25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Woody's best drama. Highly recommended., June 3, 2005
`Another Woman', written and directed by Woody Allen, is his third and, I believe, last totally serious film, following hard on `September' and several films after his first drama, `Interiors'. Like both earlier dramas, and unlike most of his comedies, the locations are strictly limited to a few interiors and a few nondescript street scenes. The cast may well be the most distinguished ever assembled in an Allen movie, headed up by Gina Rowlands, Gene Hackman, John Houseman, Mia Farrow, and Ian (Bilbo Baggins) Holm. The second rank of actors alone would light up a lesser movie, including Blythe Danner, Betty Buckley, Sandy Dennis, Harris Yulin, and David Ogden Stiers. Some of these well-recognized names and faces such as Blythe Danner and David Ogden Stiers appear in a single scene with but a handful of lines. Even John Houseman has but one scene on camera and about a half dozen lines. It is unusual that while Stiers will appear in several later Allen films, the only actor who has appeared in Allen's earlier films was Farrow.
This movie refutes all modest claims on Allen's part to not being an intellectual. His background dialogue and scenes are chocked full of references to high German culture, including the poet Rainer Marie Rilke, the playwright, Bertolt Brecht, the philosopher, Martin Heidigger, and the Viennese painter, Gustav Klimt. These are certainly not gratuitous references, as the principle character Marion, played by Rowlands is the chairman of the Philosophy department at an important college in or near Manhattan who, as the film opens, is beginning on writing a book on philosophy, probably a history or analysis of a major philosopher's work rather than an original work. Marion gets her intellectual heritage from her father, played by both Houseman as an old man and Stiers as a younger man, who is an important professor of history.
This intellectual landscape may not be convincing if it were not for Allen's most successful use of one of his most powerful devices of mixing the worlds of reality, imagination, fiction, and dreams. While this conceit is pushed over the edge in `Deconstructing Harry', it is used subtly and to great effect in this movie. The reality is the emotional turmoil of Marion's life based on a marriage which began in illicit liaisons and which is now in crisis based on its own weakness and the strain put upon it by novelist / suitor Larry (played by Gene Hackman), who adds to the reality / fiction theme by stating that he has used Marion as one of the characters in his latest novel.
Marion, her husband (Ian Holm) and her best childhood friend Claire (Sandy Dennis) all seem to be raw nerves where the least provocation set them off into arguments over their relations. One can add that most of this is due to the fact that they are seeing an illusory view of their relations, or, are being driven much more by emotion than by reason.
Mia Farrow's role, Hope, in this movie is odd. She was scheduled to play the Gena Rowlands part until she became pregnant with her son by Allen, Satchel. Thus, like her role in the comedy `Radio Days', her part is something of a sidebar until near the end of the movie, when her character meets Marion. Appropriate to the name `Hope', contact with Farrow's character is the device that brings Marion out of the emotional turmoil.
Like `September', we seem to come upon the characters in the middle of their lives, live through an especially difficult episode in their lives, and leave them just as they barely manage to get their heads above the emotional waters that engulfed them. There is no sense that there is a great renewal that will magically improve their lives from now on.
The cinematographer for this film is the great Swedish Ingemar Bergman collaborator, Sven Nykvist. As most of Allen's other lensmen were no slouches in their own right, the change is not immediately apparent. The camera work seems to maintain it's usual very high quality, with a distinct softening in color. Most things seem to be in warm shades of brown and tan, rather than the jarringly prominent reds and greens you see in film color nowadays.
Rowlands' performance is every bit as good as her considerable reputation would lead one to expect. Farrow's performance is much like her soft spoken `Rosemary's Baby' and `Purple Rose of Cairo' persona rather than the very strong presence she give for `Broadway Danny Rose' or `Radio Days'.
Due mostly to the richly imaginative emotional world of the principle characters, this is a movie one can watch many times over and still get new things from the interactions between the strong personalities brought together here. If you had no feeling for `September' and `Interiors', then don't bother with this film. But, if you really like Allen's movies and have not seen either of these other two dramas, then I suggest you start with `Another Woman' and move on to `September' if you like this one.
Unlike virtually every other director I like, such as Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott, Allen seems to show gradual growth and improvement over the years. Some of his later movies are weaker than his best early ones such as `Annie Hall' and `Manhattan', but on average, he gets better with age, and this is one of the best signs of that growth.
Highly recommended to Allen fans and film drama fans in general.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You should be the actress", March 5, 2005
There are several aspects that make this movie excellent, including the intelligent dialogues, the psychological aspects of the narration and the fact that a complex story can be presented in only eighty minutes. These are some of the reasons why Woody Allen is considered by many to be one of the most gifted directors ever. Of course, those that usually do not like Allen's style will not find solace in this movie, but the rest of you will probably appreciate the quality of this production.
Marion Post (Rowland) is a philosophy professor who is taking a leave of absence to write a book and who has rented an apartment to be able to do this peacefully and without any interruptions. The apartment is next door to the office of a psychiatrist and she realizes that she can hear the sessions through the air vents. At first she covers the vents to prevent invading the patients' privacy, but later she hears the sad voice of a woman (Mia Farrow) after one of the cushions covering the vent moves from its place. From that moment on she is hooked and cannot help herself, so she continues eavesdropping into the sessions of the mysterious woman.
Marion starts identifying herself with some of the accounts of this woman and understands that she may actually be dissatisfied with her life too, mainly with her choice of husband and career. From that point forward the psychological aspects of the story become the central focus around which the action revolves. The dreams, memories and reality of Marion's life interact with each other, making us doubt at times if certain events are really happening or not. The final result is an interesting look at the psyche of the main character and her relationship with others.
As it is usual in Allen's movies, there are coincidences galore with chance encounters that reunite old friends and current acquaintances, but the story remains believable all the time. One of the most notable aspects of the film is the outstanding cast, with Rowland playing her role to perfection and other renowned actors and actresses adding their fair share. The performance of Gene Hackman is praiseworthy, and even though his participation is fairly brief, he leaves a lasting impression. If you have not seen any films by Woody Allen, this one is as good a place as any to start.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME is an understatement..., December 14, 2001
This is an absolutely awe-inspiring film from Woody Allen.
Not in any way a lighthearted romp, this is rather a soul-wrenching film which literally forced me to re-evaluate my life, as it does on each subsequent viewing (of which there have been many).
Not giving away any plot details, suffice it to say that Gena Rowlands is simply magnificent here. In a mere 80+ minutes, you will be convinced, as am I, that this is one of our greatest living actresses and a true legend (for another great Rowlands performance, do not miss Cassavettes' earlier "A Woman Under the Influence").
If you are in any way thoughtful and/or introspective about your life and what you've accomplished (or haven't accomplished), do NOT miss this. Also: be prepared to look at yourself not as you perceive yourself, but rather as OTHERS see you, which (for me anyway) was very disconcerting but also extremely enlightening.
This is one of a handful of truly great modern dramatic films which literally raised the bar for all filmmakers to come.
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