Amazon.co.uk: Husbands And Wives [1992]: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, Judy Davis, Juliette Lewis, Liam Neeson, Sydney Pollack, Lysette Anthony: DVD

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Amazon.co.uk Review
In Husbands and Wives, another typical Woody Allen exploration of relationships between screwed-up New Yorkers, the drama centres on two married couples who have been close friends for years. When Jack and Sally (Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis) announce they're breaking up, it exposes the cracks in the relationship between Gabe and Judy (Allen and Mia Farrow). The shenanigans that result are touching, funny and horribly true to life. Jack finds himself a cliché trophy blonde, Sam--an aerobics instructor--and thinks he's got it made until she expounds the eternal truths of astrology to his friends, humiliating him in the process; Gabe, meanwhile, finds himself increasingly drawn to his precocious student, Rain--beautifully portrayed by Juliette Lewis--while Judy and Sally get involved with the same guy (though not simultaneously), the shy but alluring Michael (Liam Neeson). The touch of genius is to have an off-screen narrator, with whom the main characters share their innermost thoughts, thus drawing the viewer right into the emotional heart of the movie. This is vintage Woody, with gentle but witty observations of human failings.

On the DVD: Husbands and Wives is delivered in widescreen with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. The only extra features are trailers for both this and Allen's previous movie, Manhattan Murder Mystery. In addition the audio set-up option is in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Finnish. --Harriet Smith

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Theatrical Trailer
Languages in Mono: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
1.85: 1 Aspect Ratio

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Complex and intriguing - Woody Allen on top form!!, 24 Mar 2006

By	H. Feddern "demideniro" (London) - See all my reviews

Woody Allen is simply one of the best directors that has ever graced this great planet of ours. This film is again confirmation not only of his talent, but of his intellectual diversity and creative range.

This film does not eschew depicting the difficulties all relationships eventually must confront. Its portrayal of partnership problems is to say the least, uncomfortable, if not painful. Though, what do you expect? Allen is the master of interpersonal relationship analysis - this being again, another brilliant disection the subject.

The film starts with the breakup of a marriage that has been ended through mutual agreement. This breakup is then followed by each spouse finding younger, sexier partners; although the temporary renewal of physical passions stimulate some initial happiness - what we eventually see is that the couple have really hidden the true desires of their hearts all along.

Its never pretty to watch, but always interesting to divulge and ponder; what do we really crave in relationships? Why are the answers always locked away so far deep beneath the human heart? Why are the solutions so simple, yet so painful to implement?

This film is up there with Woody's best work - its one of his best scripts, although more serious it tells us just what we need, yet fear to hear.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Just not talked about enough, 17 April 2007

By	Mr. D. Woods "dwoods92" - See all my reviews

A latter day remnant from Woody's so-called 'serious' period, 'Husbands and Wives' appeared a fair few years after the likes of 'Hannah and Her Sisters' and 'Crimes and Misdemeanors'. And it's brilliant. I've always preferred Woody Allen's human dramas, with their understated wit and uncompromising scrutiny, to his earlier slapstick fare but he's the greatest filmmaker I have ever had the privilege to watch and all his work has something to recommend it.

'Husbands and Wives' is clearly influenced by Bergman's 'Scenes From A Marriage' yet Allen's interpretation is far more concise and empathetic: actually it's simply the better film. Examining the consequences of a relationship split on a tight-knit group of friends, we see how increasingly confused and susceptible they all become in the face of new passions and old attachments. The scenes between Allen and Mia Farrow are particularly intriguing, given that they were mired in the middle of their own relationship breakdown at the time, and their arguments have an uncomfortably personal edge. Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack are terrific, while Liam Neeson and Juliette Lewis offer strong support. Lewis neatly performs the predatory seductress, which makes her flirtation with Allen convincing as he comes across as appropriately self-destructive. As he has done countless times before, Allen proves just what a good writer of female roles he is, as they prove to be the most enticing and fascinating among the characters.

This is a gorgeously subtle and bittersweet film, shot with depth and mood. It provokes many questions about the nature of relationships, such as what do we need and what do we desire, why we love and what we ultimately gain from loving. I hope to see Woody explore this subject in detail again, as he does it so heartbreakingly well.

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22 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

Uncomfortable viewing: Allen's best 1990's work., 24 Dec 2002

By	Jason Parkes "We're all Frankies'" (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews

Husbands & Wives became infamous, being Allen's most recent film around the point of the Farrow/Song-Li debacle; was his art mirroring life? (Allen's answer appears to be in the caustic Stardust Memories-retread Deconstructing Harry). Regardless of the events in Allen's real life, this is still uncomfortable viewing.

The editing (by Susan E Morse) is wonderful here, complementing Carlo Di Palma's photography- the verite stylings would exhibit severe influence in the future- from TV series This Life to the Digital Video of the Dogme95/post-Dogme generation (see Festen, The Idiots, Tape). Though this is not to forget the influence of John Cassavettes.

This film appears to be the antithesis of When Harry Met Sally (and reminded me of Allen's short story Retribution)- full of great acting, there are key performances from Juliette Lewis, Judy Davis, Sydney Pollack (surprising how miscast he was in Eyes Wide Shut), Liam Neeson, Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner and even Allen himself (he is now too old to be on-screen). The girlfriend who went mad but was great sex is becoming a bit tired as a theme (it was done best in Stardust Memories); Allen having an affair with Lewis is not quite as risible as the affairs his on-screen persona has in Deconstructing Harry, Curse of the Jade Scorpion etc. The theme of a lecturer having an affair with a student is one prevalent in American culture- and ties in with Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys, Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections & Denis Johnson's The Name of the World.

This is the end of the serious-era in Allen's oeuvre, works like Interiors, Stardust Memories & September had lead to more serious exercises like Another Woman, Crimes & Misdeameanours and Shadows & Fog. Allen would move back to his early, funny period- though excepting Bullets Over Broadway, this was largely unconvincing (reaching an apex with the venal double-bill of misanthropy: Deconstructing Harry & Celebrity). Regardless, one of Allen's masterpieces- so good, I even watched it dubbed in French in a hotel in Paris. Will he ever make something of this substance again?

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