Husbands and Wives
June 4th 2007 23:39
It was one of the most highly anticipated Allen movies ever, due to the scandal involving Allen having relations with Mia Farrow's adopted Korean daughter. The scandal caused Americans to turn their back on Allen, who had previously been the Manhattan Darling... but with the suggestions of sick pedophilia, Allen lost his lustre.
Husbands and Wives depicts the unstable relationships of two couples, with Mia Farrow and Allen playing one couple, and Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis playing the other.
When Husbands and Wives came out in 1992, people were rabidly awaiting it's release, with bootleg copies on the street going for $200 a copy.
Though scandal made it popular, watching Husbands and Wives today is still an extraordinary experience... it's got all the great trademarks of good Allen films: soft lighting, sepia tones, witty dialogue.
The departure from his other films, though, is in it's style, with a blend of mockumentary accompanying the set pieces... shaky, blurred camerawork make it seem as if everything is unfolding before a documentary crew, and there are even The Office-type interviews.
On paper, the idea would have been laughable, but Allen handles it with style, and without detracting from his story, which is where the film really shines. If Manhattan was a tribute to the city of New York, Husbands and Wives is Allen's tribute to the inevitability of failed marriages, especially when men look towards younger women. We're weak like fallen autumn leaves, our libidos fragile and easily pushed away by the wind.
I say: One of Allen's best - amusing, touching and beautifully made.
See it for: Liam Neeson plays one of Farrow's collegues, and he's all Irish and good-looking - you just want to smack him on the head with a big, rubber basketball shoe.
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Comment by D. Armenta
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Comment by Miswanderlust
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I have never been a follower of Woody Allen but I do like this one and "Hannah and Her Sisters" I agree with you regarding the mockumentary "office spaceish" feel of this piece. I think I will put it on Netflicks to see again.
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