Husbands and Wives

Husbands and Wives

source: Husbands and Wives

Husbands and Wives

Excellent performances can't hide the fact that the four major characters in this are completely unlikable. Yes, they all show a few redeeming values, but those come out of their need to manipulate. For the most part, they thrive on pure selfishness, self hatred and narcissistic behavior that is often hard to take. In their last film together, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow barely seem to stand working with each other, while friends Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis make Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner seem like Ward and June Cleaver. They are better developed than Allen and Farrow who never legally married but ended up in their own war of the rises. At first, the camera seems to be as shaky as the two marriages that this focus is on. No sooner has the film begun, then the marriages have pretty much ended with each of the four people becoming involved in other relationships yet finding opportunities to harass their estranged spouses every chance he gets. Pollock is particularly volatile in his relationship with a much younger Lysette Anthony, culminating in a violent sequence after a party where he accuses her of purposely embarrassing him. Adding to the case of an older male involved with a younger woman, Allen end up with Juliette Lewis, who is one of his characters students. Nothing really much happened with Sarah, but Davis ends up involved with the handsome Liam Neeson who seems to appreciate her more during the short time they are together Dan Pollock did in their entire marriage. Davis, one of the best actresses of the past four decades on screen, gives the best performance and while her character at times is a bit of a harpy, she contrasts that with occasional charm and an insight into her character own self dislike is that sometimes make her painful to watch. Davis has knocked her own Oscar nominated performance, but she seems to be the only one with any kind of soul. Her scenes with Neeson are very revealing, and when her tenderness is finally revealed after much unpleasantness, it is a major relief. Still, I don't think that I would want to associate with any of the major characters. Often obnoxious, this is set up as an interview with the various characters and it is awkwardly stage with the camera sticking its nose into these characters personal lives when really, who would want to follow them?the summit documentary style of the film makes this seems like a companion piece to Ingmar Bergman's scenes of them from a marriage, but I'd have to call this scenes from two separations. Jarring editing adds in all Woody Allen films, you're glued to the screen, if not to see what's going on with these characters than the shots of early 1990's New York which takes you all over. Cameos by such familiar actors as Blythe Dinner, Ron Rifkin and Caroline Aaron adds to the film greatly. I must say that while Allen's screenplay has been praised and was Oscar nominated, I found out one of the weakest elements of the film. If it is sacrilegious to call a Woody Allen screenplay unbelievable, then I must claim to be an atheist at least where this film is concerned. Considering what was going on in his personal life, perhaps he was trying to say things that were not necessarily obvious, and at times I felt like I was sticking my nose into where it did not belong.

I am surprised that so few people mention that this film is so obviously inspired by Bergman's television series - which was later edited into a film. As Scenes from a Marriage is perhaps my favourite Bergman film, it makes sense I guess that this is my favourite Woody Allen film. If you like this film, I would highly recommend Bergman's "Scenes" and vice versa. Regarding H&W, it is great in that it uncovers the savagery involved in love and breakups that many films gloss over. There are also some touching moments, but for the most part the film is an investigation into the darker side of relationships and egos. I love it! -BB

"Husbands and Wives" is a Woody Allen´s film for mature audiences that has not aged and gets better with the years. Jack and Sally and Gabe and Judy are best friends. When the first couple announces that they are going to split up to have new experiences, the initial shock to Gabe and Judy reverts to questioning of their own marriage with a surprising conclusion. This simple storyline about separation processes on the hands of Woody Allen turns into a funny and thoughtful film, supported by a great cast and witty dialogues and situations. This is a movie that can be seen and assessed from time to time. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil0: "Maridos e Esposas" ("Husbands and Wives")

Why this movie was classified as a comedy is beyond me. It's utter banality puts it somewhere between having a root canal done and being forced to hang out at O'Hare during a 16-hour snowstorm. Liam Neeson's performance is the only reason to see it and then only if you're desperate.

"Match Point" was the movie that converted me into a Woody Allen-fan. I had literally hated the man's work, but suddenly I found that these movies really spoke to me more than before. I guess you just have to grow older and get a little life experience before you can appreciate Woody Allen's fabulous writing. Lately, I've been catching up on his filmography and was blown away by his immense power of observation. Out of all his classic movies that I've seen in the past couple of days "Husbands And Wives" made the biggest impression so far. This movie is fearless, honest and true. Allen really hits the nail on the head with this one. Unlike movies like "Crimes And Misdemeanors" or the aforementioned "Match Point" (which are both great) "Husbands And Wives" isn't laden with symbolism and there are no highly philosophical thoughts to be found. The movie is merely depicting the universal truth that it's tough to remain honest and passionate in a marriage. Masterfully Allen shows his struggling characters in all their weaknesses without ever making them unlikeable. These characters falter between loyalty, fear of loneliness and an undeniable desire for passion. Everybody who's ever been in a longtime relationship will be able to identify with these problems, but only the brave ones will be able to admit that to their partner. That's the beauty of this movie. Allen says what everybody else is either too afraid or too hypocritical or simply unable to. "Husbands And Wives" shows what the fewest people understand: the egoistical side of "love", the way we cling to relationships because we're afraid of being alone, but also the simple fact that sometimes we need to lose something to understand how much we need it. Even when there's still love we can reach a point where we lie and betray the other person, just because sometimes people are confused about their lives and their feelings. Nobody has voiced our confusion about love and death as accurately as Woody Allen and he's rarely done it better than here. "Husbands And Wives" is recommendable for everyone, especially couples, but be prepared that watching this might lead to uncomfortable discussions. The truth is hardly ever convenient.

If it weren't for the hopeless September, HUSBANDS AND WIVES would be Woody Allen's worst film. After Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack announce that they're divorcing, friends Allen and Mia Farrow start to re-examine their own relationship, with Allen starting an odd -- and creepy --- relationship with young student Juliette Lewis. Pretentious in the extreme --- Allen and Lewis discuss Rilke --- this is a god-awful movie and, as with most of his failed attempts at drama, Allen leaves ALL humor behind. It's as if he thinks having any levity leak in would dilute the impact of whatever he's trying to put across. The hand-held camera work doesn't help either...it's one thing to go hand-held to heighten the realism, but here it's so jerky and extreme, it's sickening.

On a recent documentary I saw on Woody Allen's career, with him being interviewed, he said of this film that it was one of only a small number of times in his career he felt he carried over what he wanted on the page to the screen. Though I've never read the actual shooting script to Husbands and Wives, I can see what he means. I've seen the film several times, if not all the way through then usually when it is on TV, and it always strikes my attention the frankness of it all, how it follows almost no rules. It shares a kinship with another Woody masterpiece, Deconstructing Harry, also about a neurotic writer and the relationship problems around him. Here he focuses not only on himself, but also on another married couple, played by Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis (the later of which one of Woody's best in his quasi stock company), and what he calls the "discombobulated" characters. It is funny here and there, but in reality this is a great film of dramatic sincerity and occasional intensity. Woody himself is in his final collaboration with his ex-wife Mia Farrow, who themselves in the film play a married couple working through some issues. There is also the sensitive, passionate man between the two couples played by Liam Neeson, who acts as a good mediator between the two intertwining story lines. And Juliette Lewis is surprisingly good as a young would-be author who befriends the author/professor Woody plays in the film. What works to make all of these relationships, with warts and all, is that the dialog is always totally, without a doubt, believable. One can see people like this around the New York city upper-middle class landscape, with the neuroses as intriguing as they are frank and even a little disturbing. While the film shares a kinship with some of the dark, brooding themes of Interiors, and quintessentially European (in a good way) attitude towards editing and composition to Deconstructing Harry, it also has (also 'Harry's' DP) the eye of Carlo Di Palma. Di Palma, who also worked with Antonioni on Red Desert and Blowup, works with great ease with the aesthetics of the scenes. This time the camera-work is practically all hand-held, lit with nearly (seemingly) no artificial lights, and with a kind of intensity that is sometimes lacking in other Woody films. In wrong, amateur hands this style could falter, but with the material given, the constant interest and conviction in the performances, and Allen directing, it works. Having Di Palma as a cinematographer is as good a bet as having (a mentally-all-together) Marlon Brando as your star, and because of the documentary realism involved it always remains interesting. I could watch this movie, at least most scenes, just as easily as I could with films like Manhattan or 'Harry', because it is one of those special times in the filmmaker's career where everything comes together, however how raw it may be.