Film Review
Taking its cue from a similarly titled well-known novel by Fyodor
Dostoyevsky,
Crimes and Misdemeanors
offers a darkly compelling study in guilt and existential angst, and is
easily one of Woody Allen's finest films. The midlife crises of two
wildly different characters (one brilliantly played by Allen himself)
are run alongside one another and finally come together in the film's
bitterly ironic denouement. One's capacity to deal with guilt
depends crucially on the kind of person you are, and so whilst one man
literally gets away with murder, another agonises over a far lesser
crime. The genius of the film is that, whilst it deals with
weighty themes, it is unceasingly funny, in a way that does not detract
from the seriousness of its underlying subject. Allen's flair for
observational comedy has never been so well-tuned to extract laughs
from his audience, and the authenticity of each of his characters also
attests to his skill as a writer.
Crimes and Misdemeanors is not
only superbly written and directed (one of the director's
best since
Annie Hall),
it also features one of the best
ensemble casts of any Woody Allen film, and with such fine actors as
Martin Landau, Claire Bloom, Anjelica Huston, Alan Alda and Mia Farrow
- not forgotting Allen himself - all turning in top-notch performances,
the film could hardly fail to please. Cast as the crassest of
film producers, Alda gets the best lines - his character's glib
aphorisms cannot held lodging themselves permanently in your brain: "If
it bends, it's comedy. If it breaks it isn't" and "Comedy is tragedy
plus time." Hence Allen's acid riposte: "What is the guy so upset
about? You'd think nobody was ever compared to Mussolini before."
An immense critical and commercial success on its first release, the
film was nominated for three Oscars - in categories of Best Director,
Best Supporting Actor (Landau) and Best Original Screenplay - but it
did not win a single award. Today, it is almost universally
acknowledged as one of the absolute highpoints of Woody Allen's long
and productive career, and it should also rate as one of the most
enjoyable black comedies American cinema has ever given us.
Dostoyevsky's book may be a profound literary masterpiece, but Allen's
film is much, much funnier.
© James Travers 2012
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Woody Allen film:
Shadows and Fog (1991)
Film Synopsis
Judah Rosenthal is a successful ophthalmologist who, despite being a
happily married man, has begun an affair with an air stewardess,
Dolores Paley. When Judah tells Dolores it is time to end their
affair, his mistress retaliates with threats to expose both their
relationship and Judah's dodgy past financial dealings. Judah's
brother, Jack, a man with underworld connections, offers to solve all
of his problems, by hiring a hitman to kill Dolores. Meanwhile,
small-time filmmaker Clifford Stern wishes he could murder his
brother-in-law Lester. With his career going nowhere, Clifford
has no choice but to accept a commission from Lester, a successful
television producer, to make a document about him. The only good
thing about this ghastly vanity assignment is that it brings Clifford
into contract with Lester's attractive young associate, Halley
Reed. Discovering they have a shared interest in old movies,
Clifford and Halley begin a relationship, although Clifford is already
married and Halley is still recovering from her own failed
marriage. As Clifford fails to resolve his personal crises, Judah
takes the initiative and has his troublesome mistress killed...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.