Every Wednesday, FM writers Simon Columb and Brogan Morris write two short reviews on Woody Allen films … in the hope of watching all his films over the course of roughly 49 weeks. If you have been watching Woody’s films and want to join in, feel free to comment with short reviews yourself! Next up is Hannah and Her Sisters & Take the Money and Run
Simon Columb on Hannah and Her Sisters…
Breaking the mirror into three pieces, Woody Allen uses himself, Michael Caine and Max Von Sydow to depict the regretful, lustful and intellectual sides to his persona respectively. The sisters that bind these men together are central to the story as we find how Hannah (Mia Farrow) and her sisters (Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest). Elliot (Caine) is married to Hannah and falls for her sister Lee (Hershey); Lee is romantically involved with Frederick; Holly (Wiest) is the final sister who’s restless as her partner-to-be (and Hannah’s ex-husband), hypochondriac Mickey (Allen), is undergoing a crisis of faith. Such personal themes regarding faith and love are tackled sensitively and balanced well with measured comedy that shows maturity and intellect. Allen is confident in his direction, framing moments from obscure angles and capturing the drama within the context of three Thanksgivings. Well-written women and weighty ideas prove how impressive Allen truly is.
Brogan Morris on Take the Money and Run…
Not without its charm, Take The Money and Run is fascinating for the obvious reasons: as Woody Allen’s first ‘proper’ feature (his directorial debut What’s Up, Tiger Lily? is no more than clips from a Japanese spy film dubbed over by westerners), Take the Money and Run sees Allen throwing a hefty number of jokes at the audience whilst feeling his way around film as a medium. Allen’s early penchant for comedic absurdity perforates the film at odd moments, while the docu-vibe keeps the story at a distance; Woody’s filmmaking doesn’t feel organic at this point. Take the Money and Run most of all resembles one of the director’s early standup routines or sketches stretched out over an hour and 20 minutes. But while scrappy and not particularly emotionally involving, Take the Money and Run is concerned only with making you laugh, not too damning a criticism by any stretch.
Brogan Morris – Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the young princes. Follow Brogan on Twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion.
Originally published December 18, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
