March 16, 2007

Hannah and her [Resteraunteur?] Sisters


Okay, so I watched Woody Allen's 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters today. It was really great. That's my favourite Woody Allen period (the period that started with Interiors) and Hannah was just sublime. The writing was so so good and the actors were all terrific, although I prefered Max Von Sydow to Michael Caine's Academy Award-winning work. Can't disagree though about Dianne Wiest (although I am unsure as to who she was up against). Top work there (Although I do prefer her other Oscar-winning role for another Allen flick, Bullets Over Broadway). A- from me.

Still, this was the fourth (I believe) Woody Allen film where characters discuss opening a restaurant. Why do so many characters in his films seem to want to open a restaurant (or have people tell them they should open one). Do a lot of New Yorkers open their own restaurants or is it just some Upper East (?) Side fantasy on Allen's behalf?

11 comments:

adam k. said...

My favorite Wiest perf is actually Parenthood (the one nominated performance NOT directed by Woody Allen). She's just so warm and real and heartbraking in it. I'm glad Ron Howard didn't mess with it too much.

Hannah and her Sisters was really good, though my favorite Allen is definitely Manhattan.

Dave said...

Ahh, I LOVE this film. One of my top three Allens (with Annie Hall & The Purple Rose of Cairo). I think my favourite bits are with Woody's hypochondriac... hilarious. "... it would have been a blood bath." I really want to see it again now!

And Dianne Wiest is awesome. I was wondering where she went until she appeared in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. I love her in Bullets most, though, you're right.

Glenn Dunks said...

Adam, I'm pretty certain Wiest's Parenthood perf is my favourite too. But, yeah, not Allen so I didn't think to mention it.

For me, I don't think any Allen film will get close to Manhattan. I am also one of the few who actually admits to not caring for Annie Hall. My fave's would probably be Manhattan, Husbands & Wives, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Hannah and Her Sisters and Interiors.

But, I haven't seen a lot of his work - The Purple Rose of Cairo being the big one. It's just not available here. Ugh.

I was lucky to actually record Hannah and Her Sisters when it had a rare tv airing. It too is unavailable on DVD.

par3182 said...

i believe dianne's only real competition that year was maggie smith in a room with a view, but since maggie had already won twice i remember hoping dianne would win (man, i'm old)

my favourite non-nominated performance of hers is peg in edward scissorhands

Yaseen Ali said...

I know nobody asked for it, but I like rankings!

I LOVE
1. Husbands and Wives
2. The Purple Rose of Cairo
3. Manhattan

I LIKE
4. Annie Hall

REDEEMING FACTORS
5. Hannah and Her Sisters
6. Melinda and Melinda

I DON'T GET THE LOVE/POOR
7. Crimes and Misdemeanours
8. Match Point
9. Hollywood Ending

JUST BAD
10. Anything Else

DL said...

Well, if Ali is doing it...

I LOVE

1. Annie Hall
2. The Purple Rose of Cairo
3. Hannah and Her Sisters
4. Manhattan

I LIKE

5. Husbands & Wives
6. Broadway Danny Rose
7. Manhattan Murder Mystery
8. Zelig

REDEEMING FACTORS

9. Bullets Over Broadway
10. Interiors

I DON'T GET THE LOVE/POOR

11. Radio Days
12. Match Point

par3182 said...

well, if everyone's doing it...

01. annie hall
02. the purple rose of cairo
03. husbands and wives
04. take the money and run
05. zelig
06. hannah and her sisters
07. bullets over broadway
08. manhattan
09. broadway danny rose
10. radio days
11. crimes and misdemeanours
12. interiors
13. bananas
14. small time crooks
15. manhattan murder mystery
16. alice
17. another woman
18. a midsummer night's sex comedy
19. stardust memories
20. sleeper
21. everyone says i love you
22. mighty aphrodite
23. everything you wanted to know about sex...
24. shadows and fog
25. melinda and melinda
26. deconstructing harry
27. celebrity

NATHANIEL R said...

okay i'll play too

worship
1. manhattan
2. purple rose of cairo
3. hannah and her sisters
4. annie hall
5. husbands and wives
love
6. bullets over broadway
7. match point
8. crimes and misdemeanors
9. everyone says i love you
10 interiors
like a lot
11 sleeper
12 broadway danny rose
13 small time crooks
14 alice
15 manhattan murder mystery
good
16 september
17 radio days
18 sweet and lowdown
i can take or leave
19 another woman
20 everything you always wanted to know...
21 scoop
22 mighty aphrodite
23 anything else
24 melinda and melinda
25 shadows and fog
don't like
26 deconstructing harry
dislike
27 celebrity
28 hollywood ending
29 curse of the jade scorpion

THE UNSEEN 5
whats up tiger lily?
zelig
love and death
bananas
take the money and run

NATHANIEL R said...

also yes...

everybody in NY talks about opening restaurants. regional specific cliché

Glenn Dunks said...

What's Up Tiger Lily was such an incredibly hard slog to sit through. I just wanted it to end.

I don't think I disliked Deconstructing Harry as much as you Nat, but after a while I grew very tired of it. Same with Small Time Crooks. I wanted to bash my skull in with a mallet by the time the credits rolled on that film. And considering I really liked the first 30 minutes or so it is sorta sad.

I really do need to see all those films though. Cairo, Zelig and Crimes and Misdemeanours especially.

Out of the Allen films I have seen:

1. Manhattan
2. Husbands & Wives
3. Manhattan Murder Mystery (holds a dear place in my heart as the first Woody Allen film I ever saw)
4. Hannah and Her Sisters
5. Interiors
6. Match Point
7. Bullets of Broadway
8. Everyone Says I Love You
9. Annie Hall
10. Melinda & Melinda
11. Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex
12. Deconstructing Harry
13. What's Up Tiger Lily
14. Small Time Crooks

Thankfully, I decided to skip the Jade Scorpians of his recent filmography (well, that and the fact that I'm not even sure they were released here). Scoop was just released here and I wanna see it.

Glenn Dunks said...

Let it be known I intend to rewatch Annie Hall sometime soonish and hopefully I will have a Cabaret situation. Going from casual disilusion to obsession from one viewing to another.