Prepare For Liftoff

Woody Allen's inability to maintain a long-lasting romantic relationship with another person is because he's already in Love, and has always been in Love, with New York City.

What other possible reason brought him away from his jazz band, and to the Oscars in early 2002?

"Hannah and Her Sisters," since 1989, in all of its simple greatness always feels like the runway approach for one of Allen's greatest films: "Crimes and Misdemeanors." (Personally, "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Match Point," and "Manhattan" are my favorites).

With "Hannah," the characters talk about Life and Death, and it's compelling stuff, even during voice-overs which are clearly added in post-production for exposition. In "Crimes," they instead experience Life and even cause Death...with no great or long-lasting moral punishment in either film.

My interpretation, based only on what's on-screen, is Allen's ending for "Crimes and Misdemeanors" was to be his ending for "Hannah and Her Sisters." Just how I read it.

If "Hannah" is "Anna Karenina," then "Crimes" is "Crime & Punishment."

Those Russian winters must really be cold.



"Runnin' Things; it ain't all gravy." Casper in "Miller's Crossing" (1990)