Directed and starring Woody Allen and screenplay by Allen and Marshall Brickman, Manhattan Murder Mystery is the story about a couple who find themselves involved in a murder mystery as they take part in the investigation finding what’s going on. The film a whodunit where a couple goes into the world of mystery as it marks a reunion between Allen and two of his great collaborators in co-writer Marshall Brickman and Diane Keaton who plays Allen’s wife in the film. Also starring Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston. Manhattan Murder Mystery is a fantastic suspense-comedy from Woody Allen.
The film revolves around a couple who learn that the wife of their new neighbor has died as they suspect something isn’t right. Carol (Diane Keaton) investigates what happens despite her husband Larry (Woody Allen) telling her not to. With the help of their friend Ted (Alan Alda), Carol goes further to find out what happened as she is convinced is a murder. Larry eventually helps out as he and Carol make some discoveries of their own while realizing that the killer is on to them. Turning to Larry’s author friend Marcia (Anjelica Huston) for help, Larry and Carol along with some friends decide to nab a trap in order to expose the truth. It’s a premise that is quite simple yet told in a pretty humorous manner where a couple play detectives to see whether or not their neighbor killed his wife.
The screenplay that Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman create is full of ideas that play in the world of mystery as it is driven by this couple who have been married for a long time but have lost a bit of excitement. Upon the news of this woman’s death and her husband’s behavior in its aftermath, the two become suspicious where Carol goes head on into see what is going on. Little by little, clues would emerge as they go into many revelations as Carol gets help from Ted who is a mystery buff as he would inspire Larry to get more involved. There are moments in the film where the suspense is quite intense while it allows time for Ted and Carol to deal with themselves. Eventually, the intensity of the suspense would allow the two to rely on each while calling on Ted for help as they also bring in Marcia who knows a lot about mystery as she would play a key role in the third act.
Allen’s direction is quite engaging as it is mostly straightforward where it is set entirely in Manhattan where he makes it a character in the film as there’s scenes shot at Madison Square Garden and at the Metropolitan Opera House. Still, there’s moments in the direction where Allen does play up into that approach of suspense-comedy where there’s bits of slapstick but also some very mesmerizing scenes involving intrigue. Many of the compositions Allen create are quite lively while he creates a climax that is truly thrilling as well as making it a tribute to Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai as the film is also played in that climatic sequence. Overall, Allen creates a very entertaining and witty suspense-comedy that allows the audience to be engrossed in the mystery.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does excellent work with the cinematography from the look of some of the nighttime exteriors scenes in the city to its daytime interior and exterior scenes. Editor Susan E. Morse does amazing work with the editing as most of it is straightforward with the exception of some montages that play into Marcia‘s theories over what might‘ve happened and such. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Bode and art director Speed Hopkins, does wonderful work with the set pieces from the look of the apartments that the characters live in to the theater house where Ted and Carol snoop at.
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly straightforward for the men though the clothes that Carol and Marcia wear are quite fun to look as it displays their different personalities. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the intimacy in the locations to a very inspiring scene in the film’s third act to play a trick on the killer. The film’s soundtrack is terrific as it features an array of music from Cole Porter, Richard Wagner, Dave Brubeck Quartet, and Benny Goodman to play up some of the humor and suspense.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Aida Turturro as a hotel clerk, Wendell Pierce as a policeman, and Zach Braff in his film debut as Larry and Carol’s son Nick. Other small roles include Melanie Norris as a young actress named Helen, Marge Redmond as a woman named Mrs. Dalton, Ron Rifkin and Joy Behar as friends of Carol and Larry, Lynn Cohen as the neighbor’s wife who dies early in the film, and Jerry Adler as the mysterious neighbor Paul House. Anjelica Huston is great as the novelist Marcia Fox as a woman who is a friend of Larry as she helps out Larry, Carol, and Ted to uncover the mystery while providing some theories. Alan Alda is brilliant as Ted as a mystery buff who helps Carol in uncovering things while becoming attracted to Marcia over her theories.
Finally, there’s the duo of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in remarkable performances as Larry and Carol Lipkin. With Allen playing his usual nebbish persona and Keaton as the more outgoing of the two, the two clearly have not lost a step in their rapport with one another. Notably as Allen would provide some of the slapstick with Keaton as the more serious providing this unique balance as they are definitely the highlight of the film.
Manhattan Murder Mystery is a marvelous film from Woody Allen with superb performances from Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, and Anjelica Huston. The film is definitely one of Allen’s finest as well as another top-notch collaboration between Allen, Keaton, and co-screenwriter Marshall Brickman. It’s a film definitely has great odes to mystery as well as providing elements that are full of laughs. In the end, Manhattan Murder Mystery is a wonderful film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Don’t Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Directed and starring Clint Eastwood and written by Ernest Tidyman, High Plains Drifter is the story about a mysterious gunfighter who is hired by locals from a frontier mining town to fight against criminals and corruption. The film is a look into a man helping locals defend themselves against injustice while dealing with a band of criminals seeking to reap the hard work of the people. Also starring Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Geoffrey Lewis, Billy Curtis, and Mitchell Ryan. High Plains Drifter is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Clint Eastwood.
The film is a simple story about a mysterious gunfighter who arrives at a small mining town to fight against bandits yet there’s more to this story as it involves corruption and the death of a marshal (Buddy Van Horn) in the hands of the bandits. The mysterious gunfighter (Clint Eastwood) is a man with no name but he is someone who knows how to fight against bandits as he tries to rally this small town to fight against bandits. Yet, there are those in the town like some local officials who feel uneasy about the gunfighter’s presence and his willingness to change things as they would try to attack him. When it comes time to face a trio of bandits, trouble brews forcing the gunfighter to handle things himself.
Ernest Tidyman’s screenplay doesn’t carry much of a plot but it does have a lot of ambiguity into its protagonist as he’s a man that is just drifting into town. He arrives as someone that can wipe out bandits but there are people in this town who find him to be an unwelcoming presence including the local whore (Marianna Hill) and some of the town’s council led by a civic leader (Mitchell Ryan) as he thinks there’s a way to profit from this. The story is interesting as there’s bits of humor that includes the presence of a half-man named Mordecai (Billy Curtis) who befriends the stranger. There are moments in the story where it takes some time for things to get moving in the first act while another flaw in the story is the way women are portrayed as the local whore is just very nagging while the wife of a hotel owner (Verna Bloom) is also ambiguous as she’s a character that is underwritten.
Clint Eastwood’s direction is quite engaging not just for the compositions he creates but also in the way he maintains some air of suspense that is mixed in with humor and drama. Still, it is a western at heart though it doesn’t follow some of its themes other than to bring justice and such as the stranger is a very mysterious individual who has some very odd ideas. Eastwood’s compositions is filled with some gorgeous imagery as well as very stark portrayals of violence as it’s obvious that he’s drawing ideas from two filmmakers who shaped his career in Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Notably in the wide-shots, some tracking shots, and some hand-held work where Eastwood allows a sense of energy in the action while creating some dream-like moments that involve the death of the marshal. Overall, Eastwood crafts a very chilling yet exciting western about a stranger fighting for what is right.
Cinematographer Bruce Sturees does excellent work with the film‘s very vast and colorful looking including the gorgeous wide shots of the location set in Mono Lake, California. Editor Ferris Webster does brilliant work with the editing from the use of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s violence to the use of dissolves in the flashback scene showing the marshal‘s death. Art director Henry Bumstead and set decorator George Milo do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the town including a key look for the film’s climax.
The sound work of James R. Alexander is superb for some of its sound editing in the sound of the whips and gunfire along with some of the intimate moments in the film. The film’s music by Dee Barton is amazing for its eerie and hypnotic score that is a mixture of orchestral music with something that is close to chilling electronic pieces to play up some of its suspense.
The casting by William Batliner and Robert J. LaSanka is terrific for the cast that is assembled as it features some notable small performances from Stefan Gierasch as the town’s mayor, Buddy Van Horn as the marshal who is killed by the bandits, Ted Hartley as the hotel owner Lewis Belding, Walter Barnes as the town sheriff, Robert Donner as the preacher, Jack Ging as a corrupt civic leader, and Mitchell Ryan as the lead civic leader who decides to cheat the stranger. Other noteworthy small roles include Dan Vadis and Anthony James as two of the bandits and Geoffrey Lewis as the lead bandit Stacey Bridges. Billy Curtis is excellent as the half-man Mordecai as the guy who becomes the stranger’s aide and later be the guy to run the town. Marianna Hill is just terrible as the town whore who antagonizes the stranger only to get raped and is just hysterical for most of the film.
Verna Bloom is good in an underwritten role as Belding’s wife Sarah who is wary of the stranger though is aware of what he’s really doing though it’s a role that doesn’t have much depth as she eventually sleeps with the stranger. Finally, there’s Clint Eastwood in a remarkable performance as the mysterious stranger as it’s a role where Eastwood does play this very quiet but charming gunslinger who is also a man that knows right from wrong while being a bit of a brute but also one that can get the job done and not be trifled with.
High Plains Drifter is an excellent film from Clint Eastwood that definitely stands as one of his finest westerns. Though it’s a bit flawed, it is still engaging for its simple story as well as its enchanting direction. Especially as it has enough action that western fans can love as well as the character that Eastwood plays. In the end, High Plains Drifter is a superb film from Clint Eastwood.
(Five Obstructions #2 Interview)
Clint Eastwood Films: (Play Misty for Me) - (Breezy) - (The Eiger Sanction) - (The Outlaw Josey Wales) - (The Gauntlet) - (Bronco Billy) - (Firefox) - (Honkytonk Man) - Sudden Impact - Pale Rider - (Heartbreak Ridge) - (Bird) - (White Hunter Black Heart) - (The Rookie) - Unforgiven - (A Perfect World) - (The Bridges of Madison County) - (Absolute Power) - (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) - (True Crime) - (Space Cowboys) - (Blood Work) - (Mystic River) - Million Dollar Baby - Flags of Our Fathers - Letters from Iwo Jima - Changeling - (Gran Torino) - (Invictus) - (Hereafter) - (J. Edgar) - (Jersey Boys) - American Sniper - (Sully) - (The 15:17 to Paris) - (The Mule)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Yann Samuel and written by Samuel and Jacky Cukier, Jeux d’enfants (Children’s Game or Love Me If You Dare) is the story about two childhood friends who continuously play a strange game of dare from childhood through adulthood. The film explores the complex relationship between a wealthy boy and a poor Polish girl as they grow into adults. Starring Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard. Jeux d’enfants is a very charming and witty film from Yann Samuel.
The film revolves the lives of two people who start off as childhood friends where they play a twisted game of dare that becomes more intense as they reach into adulthood. It’s a film that plays into a lot of humor and drama where the dares these two people give each other start off very mildly and silly as children but it becomes more twisted as adults where it would play into their emotions and such. The film’s screenplay showcases the lives of Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) as they become friends as children when the young Julien (Thibault Verhaeghe) helps the young Polish-born Sophie (Josephine Lebas-Joly) who is picked on by other kids. With a tin box that Julien got from his ailing mother, the two would share it during the course of the dares. Things would go from silly to serious in the dares when they’re children and later adults as the extremes that Julien and Sophie put through each other would affect the other people in their lives.
Yann Samuel’s direction is very stylish not just in the look and presentation but also in its approach to comedy and drama. At heart, it is a romantic comedy with a strange twist considering how silly the game can be but also how far it can go where people involved in the game get hurt really badly. Samuel’s direction is filled with a lot of wondrous compositions as well as some playful fantasy scenes the characters engage in as children. Still, there is a sense of style but also moments where Samuel will find a way to divert expectations to see whether or not Julien and Sophie are still in game mode or not. Even as the story is structure in a tennis match of sorts though it has an ending that plays into a sense of ambiguity. Overall, Samuel creates a very dazzling yet off-kilter film about two people whose game of dare takes them to the extreme.
Cinematographer Antoine Roch does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography as it‘s awash with sepia-drenched colors to play up the sense of fantasy and surrealism the main characters play into. Editors Judith Riviere Kawa and Andrea Sedlackova do amazing work with the editing with its sense of style from jump-cuts to montages to showcase the evolution of Julien and Sophie‘s relationship. Production designer Jean-Michel Simonet does fantastic work with some of the set pieces from the places the characters go into as well as the design of the fantasy sequences the younger Julien and Sophie venture into.
Costume designer Julie Mauduech does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes the kids wear to evolution of styles that Julien and Sophie wear in the many periods of their relationship. Visual effects supervisors Rodolphe Chabrier and Martial Vallanchon do excellent work with some of the visual effects such as the fantasy scenes where the young Julien and Sophie venture into. Sound editor Thomas Desjonqueres does nice work with the sound work to play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the craziness in the dares. The film’s music by Philippe Rombi is superb for its lush orchestral score that includes some variations of the classic Edith Piaff song La Vie En Rose where music supervisor Geraldine Rombi also provides different versions of that song that are sung by Louis Armstrong and Donna Summer.
The casting by Gigi Akoka is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Elodie Navarre as a rival college student of Sophie, Frederic Greets as a jock Sophie and Julien slap around, Julia Faure as Sophie’s older sister, Philippe Drecq as the young Julien and Sophie’s schoolmaster, and Emmanuelle Gronvold as Julien’s ailing mother who gave him the tin box. Other notable supporting roles include Gerard Watkins as Julien’s father who is bothered by Julien’s friendship with Sophie while Gilles Lellouche and Laetizia Venezia play the respective spouses of Sophie and Julien in the film’s second half and third act. Thibault Verhaeghe and Josephine Lebas-Joly are amazing in their respective roles as the young Julien and Sophie as they bring a lot of energy and imagination to their roles no matter how extreme they dare themselves.
Finally, there’s Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Julien and Sophie. The two bring a lot of humor as well as drama to their roles with Canet as the more reluctant of the two but also very outgoing in the dares. Cotillard is a bit more serious as she also knows how to push the buttons in the dare as it goes to major extremes. Their performances are the heart and soul of the film as neither are afraid to make their characters be despicable at time but they add enough charm to make their performances so fun to watch.
Jeux d’enfants is an excellent film from Yann Samuel that features exhilarating performances from Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard. The film is definitely a very kooky yet entertaining love story that is willing to take things to the extreme not matter how outlandish it can be. In the end, Jeux d’enfants is a superb film from Yann Samuel.
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by del Toro and Travis Beacham from a story by Beacham, Pacific Rim is the story about a small band of humans trying to save the world from gigantic monsters known as Kaijus who are destroying Earth in 2020 as they emerged from a portal in the sea. The film is a tribute of sorts to the Japanese monster movies like Godzilla that is mixed in with a human story as a man tries to find redemption with a young rookie in operating a robot that can defeat the monsters. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., and Ron Perlman. Pacific Rim is a spectacular yet exhilarating film from Guillermo del Toro.
The film is an apocalyptic tale of sorts where humanity band together to fight these monsters called Kaijus who wreak havoc on humanity as they emerge from a portal in the pacific ocean. With the help of giant robots named Jaegers that are manned by two pilots, they’re able to battle the Kaijus but the monsters have gotten stronger and more dangerous as the world is about to go to an end where a retired pilot named Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) reluctantly returns to the fold to fight the monsters with a rookie named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). It’s a premise that is kind of simple in terms of what is expected in a monster movie where man-piloted giant robots have to battle these massive monsters to save the world. Yet, there’s a lot more that Guillermo del Toro and co-screenwriter Travis Beacham offer.
The film begins with Becket’s early successes as well as how the Kaijus arrived into the world and the war that forced many countries to come together and battle these monsters. It’s all told in a 20-minute sequence to establish key elements into the Kaijus as well as why Becket left the Jaeger program due to tragedy. Yet, it plays into Becket’s reluctance into returning to the program as well as the fact that his new partner Mako is someone who also had encountered tragedy due to Kaijus. Since the Jaegers had to be piloted by two people due to its size and need to be monitored mentally as it would be overwhelming for one person. It does play into the drama as well as the tragedies that Becket and Mako shared as well as Mako’s connection with Becket’s former superior Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba).
There’s also elements of comedy where it plays into two scientists in Dr. Newton Geizler and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) who are trying to understand the mind of the Kaiju where the former is a bit of a nutcase who considers himself to be a Kaiju-groupie. Yet, their story would play into not just the development of the monsters but more into their intentions as they would evolve into something far more treacherous leaving the small numbers of Jaeger pilots to be overwhelmed. Particularly as the pilots of those Jaegers have some dissent towards Becket for being responsible for the fall of the Jaeger program as well as Mori for being inexperienced. It allows Becket and Mori to connect in many ways as it would help them get ready for battle if anything is going to happen. While it has a storyline that is formulaic, del Toro and Beacham do create enough weight to the story and the characters to make sure that these are people to root for.
The direction of del Toro is quite vast in not just the scope that he presents but also in creating a world that’s in a state of war with monsters as it’s heading into its final days with very little options left. The direction has del Toro not just employing a lot of massive set pieces and battles between robots and monsters but add that human element where two people have to work together or else they will die in the hands of a monster that continues to evolve. The stakes add to the sense of drama where del Toro knows when to focus on the pilots but also balance it with the way they control the robots to fight these monsters. Films in that genre usually tend to overwhelm the audience with a lot of fast-cutting and such to present something chaotic where it’s almost nonsensical. What del Toro does in the action isn’t just slow things down a bit where he gives the audience exactly what is happening but also remind them that there’s a human story involved.
The direction also has some intimacy in the way the relationships between some of the characters are played out as it includes some comedy where it keeps the story lively without the need of too much exposition. Some of these moments include Dr. Geizler’s encounter with a black markets dealer named Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) who carries lots of Kaiju body parts that is full of humor as it provides some insight into what Dr. Geizler wants to do but also its dangers. Its climatic battle definitely lives up to not just the spectacle that is needed but also in how big the stakes are where characters have to make decisions in not just trying to save the world but also to stop the Kaijus from creating more havoc in the world just as they’re getting bigger and badder. Overall, del Toro creates a very sensational yet entertaining film that does a lot more than what is expected in a typical summer action-blockbuster.
Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the stylish look of the scenes set in Hong Kong to the looks of the scenes set in the sea and at the station where the Jaeger pilots and crew live and work at. Editors Peter Amundson and John Gilroy do amazing work with the editing in creating some stylish yet rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action scenes without delving into the more common fast-paced chaotic editing style by slowing things down a bit while being more straightforward for the dramatic moments of the film. Production designers Andrew Neskorommy and Carol Spier, with supervising art directors Elinor Rose Galbraith and Richard L. Johnson and set decorator Peter P. Nicolakakos, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the base where the Jaeger crew live at to the look of Hong Kong and Chau’s home.
Costume designers James Hagarty and Kate Hawley do excellent work with the costumes with Hagarty creating the Jaeger pilot suits while he and Hawley create more casual look for some of the characters with the exception of Chau. Visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Eddie Pasquarello, James E. Price, and Zachary Tucker do phenomenal work with many of the visual effects where it has a sense of realism in its look but also play to a world that is ravaged in chaos. Sound designers Scott Martin Gershin and Tim Walston do superb work with the sound to create layers of sound effects in the way the sounds of the robots and monsters as well as some of the locations they‘re in during the battles. The film’s music by Ramin Djawadi is wonderful for its sense of orchestral bombast mixed in with some low-key somber pieces while some of the heavier stuff includes contributions from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
The casting by Margery Simkin is remarkable for the ensemble that is created as it features some small but notable appearances from Paul Michael Myers as the young Becket, Mana Ashida as the young Mori, Charles, Lance, and Mark Luu as a trio of Chinese Jaeger pilots, Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen as two Russian Jaeger pilots, and Diego Klattenhofff as Becket’s brother who was also his co-pilot. Mark Martini and Robert Kazinsky are terrific in their respective roles as the father-son Jaeger pilot duo Herc and Chuck Hansen while Clifton Collins Jr. is excellent as the Jaeger technician Tendo Choi who is the brains of sorts behind the machines. Burn Gorman is very good as the very mathematics-based scientist Dr. Herman Gottlieb while Charlie Day is very funny as the more out there scientist Dr. Newton Geizler who finds a way to see what the Kaijus are going to do.
Ron Perlman is fantastic as the black markets dealer Hannibal Chau as Perlman brings a lot of chew-scenery and humor to the film as he is also someone that knows a lot about the Kaijus. Idris Elba is great as Stacker Pentecost as Elba brings a lot of gravitas as a man who is a true leader but also carries a past that haunts where Elba also gets the chance to have a speech before the final battle that is a truly unforgettable moment. Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Mako Mori as a young woman who is definitely a skilled warrior and knows a lot about what to do in battle but is hampered by her own memories as she knows what she has to do to step up and fight. Finally, there’s Charlie Hunnam in an incredible performance as Raleigh Becket as a former Jaeger pilot who returns to the fold as he tries to deal with his own demons while helping Mako get ready as Hunnam has this sense of humility and guilt that he carries while having good rapport with Kikuchi.
Pacific Rim is an extraordinary yet exciting film from Guillermo del Toro. Thanks to a brilliant ensemble cast and amazing technical work, the film is definitely more than just a cut above most big blockbuster action films. It’s a film that pays tribute to the monster movies of the past while giving it a new spin for the 21st Century. It’s also a film that has enough drama and humor for audiences to be engaged to as well as action that can thrill them. In the end, Pacific Rim is a phenomenal film from Guillermo del Toro.
Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro
© thevoid99 2013
Written, directed, and co-starring Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way, Way Back is the story about a 14-year old kid who goes on a summer holiday where he hangs around and later works at a water park to deal with his summertime blues and his growing disdain towards his mother’s boyfriend. The film is an exploration into a young boy’s summer as he finds a place where he belongs while dealing with the chaos in his family life. Also starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Zoe Levin, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and Liam James. The Way, Way Back is a fantastic film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
The film explores a summer in the life of an introverted 14-year old boy named Duncan (Liam James) who finds a home in a nearby water park run by a carefree manager named Owen (Sam Rockwell). Especially as the boy is dealing with growing pains as his mom’s boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) is very critical and says mean things to him. While his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and Trent spend their time with other adults, Duncan spends more time at the water park where he also works while bonding with another jaded teen in Susanna (Annasophia Robb). The film is a coming-of-age tale where this boy deals with his situation that includes his father moving to California and that his mother’s boyfriend is an absolute dickhead. In Owen, Duncan finds the father-figure he needs as well as being true to himself.
The film’s screenplay explores the complicated life of this 14-year-old boy who is a very introverted individual that is considered odd by Trent and his teenager daughter Steph (Zoe Levin) as he is also aghast by the craziness his mother has with other adults as he feels like his mother isn’t aware of how he’s really feeling. Especially as she’s often with Trent and some friends of his where some of Trent’s activities and behavior give Duncan more reasons to dislike him as Trent often states that they should bond and be in tune together. Owen is an extremely different person that Duncan can identify with as he’s sort of a man-child who runs a water park and likes to have fun. Owen also helps Duncan come out of his shell by giving him a job and advice on life as well as how to win the heart of Susanna who hates having to deal with her boozy mother Betty (Allison Janney).
The direction of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash is quite straightforward as they don’t really aim for a sense of cinematic style by rather just focusing on the story and keeping things simple. The compositions are still engaging while they allow the comedy to be loose and natural along with some of the smaller moments where it plays to Duncan’s development. Faxon and Rash know where to put the actors in the background while having them be placed in moments that can advance the story. Even in the drama where it relates to Duncan’s testy relationship with Trent where Duncan discovers things that would have a dramatic impact in how it relates to Duncan’s desire to protect his mother. Still, Faxon and Rash bring a lot of fun into the film in many of the scenes at the water park as it’s shot in an actual water park in Massachusetts where it has a bit of realism in the story. Overall, Faxon and Rash create a very vital and lively film about a young boy’s summer of fun and coming into his own.
Cinematographer John Bailey does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the look of the locations in Massachusetts and the water park to the scenes at night with its use of natural light. Editor Tatiana S. Riegel does wonderful work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while using some nice rhythmic cuts and montages to play out the sense of fun Duncan has at the water park. Production designer Mark Ricker, with set decorator Rena DeAngelo and art director Jeremy Woodward, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the home to some of the small props created for the water park.
Costume designers Michelle Maitland and Ann Roth do terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with some style to play into some of the female characters in the film. Sound editor Perry Robertson does nice work with the sound to play up the energy of the parties and such along with the craziness at the water park. The film’s music by Rob Simonsen is fantastic for its mixture of folk and indie music to play up Duncan‘s journey while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a soundtrack that mixes 80s music with some folk and indie as it’s a fun soundtrack to listen to.
The casting by Allison Jones is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from River Alexander as Susanna’s nerdy younger brother Peter and Zoe Levin as Trent’s bitchy teenage daughter Steph. Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are funny in their respective roles as water park employees Roddy and the nerdy Lewis while Maya Rudolph is wonderful as the more responsible water park co-manager Caitlyn. Allison Janney is hilarious as Susanna’s boozy mother Betty who always carries a drink and always wear clothes to show her sex appeal. Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet are terrific as the couple Kip and Joan whom Trent and Pam hang out with Corddry as the more wild Kip and Peet as the more vivacious Joan.
Annasophia Robb is wonderful as Susanna as a teenage girl jaded by the summer and what her mother is doing as she bonds with Duncan while finding out where he goes and what he does as she also finds a good time. Toni Collette is excellent as Duncan’s mother Pam as a mother wanting to have a good time while dealing with Duncan’s disappearances and moodiness as well as Trent’s often peculiar behavior. Steve Carell is fantastic as Trent as this guy who is a grade A asshole that always says very off-putting things and tries to assure his sense of being a man in his attempt to make Duncan more manly as he truly doesn’t get him. Sam Rockwell is phenomenal as Owen as a man who helps Duncan deal with his growing pains while giving him a place where he can feel at home. Finally, there’s Liam James in a marvelous performance as Duncan as he exudes all of the moodiness of a confused 14-year old kid who is looking for a place in the world as he eventually finds somewhere that he can belong to and have the summer of his life as James brings a lot of sensitivity and energy to his character.
The Way, Way Back is a superb coming-of-age film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Armed with an great ensemble cast as well as an engaging story about a young teen trying to fit in and do something in the summer. It’s a film that is very heartwarming but also very funny while giving something that audiences can relate to. In the end, The Way, Way Back is a remarkable film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the story of two Americans who go to 1920s Mexico with an old-timer to find gold where they would encounter trouble. Written for the screen and directed by John Huston, the film is a look into the world of greed and human nature at its ugliest as well as a look at how a journey can lead to great danger. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, and Bruce Bennett. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is an incredible yet eerie film from John Huston.
It’s 1920s Mexico as a man named Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is seeking to find some way to survive as he needs money as he and a man named Curtin (Tim Holt) got cheated out of wages that was promised to them for labor work. After meeting an old prospector named Howard (Walter Huston), the three go on a journey to find gold in an old mine in the Mexican mountains as they have to endure all sorts of things while greed eventually seeps in the mind of Dobbs as he become paranoid. The film explores the world of greed and how far one man is willing to keep what he’s found as he has no sense of morals while becomes paranoid thinking that everyone wants his loot while Curtin realizes the danger of greed as he turns to Howard who knows a lot more about what is important.
John Huston’s screenplay explores the dynamics of these three men as they all want some gold in the Mexican mountains yet it is Howard that knows a lot more as he knows where the gold is and what it looks like. The only reason he takes part in the journey is so he can get his cut of what they’ve earned but he knows that gold and money aren’t that important. The Curtin character is a man that just wants what is right as after he’s got his gold, he has ideas for what he wants to do. He and Howard share a bond over what they want as they become good friends while Dobbs becomes more engrossed in his greed where he starts to talk to himself and become paranoid. Notably as the three men encounter a man named Cody (Bruce Bennett) who is also looking for gold as he knows what these men have. Other characters they encounter are a group of bandits led by a man known as Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya) who just wants weapons.
The script also has some very stylized dialogue in the way it plays to that development of the characters where Dobbs starts off as a man looking for money to survive but once he comes across with a lot of money. He definitely descends into some form of madness making Curtin and Howard uncomfortable and realizing that Dobbs could do anything. When the appearance of Cody causes more trouble where the result would be tragic. Curtin and Howard become aware of what this man really wanted to do as they become more concerned with doing what is right rather than give in to the gold but Dobbs starts to lose that sense of right and wrong where he becomes selfish. Eventually, the three men would separate though different means but its conclusion would definitely lead to an understanding about humanity where some will survive while others don’t.
Huston’s direction is truly engrossing in the way he explores the dark world of greed in the world of Mexico as many of the film’s exteriors are shot in Mexico with some scenes set at night shot in a studio. Huston’s compositions create some very telling images in the way he explores the relationship of these three men as it starts off in the town of Tampico where Dobbs and Curtin are looking for work. Much of the first act is set in Tampico where Huston uses medium shots and close-ups to play up that world with a few wide shots until the film moves into the Mexican mountains where Huston uses more wide shots to captured the rugged beauty of that world.
One aspect of Huston’s direction that is very interesting is that since the film is set in Mexico, he allows many of Mexicans to actually speak Spanish while the main characters also talk some Spanish without the use of subtitles. Unless the audience understands what the Mexican characters are saying though Howard does some of the translating. Huston knows that he doesn’t need to use subtitles to understand what they’re saying by focusing more on the action as well as some subtle close-ups to establish what is happening. Even as Huston knows what not to use in order to establish a few moments of violence as he also uses some wide shots to capture a world that is unique and also not filled with any complications such as greed. Overall, Huston creates a very captivating yet sensational film about greed and humanity.
Cinematographer Ted D. McCord does fantastic work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the look of many of the daytime exterior scenes while using available light and such for some of the scenes at night to maintain a sense of darkness that looms in the film. Editor Owen Marks does excellent work with the editing where it is quite straightforward for the most parts though he uses fade-outs to help structure the film while utilizing some rhythmic cuts to play up some of the action and suspense. Art director John Hughes and set decorator Fred M. MacLean do superb work with the set pieces from some of the places in Tampico to some of the other places in the mountains as well as the look of the well near the mines that the men built
The sound work of Robert B. Lee is wonderful for some of the sound effects created from the sound of gunfire to the sound of coyotes and such in the locations set in the desert. The film’s music by Max Steiner is brilliant for its array of orchestral pieces created from some upbeat, playful themes to some more ominous yet suspenseful moments to play up Dobbs’ paranoia.
The film’s cast is amazing as it features some notable appearances from a young Robert Blake as a boy pestering Dobbs to buy lottery tickets, John Huston as a man Dobbs keeps asking for money in Tampico, Barton MacLane as the contractor that cheats Dobbs and Curtin over their wages, and Alfonso Bedoya as the bandit leader who spouts one of the most famous lines in film. Bruce Bennett is terrific as a man named Cody whom Curtin meets in town as he later tries to blackmail the three men into giving him a share of the gold without any trouble. Tim Holt is excellent as Curtin as a man that wants to look for gold for his own reasons as he later becomes aware of how much trouble it brings as he has to deal with the paranoid Dobbs.
Walter Huston is great as the old prospector Howard as a man who knows a lot about getting gold from mines as he also tries to deal with Dobbs’ paranoia where he brings a lot of charm and humor to his character. Finally, there’s Humphrey Bogart in a phenomenal performance as Dobbs as a man who is in need of money to survive in Mexico as he becomes desperate to go find gold with a couple of men only to descend into madness as it’s a very chilling yet mesmerizing performance from the actor.
The Treasure of Sierra Madre is remarkable film from John Huston that features amazing performances from Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and Walter Huston. The film is definitely a very compelling piece into the exploration of humanity as well as the dark world of greed. It’s also a film that explores a world of the West that is very different from American westerns while still having some element of honor. In the end, The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a spectacular film from John Huston.
© thevoid99 2013
Part 2: A Decade of Mia Farrow (1982-1992)
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
After a period working with United Artists in the late 1970s, Woody Allen ended his tenure with the company in the fall of 1980 just as the company would be hit by one of the biggest flops in the history of American cinema with Michael Cimino’s epic-western Heaven’s Gate. For Allen, he departed at the right time as he was able to secure a new film deal with the newly-formed Orion Pictures that was founded by Arthur B. Krim, Eric Pleskow, and Robert S. Benjamin who had all worked with United Artists until leaving in 1978 following a dispute with the bosses of the Transamerica corporation. Allen’s relationship with the three men had been fruitful as he and his team of producers would have a very steady relationship with the company for an entire decade.
During that period, Allen was working on various new projects including a fictional-documentary project that was to become Zelig with his collaborators in cinematographer Gordon Willis, editor Susan B. Morse, and casting director Juliet Taylor whom Allen worked with in Love and Death as she would be a key player for the entirety of his career. With Diane Keaton unable to take part in Allen’s projects due to various commitments, Allen would eventually find Keaton’s replacement in his then-new girlfriend in actress Mia Farrow. Farrow had already made a name for herself in Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic Rosemary’s Baby as she had been in numerous films during the 1970s while was in a relationship with music composer Andre Previn during that time.
It was around this time that the post-production on Zelig would take a long time to finish as Allen decided to make a film based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night into a comedy of sorts about a weekend in the country where six people get entangled into emotions and such in what was supposed to a wedding celebration for a new couple. Though Allen originally wrote the role of Ariel for Keaton, he decided to give it to Farrow instead as he would play the inventor Andrew. The cast would be filled out by longtime Allen collaborator Tony Roberts along with Jose Ferrer, Mary Steenburgen, and Julie Hagerty as Allen shot the film in upstate New York using little props to set the film in the early 1900s.
The production was less hectic as previous films as Allen decided not to play the lead role by focusing the film more as an ensemble piece where he would give the actors equal time to develop their characters as well have individual moments. The film also played to a sense of mysticism as it relates to spirits and such where Allen wanted to approach it in a comedic manner but in an overtly funny way. Allen also explored the ideas of love and sex as it relates to the many desires of the characters as Allen’s Andrew still has feelings for Ariel as she’s about to marry this older professor.
The film was released in July of 1982 where despite being well-received by its critics, the film was considered a commercial disappointment. While Mia Farrow would get a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress as it would be the only time Allen would get a nomination in his career. The film was still considered to be one of Allen’s finest films as the executives at Orion were not upset knowing that Allen was working on another project during that time which was to be Zelig.
Zelig
During the 1980s, Allen was conceiving a very radical project that was to explore the idea of identity as he set the project during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Entitled Zelig, the film was to be a story about a chameleonic-man who transform himself from one person to another depending on his surroundings and such as he has no idea about his condition until he’s cared for by a sympathetic doctor. While it would be told largely in a documentary style in which Allen would have various individuals talk about Zelig. It would incorporate rare footage, old photos, and all sorts things to showcase Zelig’s unique life.
With Mia Farrow in the role of Dr. Eudora Fletcher and Allen in the titular role of Leonard Zelig, the film was to be a very grand and experimental sort of film where Allen and Gordon Willis grabbed a lot of old film stock to create something as if it was made in the 1920s and 1930s. Along with editor Susan B. Morse, Allen wanted to make the film look like newsreel footage of the times as well as put scratches and such to make the film feel like it was from that period. Willis and Allen also employed lots of old equipment for the project as it had the sense that something special was made where Allen would be a character in those times.
Knowing that Allen would have to play many different types of personalities for the film, Allen got the help of makeup and hair designers to play off all sorts of characters as if he was Chinese, an African-American, a fat man, or whatever to showcase Zelig’s unique disorder. Many of it is played for laughs where Allen approached the humor in a subtle manner while getting Patrick Horgan to do the narration. Farrow’s role would be a supporting one as she also incorporated herself into many scenes of the film while being a foil of sorts for Allen.
While the technologies of the time were primitive, Allen would find a way to insert himself and Farrow into some big moments of the time such as a speech conducted by Adolf Hitler that Zelig and Dr. Fletcher would interrupt where Zelig had unknowingly became a Nazi. Allen would use blue screen technology to put himself in these moments and pictures to create that sense of idea that a guy like Zelig could exist. Yet, the special effects took a long time to make where Allen would use that time to make A Midsummer’s Night Sex Comedy and shoot his next film Broadway Danny Rose.
The film was released in July of 1983 as it would be one of Allen’s widely acclaimed films as well as being a modest hit in the box office. The film’s critical adulation would spread not just America but also Europe where Allen’s visibility was becoming bigger. The film would play at the Venice Film Festival in September of that year where it was a major hit as it won the Pasinetti Award for Best Film. Along with a few prizes from European film organizations, the film would get two Oscar nominations for its cinematography and costume design as well as a New York Film Critics prize for Willis’ cinematography.
Broadway Danny Rose
During the post-production period for Zelig, Allen conceived another project that was to be about the entertainment industry that involved a loyal but incompetent talent manager who gets himself into trouble when he’s trying to get a has-been lounge singer’s mistress from New Jersey to New York City for the singer’s comeback show. The project would be not just a low-key comedy of sorts but also to showcase some of the drawbacks of the entertainment industry as it would be told by a group of comedians eating at Carnegie’s Deli in New York City.
With Allen playing the titular character and Mia Farrow playing the role of the singer’s mistress Tina Vitale. Allen and Juliet Taylor were trying to find someone to play the role of the has-been lounge singer Lou Canova as Steve Rossi auditioned for the part but Allen felt that it wouldn’t work. Sylvester Stallone and Robert de Niro were both approached to play the part as Allen eventually gave the part to an unknown in Nick Apollo Forte. Allen shot the film in 1983 in New York City while doing post-production on Zelig at the same time.
For the film’s look, Allen and Gordon Willis decided to shoot the film in black-and-white where Allen recalled some of the imagery of Federico Fellini as an idea for the close-ups and such that Allen wanted. Since many of the characters in the film were either Jewish or Italian, Allen wanted to amp up the stereotypes a bit while giving them time to flesh out. Including Farrow’s character where Allen had her wear a wig and certain clothes in order to act like a tough Italian from New Jersey. The film would also have Allen be someone who is sort of an incompetent as an endearing one as his character goes through so much trouble for his client where the end result is a heartbreaking one as his character is forced to resign to the fact that he has to manage the small number of low-level talent that he has.
The film was released in January of 1984 where it was another critical and commercial hit for Allen. Especially as it managed to make $10 million against its $8 million budget. The film would also play at the Cannes Film Festival that May where it would help continue to further Allen’s popularity in France and the rest of Europe where he would make more money overseas.
The Purple Rose of Cairo
After a very hectic few years involving the ambitious Zelig and the more low-key films of A Midsummer’s Night Sex Comedy and Broadway Danny Rose. Allen decided to return to something much more normal but have a sense of ambition in a project that recalls his love for not just cinema but also its power. By setting his next project during the Great Depression, Allen wanted to create something that had an air of nostalgia but also about a woman’s desire to escape from the dreariness of her life that includes a very unhappy marriage.
With Mia Farrow playing the lead role of Cecilia as this clumsy waitress who loves the movies as she continually watches a film called The Purple Rose of Cairo. The film-within-a-film would be about a Manhattan playwright who goes to Egypt with some friends as they meet an archeologist named Tom Baxter as he returns to New York where he falls for a chanteuse. The film would have Cecilia falling for the Baxter character as she wants to be with someone who is full of naiveté and charm like he is.
For the role of Tom Baxter and the actor that plays him in Gil Shepherd, Michael Keaton was originally cast for the role but after 10 days of filming. Allen and Keaton both agreed that Keaton wasn’t right for part as Allen eventually gave the part to Jeff Daniels who had just made a breakthrough performance in James L. Brooks’ Oscar-award winning film Terms of Endearment. The cast would include Danny Aiello, Farrow’s sister Stephanie, and Dianne Wiest in her first of many collaborations with Allen as a hooker. For the actors playing the characters in the film-within-a-film, Edward Herrmann, John Wood, and Deborah Rush were cast.
The film would definitely be a change of pace of sorts for Allen in terms of its approach to humor and drama as he would create many storylines involving Cecilia’s fascination with Tom as well as the actor Gil Shepherd while Tom would embark into a journey of his own as he walks out of the movie he’s in to check on a sad Cecilia and later be fascinated by the real world. In turn, there would be this strange love triangle between Cecilia and these two men while the movie that Tom is in have the characters find themselves stuck with no idea what to do. Eventually, it plays into a moment where Cecilia finds herself in the movie as if she is a new character in the film. It all plays into Allen’s sense of fantasy and his love for the movies.
The film premiered in March of 1985 in the U.S. where despite a somewhat disappointing box office take though it was in a limited release. The film still managed to score big with critics as Allen himself stated that it’s one of the few films he’s made that he loves. Later that May at the Cannes Film Festival, the film was a big hit where Allen won the FIPRESCI prize while later getting his first Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film as well as BAFTA for Best Film. The film also gave Allen another Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay as the film would be widely considered to be one of Allen’s finest films. Yet, the film would also be the last time Allen and cinematographer Gordon Willis would work together as the latter decided to work less frequently until he eventually retired in 1997. Willis’ contributions to Allen’s film would prove to be a big help to Allen as he found more confidence as a filmmaker.
Hannah & Her Sisters
Allen’s next film would be an ambitious story involving the lives of three sisters in the period of two years where they would all meet during Thanksgiving. The project would be once again set in Allen’s native New York City as he decided to go for a project that required a large ensemble as well as multiple storylines that intertwined with one another. Notably to play out the complex but often tumultuous relationship between three sisters and their lives as it would be told not just in a comedic manner but also dramatic as Allen would play one of the sister’s ex-husbands who is going through a life-altering crisis involving faith and death.
To play the three sisters, Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, and Barbara Hershey were selected as each women would bring different personalities to their characters. Farrow as the lead role of the very successful Hannah, Hershey as the middle sister Lee, and Wiest as the youngest yet wandering sister Holly. Allen wanted the women to spend time together to act out as if they were sisters where they would love each other but also hate each other at times. Many of the ideas that Allen was writing about was once again inspired by the works of Ingmar Bergman as he cited Bergman’s 1982 film Fanny & Alexander as an inspiration for his story.
With Allen playing Hannah’s ex-husband, the cast would include Michael Caine as Hannah’s husband Elliot, Farrow’s real-life mother Maureen O’Sullivan and Lloyd Nolan as the parents of Hannah, Lee, and Holly, Max von Sydow as Lee’s intellectual lover, and Carrie Fisher as a friend of Holly. The film would also include appearances from Sam Waterston and Tony Roberts as well as early appearances from actors like Julie Kavner, John Turturro, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Richard Jenkins, Joanna Gleason, and Lewis Black. Allen also decided to have Farrow’s adopted children as extras in the Thanksgiving dinner scenes to create that sense of family and craziness that goes in Thanksgiving dinner.
To help Allen create scenes on a visual scale, Allen got the services of renowned Italian cinematographer Carlo Di Palma who was famous for his work with famed Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni. Di Palma would one of Allen’s new regular cinematographers for the next several years as the two would find ways to create some dazzling shots of the city and some of its locations including a montage where Sam Waterston’s character showing Holly and her friend April many of the great architectures of New York City. Di Palma’s contributions would also help Allen create some unique approach to lighting for some scenes in the interiors and at night as it would be different from the richer work that Willis did.
The film would play into many complexities about life, love, and all sorts of things where Elliot falls in love with Lee as they have an affair while Holly tries to find herself in many ways through a catering business and trying to become a writer. Yet, it would all eventually come to annoy Hannah who has been very successful but finds herself becoming unhappy as she later tried to hook Holly up with her ex-husband Mickey which becomes a disaster until they would meet again years later. Largely as it would help play to some of the resolution of its characters despite all the turmoil they’ve been through.
Released in February of 1986, the film was widely hailed as one of Allen’s great triumphs while the film would also become Allen’s most commercially successful at the time grossing $59 million against its $6.4 million budget. The film would also get numerous accolades including seven Oscar nominations where it won three Oscars for Allen’s screenplay and Supporting Acting prizes to Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest. Allen would also win two BAFTAs for its direction and screenplay as well as getting a Cesar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Radio Days
With the big success of Hannah & Her Sisters, Allen decided to go back to something that was simpler but also played into an element of nostalgia. Inspired by Federico Fellini’s 1973 Amarcord, Allen’s next project would be about the Golden Age of Radio in the late 1930s and 1940s as it would be told by Allen playing a man reflecting on his childhood. The project would also include a story about a woman who is eager to become a radio star as it plays to the man’s memories about that period in time.
Set in Rockaway Beach, New Jersey, Allen wanted to go for something that had that air of nostalgia not just in its look with help from cinematographer Carlo Di Palma. He also wanted to create a sense of liveliness into the world of a child as he’s coming of age during that period where he lives with his Jewish-American family as they would encounter many things during this period of radio. With the help of longtime production designer Santo Loquasto, who had worked with Allen since the early 80s as a costume designer and then taking over the production design work from Mel Bourne. Allen didn’t just want to create an intimacy and authenticity of that period but also in the look of the nightclubs and radio studios of the time.
With Mia Farrow playing the role of aspiring radio star Sally White, the cast would also include regulars like Dianne Wiest and Julie Kavner along with Josh Mostel, Michael Tucker, and a young Seth Green playing the character of the young Joe. The film would also feature appearances from other Allen cohorts like Tony Roberts and Jeff Daniels plus a special cameo from Diane Keaton whom Allen asked to appear as a singer for a New Year’s Eve party. The film wouldn’t just play to the life of a family but also in how the radio seemed to impact them where Allen wanted to capture that sense of joy the radio brought.
Most notably in a dramatic sequence in which a young Joe and his family listen to a radio broadcast about a girl who fell down a well. It’s a moment in the film that showcases not just a moment where a child encounters tragedy but also the importance of how his family can be there with that boy to all forget about themselves and come together as a family to listen to this moment. Allen doesn’t just capture that sense of family in that film but also how they can enjoy spending time with each other as Allen voices that sense of joy in those times as the older Joe as it also has an air of sadness of a period that can never be replicated.
The film premiered in January of 1987 to great acclaim though it’s box office take wasn’t big in comparison to Hannah & Her Sisters. The film would play out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival later that May to great acclaim where it affirmed Allen’s place with the international film scene. Particularly as the film would gain two Oscar nominations for its screenplay and art direction as well as Writer’s Guild nomination for its script and six BAFTA nominations plus two awards for its art direction and costume design.
September
Wanting to step away from comedies and more light-hearted features, Allen decided to go into his next project into another step into the world of drama. Inspired by the works of Anton Chekov, Allen’s next project would play into the world of depression, loss, and demons in the life of a woman who is recovering from a suicide attempt. For Allen, the project would be very different from many of his projects as well as something just as different as his 1978 drama Interiors.
While the project was shot inside the Kaufman Astoria Studio in Queens, New York City as Allen was unable to shoot the film in Connecticut. The production was very troubled as Allen had a hard time trying to figure out what he wanted. With Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest already cast in the roles of Lane and Stephanie, respectively. Allen brought in British actor Denholm Elliot as a widowed neighbor of Lane while the cast would include Maureen O’Sullivan as Lane’s mother, Charles Durning as Lane’s stepfather, and Christopher Walken as Lane’s friend Peter. When shooting began in October of 1986, things didn’t go well as Allen didn’t like some of the performances as Allen brought in Sam Shepard to replace Walken as production was re-started.
While editing the film with Susan E. Morse, Allen decided to start all over again complicating matters as the budget grew bigger as Allen re-shot the film again this time with Farrow, Wiest, and Elliot playing their parts again with Elaine Strict as Lane’s mother, Jack Warden as Lane’s stepfather, and Sam Waterston as Peter. Allen would eventually finish shooting in June of 1987 as he continued to work and re-work everything as it proved to be troubling as he also decided to work on another project at that time.
September came out in December of 1987 where it got good reviews but it’s box-office take was very poor as the film became one of Allen’s big financial flops. Though the film would show Allen taking more risks as a filmmaker, the film was a setback of sorts for Allen as the experience of the troubled production forced him to re-think things. Yet, it would also play into ideas where Allen would use actors and then cut them out as it would start to become more known in later films.
Another Woman
During the hectic production of September, Allen decided he wanted to take another shot at drama as he once again turned to the works of Ingmar Bergman for ideas. By interpreting Bergman’s 1957 film Wild Strawberries, Allen decided to create a film where a woman’s life starts to unravel when she accidentally hears another woman’s analysis about her own life. Notably as this woman has to look back on her own life as well as the way she treats people around her.
Though Allen originally wanted Mia Farrow to play the lead role of philosophy professor Marion Post, Farrow was pregnant during the production as Allen decided to give her the role of the other woman who is ravaged by her life. Allen decided to cast Gena Rowlands in the lead role as it would prove to be a great idea as the cast would include Ian Holm, Harris Yulin, Blythe Danner, Philip Bosco, John Houseman in his final performance, Sandy Dennis, Martha Plimpton and Gene Hackman. Though Mary Steenburgen was originally cast to play Post’s sister-in-law, she was re-cast during production by Frances Conroy as Allen would shoot the film in his native New York City.
With Carlo Di Palma unable to take part in the production, Allen would get the chance to work with the revered cinematographer Sven Nykvist who was one of Ingmar Bergman’s great collaborators. Working with Nykvist not only gave Allen ideas of what he wanted to do visually but also in creating moments that would recall some of Bergman’s work. Yet, Allen was able to infuse his own ideas as the film would be told from Post’s perspective as she would narrate the film to display her own emotional journey. Notably as she watches a recreation of a conversation she had with her husband as she is being played by an old friend to showcase revelations on not just herself but also her marriage.
The film was released in November of 1988 where it did OK in the box office while it was a hit with critics. Notably as it is widely considered to be one of Allen’s more underrated films by fans and critics. While the production was much smoother and less hectic than September, the film did give Allen a bit of a breather as he was becoming more confident as a dramatic filmmaker.
New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks
Allen’s next project would be a collaborative effort with two other revered filmmakers in creating an anthology film project all set in New York City. With Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola taking part in this project, all three men would each direct a segment set in New York City in their own style. Allen’s short entitled Oedipus Wrecks would be a comedy about a man’s complicated relationship with his overly-critical mother as he wishes for her to disappear only to suddenly reappear in the sky talking to everyone in the city.
With Allen playing the lead role as it would also star Mia Farrow, Larry David, Julie Kavner, and Mae Questel as the lead’s mother. The segment would be a return of sorts to Allen’s earlier comedies as it featured people talking to the mother up in the sky as a man’s life is unraveling. It would be a very imaginative short where Allen also worked with Sven Nykvist as his cinematographer who brought in some nice visual ideas that definitely captured the beauty of the city.
The film was released in March of 1989 where Allen and Scorsese’s shorts were well-received though Francis Ford Coppola’s short, which he co-wrote with his daughter Sofia, was not well-received as the film would be a box office disappointment. Yet, the short would be one of Allen’s highlights of the 1980s as he proved that he still had something to say in comedy.
Crimes & Misdemeanors
For his next and final film of the 1980s, Allen decided to fuse comedy and drama to explore the world of morality and existentialism in two different stories based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. One of which would be told in a drama while the other would be in a comedy as Allen would star in the latter as a small-time filmmaker named Clifford Stern while the former would star Martin Landau as the successful ophthalmologist Judah Rosenthal. Yet, both stories would eventually collide in the end as the two men talk about their experiences.
The cast would also include a wide array of actors including regulars Mia Farrow, Joanna Gleason, and Sam Waterston as well as Jerry Orbach, Claire Bloom, famed psychologist Martin S. Bergmann, Anjelica Huston, Caroline Aaron, and Alan Alda. Many of which would play into the different stories that Allen had conceived into the world of comedy and drama. Notably in the way to men steer their lives where one aims for ambition while other is trying to keep a dark secret. With Sven Nykvist shooting the film, it would recall not just some of the works of Ingmar Bergman but also Allen’s own fascination with people doing bad things.
For the dramatic portion, Allen wanted to keep things simple and direct as it plays to Judah Rosenthal’s own conflict about not just the extramarital affair he’s having but also how to end it when his mistress threatens to tell his wife about the affair. That portion of the film would also have Rosenthal face his own past as a child where he thinks about his religious teachings. It would play into a man facing not just the guilt over what he committed but also asking for redemption for his actions as it would prove to be Allen’s strongest work in the world of drama.
For the comedic portion of the film, Allen created a segment where he plays this small-time director who is asked to shoot a documentary about his brother-in-law whom he despises. He falls for the documentary’s producer as he hopes to have her get involved in another project about a renowned philosopher. In turn, he tries to woo this woman despite being married while also trying to depict his brother-in-law as a pompous fraud as the two try to win over this woman.
Both Judah and Clifford would meet at a wedding as both men talk about their actions in the end as it relates to not just questions of existentialism but also the idea of guilt. Though one manages to come out his situation very well, the other is forced to resign to his own fate as it creates a major complexity to its ending. Notably about the way life is as it’s told from the philosopher that Clifford wanted to profile.
The film premiered in October of 1989 as it would be widely considered to be one of Allen’s great triumphs. While it did OK in the box office, the film was a major hit with critics as it would gain three Oscar nominations for Martin Landau’s supporting performance as well as Allen’s script and direction. The film also gave Allen clout as he ended the 1980s on a major high note as some believed that his best work was in that decade.
Alice
Now entering a new decade, Allen decided to go into a different genre for his next project as he would turn to Federico Fellini’s 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits as inspiration for his next project. This time around, Allen would set it in his native New York City where rich housewife goes to a mysterious Chinese herbalist named Dr. Yang for back pain only to play into what she wants in her life. With Mia Farrow playing the titular character, the film would be a genre-bending film where Allen would play into the elements of fantasy as well as a woman’s desire to find herself.
With a cast that would include appearances from Allen regulars Julie Kavner, Blythe Danner, Caroline Aaron, and Judy Davis in her first of many collaborations with Allen. The cast would also feature William Hurt, Joe Mantegna, Keye Luke as Dr. Yang, Alec Baldwin, Cybill Shepherd, Bernadette Peters, and filmmaker James Toback in a cameo appearance. The film would also reunite Allen with cinematographer Carlo Di Palma after a brief break as they aimed to create something that had a sense of magic as it would be set during the fall and winter period during the Christmas holidays.
The film also had Allen using some visual effects to maintain that sense of fantasy where Alice drank a herbal tea where she became invisible as it added a sense of comedy but also would play into some drama. Notably as Allen would use these visual effects to help a woman go into this very personal journey about who she is and what she wants. In many ways, it’s one of Allen’s most entertaining and engaging films where it plays to a woman finding herself whether she needs a man or not.
The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1990 where despite a disappointing reaction in the box office where it only made $7 million against its $12 million budget. The film was still well-received by its critics and fans of Allen as it also gave Allen an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay while Mia Farrow won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy while winning an award from the National Board of Review.
Shadows and Fog
Allen decides to go into another direction as he turns to the German Expressionist films of the 1920s and 1930s for inspiration. While it would be a suspense-comedy based on a one-act play Allen had conceived back in 1975. Allen would update it into a feature film where a nebbish clerk reluctantly takes part in a vigilante hunt to find a serial killer in the early 20th Century with the help of a circus performer and other people. Though Allen wasn’t originally going to play the role of the clerk known as Kleinman, Orion insisted that he takes part in the film in order to help the film’s box office.
With Mia Farrow along with regulars Julie Kavner and David Odgen Stiers appearing in the film, the cast would be big as it would feature John Malkovich, Madonna, John Cusack, Kathy Bates, Jodie Foster, Kenneth Mars, Lily Tomlin, Josef Sommer, Donald Pleasance, and John C. Reilly. Shot in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York City, the film would have a massive set built in the studio designed by longtime collaborator Santo Loquasto. In order to be faithful for the visual style of the German Expressionist films, Allen and Carlo Di Palma shot the film in black-and-white they used shadows and fog to maintain that sense of atmosphere.
The film would be ambitious in comparison to some of Allen’s more recent films as Allen wanted to incorporate elements of existentialism and such in the story while balancing it with some suspense and humor. Though the results weren’t entirely great, the production still went smooth as Allen wanted to create something that was a bit loose in terms of the acting. Still, Allen wanted to do something that was visually-entrancing but also entertaining as he would use elements of magic to help tell the story going back to Allen’s love for magic.
The film would become Allen’s final film for Orion Pictures as the studio was mired in financial trouble as the release for the film had been delayed endlessly until it was given a limited release on December 5, 1991. While it received mixed reviews and was another box office disappointment only making $2 million against its $19 million budget. The film would also mark the beginning of the end of sorts for Allen as he was already set to make another film.
Husbands and Wives
After ending his long-decade tenure with Orion Pictures as the studio that had supported Allen would go into bankruptcy. Allen and his producers went to TriStar Pictures to help Allen secure funding and distribution for his next project which would be a very personal one. Notably as it would play into Allen’s own personal life involving his longtime relationship with Mia Farrow that was starting to crumble. Seeking inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 film Scenes from a Marriage, Allen’s next film would be about the ups and downs of marriage and relationship.
Wanting to do something different from some of his previous efforts, Allen chose to employ a style similar to cinema verite as it was partially shot largely with hand-held cameras while it would also have moments in the film where some of the characters would be interviewed as if it was a documentary. It was a very unique approach to the story as Allen wanted to aim for not just a sense of realism but also be much looser with the language as he would allow his actors to say more profane things in the course of the film.
With Allen and Farrow playing a couple whose marriage starts to disintegrate following the announcement of their friend’s decision to call it quits. The cast would include Judy Davis, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, Juliette Lewis, and Liam Neeson along with appearances from Blythe Danner, Lysette Anthony, Cristi Conaway, and Ron Rifkin. Shooting began in November of 1991 where Allen once again shot the film in New York City with his longtime cinematographer Carlo Di Palma. For the film’s narrator/interview, Allen chose his longtime costume designer Jeffrey Kurland to play the part though he would be unseen for the entirety of the film.
The production, like most Allen films, were very low-key as actors had to rely on their knowledge of the characters to play into what Allen wanted in the story. Yet, there was much more in the production that became very odd to people as it relates to Allen and Farrow’s disintegrating relationship. While Allen was able to get his other actresses energized for their roles, it was Farrow who would eventually turn in one of her best performances in the film. Notably as a scene where her character and Allen’s character would finally call it quits as where Farrow brought a lot of emotional weight to the performance where it revealed something much bigger where it relates to the breakdown between her relationship with Allen.
The film made its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September of 1992 as it was given an official theatrical release just days later. Yet, the film would give Allen a lot of attention as it relates to not just his break-up with Mia Farrow but also the news that Allen had an affair with Farrow’s adopted Vietnamese daughter Soon-Yi Previn. The film drew raves reviews while its box office was quite modest in recouping half of its budget. Yet, the scandal over Allen’s affair with Farrow’s adopted daughter made headlines. Though Allen did admit to having an affair with Previn, he denied Farrow’s accusations of molesting one of their adopted children in Dylan Farrow.
After the scandal died down and Farrow won custody of the children including their son Ronan, Husbands and Wives would yield two Oscar nominations for Allen’s screenplay and a supporting actress performance to Judy Davis who would win several critics prizes for Best Supporting Actress while Allen won a BAFTA for his screenplay. Yet, the film marked an end of an era for Allen as his long-decade collaboration with Mia Farrow came to an end while the scandal over his affair with Soon-Yi Previn would do damage to his own reputation.
(End of Part 2)
Pt. 1 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
