Husbands and Wives (1992)

Woody Allen went the documentary (ish) route, again, with his 1992 film Husbands and WIves. The film follows a married couple's deterioration after their married friends decide to separate. By telling the story in documentary format with a hand-held camera with a lot of movement and close-up shots, the audience is completely immersed in the story, almost like voyeurs as we see a marriage crumble apart.

Jack (Sydney Pollack) and Sally (Judy Davis) break some tough news to their friends Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow) that they will be separating. Judy and Sally are quite nonchalant while delivering the news but Gabe and Judy are devastated. Gabe remarks that theirs is a marriage benchmark as he only thinks of them as "Jack and Sally". Judy is completely devastated even retiring to her bedroom in a dither over hearing the news. Gabe and Judy console themselves and each other as Jack and Sally go on to see other people. The news changes them, as well, however. Gabe and Judy both begin to question aspects of their life and relationship and start to believe that they may not be as happy in their marriage as they've grown comfortable believing. Gabe starts succumbing to the admiration of one of his female students and Judy realizes she is attracted to another man. What began as a series of changes in the lives of Jack and Sally has delivered life- changing impact for Gabe and Judy.

I love the documentary style Woody used for husbands and Wives. I've heard many criticize it, yet, I think it's perfect to convey the intimate emotions dealt with in the film. I especially enjoy how real Woody depicts human emotions in this film. Who hasn't recovered from a breakup when one moment you are whole, moving on, and living your life when all of a sudden you get a nagging thought in your head that you just can't shake and you become a mix of anger and desperation in an instant? That's exactly what Woody showed in the scene in which Sally was in the apartment of a man she was to go on a date with but she couldn't shake the news that Jack had moved someone in his home just three weeks after their separation. That scene, as gut-wrenching as it was, was my favorite because it was so real. That really is how emotions work, they are wild and unpredictable, quickly changing based on new information. Husbands and Wives was a truly human film with rich touches of Woody Allen (another Bergman reference and a comment from Woody about walking in Paris in the rain) definitely a stand out in the excellent filmography of Woody Allen.

Fmovies: Granted this is not Woody's funniest film, but it delivers the goods. Like most of Woody's work, it plays out like a photographed play (he's not a highly visual filmmaker), but if you've seen any of his other films you shouldn't be surprised. The film is low-key, at times too low-key, and if you've seen any other relationship comedies of this nature the story should come predictable, but the characters are very well-written and engaging. I was especially interested in the relationship between Woody and his beautiful student, played by Juliette Lewis. There are lots of funny moments. I see that Judy Davis got nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar. She really was great in the film. It's nice to see that Woody often finds a place for her in all his recent films. Sydney Pollack is also great. Basically, the whole cast is talented and it's pretty much an ensemble effort.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Along with Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanours, Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters(probably some rather clichéd choices) Husbands and Wives is one of Woody Allen's best. Allen is not for all tastes but his films have always had some interest value and mostly they are very well written and acted. Husbands and Wives certainly has those. The hand-held camera work may put some people off, especially compared to visual beauties like Hannah and Her Sisters and Manhattan. Not for me it didn't, the use of it was quite clever and while extensive it wasn't overkill or seizure-inducing(and this is coming from somebody with epilepsy). Stylistically also it came across as intentional, to convey the character's thoughts and neuroses. Allen directs with no problem, and his performance in the film too has degrees of bitterness but also one of his most reserved and honest. In fact, apart from Juliette Lewis who is annoying(the only thing about the film that didn't quite work for me, but considering how outstanding everything else was she wasn't enough to completely rock the boat) the acting is superb, particularly from Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis. Mia Farrow gives a heartfelt performance too. Husbands and Wives is a superbly written film, it does have a fair bit of Allen's razor sharp wit and plenty of well- thought out observations conveyed bluntly. But few Allen films are this candid, and the documentary-style that the film adopts allows the candour to come through and resonate in a very rich and vigorous way. The themes and relationships explored in Husbands and Wives are ones that any married couple or pretty much anybody will relate to(the Pollack and Davis storyline is the most poignant and insightful). Some of what is shown is very unpleasant and the characters are not likable ones at all, but to be honest it's absolutely like that in real life, it just goes to show how much the truth can hurt. It really is one of Allen's most relatable films, Hannah and Her Sisters I also related to strongly but in a different way, being warmer in tone and slightly more multi-layered(that's not to knock Husbands and Wives at all in that regard as it certainly is that). Overall, some of what is shown is unpleasant but it is a remarkably candid film with superb writing and acting that a lot of people can relate to. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Husbands and Wives fmovies. This film, while rather amusing in some parts, is more or less a drama. Allen seems to have become more accepting of the "love fades" theme first presented in ANNIE HALL, and his characters seem to be a reflection of this maturity. The concepts of what love and marriage mean are dealt with in depth here, and there are no clear answers, of course. This provokes thought without being too sure of itself (who would expect that from Woody?)and provides a thoughtful examination of what makes love begin and last..or not.

"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.

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.