vulgar language and cause chaos in the restaurant, representing complete consumerism. This interpretation of the restaurant provides the basis of the narrative, and the motive of the affair (D’Arcy, 1999).

The remaining settings; the woman’s restroom and kitchen are accompanied by specific color schemes that represent different historical and social elements. The rooms emphasize different era in history. The kitchen is dictated by green lighting, and the kitchen staff wears grubby, white clothing. Also, the white color of the restroom is thought to allude to modernism and the 20ᵗʰ century.

Another use of mise-en-scene is the way all the characters' costumes change according to their surroundings. Michael, or the lover, is the only character whose costume remains static. He is and remains dressed in brown, and constantly reading French revolutionary books. He perhaps symbolizes the mind, and change. His language and brown clothing give him a rational appeal. Michael is always well tempered, even when confronted by Albert. Even during Georgina’s revenge, he is still seen in brown.


Video Details:
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