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From Amazon.co.uk
Woody Allen's second film as a director was a wild, unpredictable and unlikely comedy about a product-tester named Fielding Mellish (Allen), who can't quite connect with the woman of his dreams (Louise Lasser, Allen's ex-wife). He accidentally winds up in South America as a freedom fighter for a guerrilla leader who looks like Castro. Once he assumes power, the new dictator quickly goes insane--which leaves Fielding in charge to negotiate with the US. The film is chockfull of wonderfully bizarre gags, such as the dreams Fielding recounts to his shrink about dueling crucified messiahs, vying for a parking place near Wall Street. Look for an unknown Sylvester Stallone in a tiny role--but watch this film for Allen's surprisingly physical (and always verbally dexterous) humour. --Marshall Fine
Product Description
An early example of what Allen called his "slapdash" approach to comedy, Bananas' broad, fast humor and rapid-fire witticisms form a dazzling kaleidoscope of "inspired ingenuity and comic artistry." - Look Magazine
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By K. Gordon
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
Incredibly funny, broad, slapstick, surreal political satire as Woody takes over a Latin American country to impress a girl. A few bits feel dated, and it didn't make me laugh quite as much as 'Take the Money and Run' when I recently re-watched Allen's 'early funny films', but it still has more than it's share of great comic moments. The whole trial sequence is genius worthy of the very best of the Marx Brothers. (Or, in a more modern context Monty Python)
Personally I don't love the score -- it tends to underline jokes that don't need the help. It was after this that Allen went away from having music written for his films, using existing pieces instead, which became a huge part of his filmmaking style.
But the combination of verbal wit, and wild leaps of imagination (a political assassination becomes a televised sports event to start the film) make this worth taking the time to see.
Personally I don't love the score -- it tends to underline jokes that don't need the help. It was after this that Allen went away from having music written for his films, using existing pieces instead, which became a huge part of his filmmaking style.
But the combination of verbal wit, and wild leaps of imagination (a political assassination becomes a televised sports event to start the film) make this worth taking the time to see.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. D. Woods
VINE™ VOICE
Format:VHS Tape
Very, very funny. What else can I say ? One of Woody Allen's best slap-stick efforts, easily on a par with 'Sleeper' and 'Love and Death'.
It's very clever in parts-the sports commentary on the presidential assassination and Fielding Mellish's consummation of his marriage are nothing short of brilliant. But my favourite scene is on the tube (yes, it is Sylvester Stallone !) when Fielding tackles two thugs who are beating up an old lady. I laughed so hard my ribs ached !
Great stuff. Not as affecting as some of his later works, such as 'Annie Hall' but definitely one for Woody Allen aficionados.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Stephen
Format:DVD
This is not up there with Take the Money and run, Sleeper and Annie Hall but still well worth seeing. Alot of the humour is very silly giggly type humour with some Typical Woody Allen clever type of humour. To say this was done in 1971 it just shows how ahead of his time he is
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
woody allen at his almost slapstick best
a film I remember from my youth,just great to see Woody,totally unashamed in pinching of other comedians styles ,Marx Bros etc
Published 4 months ago by david lockey
4.0 out of 5 stars
funny and instructive
A funny movie about US interventions in Latin America. It is a comical rendering of the Cuban revolution in thinly veiled disguise. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Marco Carnovale
3.0 out of 5 stars
Going Bananas
Bananas started off as an excellent but light-hearted political satire on US/Latin American politics. Read more
Published 10 months ago by jonquil
5.0 out of 5 stars
Snakebite!! Snakebite!!
An Interesting tale with a few exciting twists. Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) is so enamored of Nancy that he takes on her cause and then some. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2002 by bernie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb
I've awlays considered Woody Allen a great film-maker, being influenced by Ingmar Bergman and mainly by the Groucho Marx Brothers. Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2001 by cushere49@hotmail.com
4.0 out of 5 stars
An early funny Woody movie
This is one of Woodys first films. Woody is as always acting as himself and finds himself in a South American country during a revolution. Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2001 by Mikael Larsson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Expensive Laughs
In his early movies, Woody Allen has this rare talent of making expensive laughs instead of cheap laughs. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2001
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