MovieChat Forums > Another Woman (1988) Discussion > one of woody's best

one of woody's best

posted 19 years ago by marianeta
9 replies | jump to latest

its a pity that this film is not as well appreciated as the rest of woody allen's best films:

Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Interiors, Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway and the Purple Rose of Cairo. Add a few more if you like (Husbands and Wives? or the lighter comedies), cos Allen has made around 20 outstanding films but personally i think these stand out.

it seems as if whenever he wanted to make another bergman film, in the following years his solution was to mix the philosophy with his usual sense of humour. while it worked wonderfully well in manhattan and hannah and her sisters, and then in crimes and misdemeanors he literally split the styles in two...

however, i believe that the Another Woman and Interiors are his purer works without the need to artificially insert entertainment. this is ironical since it isn't pure woody allen. and he admits this from the onset with the opening credits in interiors, which doesn't have his usual jazz music or font.

if you want to know what Another Woman would have been like if he threw in comedy and other techniques to jazz up the entertainment, you don't need to look any further than Deconstructing Harry. Although its a very good film on its own, to me it doesn't have the same class as Another Woman...

Sure, in Interiors and Another Woman he is referencing Bergman, but he should be given credit where it is due. We can relate to Allen's characters in a way we can't to Bergman who tends to be heavy handed on these respective subjects as the Swede's stylistic films probably don't intend to touch our feelings the way Allen does... And don't get me wrong, Bergman IS the MAN.

Bergman's Wild Strawberries (or Cries and Whispers to Interiors) may be the real thing but personally Another Woman hits home emotionally. This is one of the ingredients Allen has added to Bergman. Even without the Allen trademarks by excluding himself as lead actor or no laugh a minute one liners - on examining the dialogue, the issues his characters struggle with IS Allen.

And he doesn't have to keep rolling one stand up joke after another... because after one has endured his most intense films, on a second viewing - one can pick out the humour in the subtext. And to me, this reveals Allen's all round hidden talent.

Carpe Diem

[–] petit_ange_de_Paris 19 years ago

I totally agree... It really is the best Allen movie

[–] AKonigsberg 19 years ago

I know you wrote this months ago.... but I agree with your point that:

because after one has endured his most intense films, on a second viewing - one can pick out the humour in the subtext. And to me, this reveals Allen's all round hidden talent.

I think that some of Allen's funniest, wittiest stuff is the boring, trite, horribly pseudodignified crap he has some of his snootier characters say. You can tell that he really does not like people like, for example, Marion's husband. The way he deals with his ex-wife as she bursts into the engagement party is so subtle but so awful. I mutter to myself, "what a douchebag" at the screen very often. I also think of Judah in Crimes. He says some of the most magnificently axxholish stuff and has no idea that he's an axxhole. Woody excels here.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] chconnol 18 years ago

I saw this movie when it first came out in a second run movie theater (remember those) on Long Island. I was amazed at just how good it was then and now that it's making the rounds on cable lately (Fall, 2006) I'm amazed again at just how good it is.

It's mostly due to Rowlands. She's simply incredible in the movie. You just "get" what she's going through and completely go with her. You can see what others are seeing (her intellectualization, her judgementalism) but, more importantly, you can see why people are also drawn to her and find her attractive. We empathize completely with her and feel good about her awakening.

This is one of Allen's most assured films. He caught a lot of slack from the know it all critics who seemed so pleased with themselves by pointing out the all to obvious influence of Bergman. Ok, yes it's there...but it should in no way take away from it's own obvious strenghths.

Years before I saw it again recently, whole scenes from the film would come back to me for reasons I don't know. For example, that lovely, simple scene where she goes to see her brother. The way she just plops herself down in the chair beside her desk, the feeling of weariness but also hope and happiness she feels. Or when she reads the poem with the ending line "you must change your life...". That last one is too obvious but it always got to me.

I've been really turned off by Allen since the mid 90s when his films simply seemed to have run out of creative gas.

Seeing "Another Woman" reminds me of why I used to like him so much. It just a simple, beautiful little movie.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] andre08011 18 years ago

...if not the best...

[–] pjyielder 17 years ago

Very nice summary of this film, manjo07. I just got finished seeing it for the first time and I really connected with it in a deep way. I'll have to let it all soak in and watch it again sometime, because it really is Allen at his finest. The Bergman influence is undeniable, you're right, but you're also right in asserting Allen's emotional impact taking precedence over style or presentation. These characters are almost frighteningly real, and the dramatic situations are never overdone. Take, for example, the scene where Marian is having a drink with her old friend Claire and her husband. When Claire starts getting dramatic and accusatory, Marian refutes her claims outright, but the scene never escalates into a full-blown psychological catfight or something equally sensational. This is why Allen is one of my film heroes. He has a keen insight into the way people actually act toward each other in those kinds of situations: with some hesitation and avoidance of lashing out or making a scene. It makes it all the more nerve-wracking to watch Marian try to defend herself while being afraid and embarrassed of her own emotional outpourings. This is definitely Allen's deepest film that I've seen. I might even like it more than my old champ Crimes & Misdemeanors. Glad to see there are folks out there who like discussing the "forgotten" Allen films.

[–] gandzetina 17 years ago

Just finished my third seeing of this movie and If I had any doubts before, I dont have them anymore:This IS best allen's movie and one of best in 80's.Gena rowlands is just superb in her minimalistic aprouch.She even reminds on ingid thulin, but hey, u should be really beatiful and great actor to remind on her!Nice balanced script, delightfull (as ever) mr.niquist's camera work, and more then intresting kentaur of authentic allen and even more authentic bergman (:

[–] lausmoya 17 years ago

what an interesting review! I agreed with most of what you wrote.