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 Interiors and Manhattan Murder Mystery…
Simon Columb on Interiors…
Woody Allen’s first foray into drama is a delicate musing on family, divorce and depression. Daughters Joey (Hurt), Renata (Keaton) and Flyn (Griffith) are coping with the divorce of their parents, Arthur (E.G. Marshall) and Eve (Geraldine Page). Interior-designer Eve desperately hopes Arthur will return to her – but we, and the daughters, suspect this won’t happen. Wild-child Flyn is a TV actress and her sister’s boyfriend obsesses over her. Joey’s high-strung and intense attitude cloaks her fears. Renata, though honest with her mother, ignores her mother’s aching sense of loss. Allen toys with nostalgia, flashing back to their childhood as they play on the beach. Temporal sandy-shores hint at ongoing changes in life while crashing-waves irreversibly affect relationships. Lacking energy, Interiors is beautifully shot with deep-shadow to illustrate the depression that clouds the mind. Far from perfect, Interiors is still poignant, tapping into isolation none of us want to feel.
Brogan Morris on Manhattan Murder Mystery…
Manhattan Murder Mystery is a laid back recreation of two Hitchcock classics: Rear Window and Vertigo – reimagined as a Woody Allen comedy, of course. Using an intentionally convoluted murder mystery plot – has the neighbour of Larry (Allen) and Carol Lipton (Diane Keaton) murdered his wife for money and a new life with his mistress? – Allen calls for adventure in the life of the ageing couple, as Larry and Carol conduct their own amateur investigation. Allen embraces sitcom-style farce, and for once a character played by Allen is happily married, with Allen and Keaton’s renowned chemistry keeping Manhattan Murder Mystery passing at a breeze, even in its overly-expositional moments. As the story becomes ever more absurd, Allen and Keaton reveal two things as a double-act: that the pair haven’t lost it since their 70s heyday, and that you’re never too old to be young again.
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 March 5, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
