Hannah And Her Sisters

1986
Directed By Woody Allen



SYNOPSIS

Hannah's (Mia Farrow) marriage is in bad shape because her husband (Michael Caine) has fallen in love with her sister (Barbara Hershey.) Meanwhile, Hannah's hypochondriac ex-husband (Woody Allen) falls for her sister (Diane Wiest) and she must deal with her aging parents (Lloyd Nolan + Maureen O'Sullivan.)

MY THOUGHTS

One of Woody Allen's greatest triumphs.

The film is remarkably similar to Allen's other films during the 1980's and early 90's. Most of his films feature large ensemble casts and deal with romantic relationships in a sophisticated manner that can shift from incredibly funny to dead serious from scene to scene. 'Hannah' is no different, except the (Oscar-winning) screenplay is a bit sharper and the performances reflect this. Everything from the New York setting, to the jazz score, to even the font used in the credits sync with his other films during the era... except the film is better.


One of the highlights of the 80's and 90's (and later) Allen films is the great casts he could assemble because everyone wanted to work with him. Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest both won Best Supporting Oscars for their roles. The rest of the cast are lines with familiar faces including Max von Sydow, Julie Kavner, Sam Waterston, Carrie Fisher, John Turturro, and in a teeny-tiny role, Julia Louis Dreyfuss.

Hannah And Her Sisters is Woody Allen at the top of his game as a director and writer, and it is one of his finest films, along with Annie Hall and Manhattan. If you have never seen a Woody Allen film, this is an excellent place to start.