Husbands and Wives (1992)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

18 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

When their best friends announce that they're separating, a professor and his wife discover the faults in their marriage.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Directed By Star | Mahler | Friendship | Loneliness

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Prof. Gabriel 'Gabe' Roth
Mia Farrow	...	Judy Roth
Judy Davis	...	Sally
Sydney Pollack	...	Jack
Juliette Lewis	...	Rain
Liam Neeson	...	Michael Gates
Lysette Anthony	...	Sam - Jack's Girlfriend
Cristi Conaway	...	Shawn Grainger - Call Girl
Timothy Jerome	...	Paul - Sally's Date
Ron Rifkin	...	Richard - Rain's Analyst
Bruce Jay Friedman	...	Peter Styles
Jeffrey Kurland	...	Interviewer-Narrator
Benno Schmidt	...	Judy's Ex-husband
Nick Metropolis	...	TV Scientist
Rebecca Glenn	...	Gail

MPAA:

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

68th Street Playhouse - 1164 3rd Avenue, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

This was the 25,000th film to be granted a certificate from the British Board of Film Classification for its 1993 video release.

Goofs:

Continuity: During Rain's birthday party, after the power goes out, Gabe and Rain are talking in Rain's kitchen. During their conversation, you can hear music from the party in the background. This would be impossible due to the fact that the power had just gone out and there was no indication that there was a live band playing.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Gabe Roth: Can I go? Is this over?

Movie Connections:

References Triumph des Willens (1935)

Soundtrack:

The Song Is You

Cave Canem

Any film that affects me emotionally I consider great. But a film that affects me so much that I feel it physically can be called a masterpiece. Narrative does not normally have such power. When a spectator is learning about people who aren't directly connected with you, who are usually not even real, then he/she should realize that these characters are apart from your life and should not matter.

Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives is a film, however, which sets the viewer in the action on screen. He does this with perfect hand-held cameras and jump cuts. The camera work makes you feel like you're right there, and it adds a breakneck speed to the film. This seems like one of the most realistic films ever made.

I have no complaints about this film myself. I would give it a 10/10, but make no mistake: this is a very unpleasant film to watch. I like unpleasant films, but this one is particularly harsh. The situations develop like a fly landing in a Venus fly trap. A character will walk towards a life which he/she believes will bring sweetness and happiness, but the new life quickly engulfs them. And when the film ends, the characters are seen stepping into a different trap: quicksand. No audience member could be naive enough to think that any of the characters are standing in a desirable place when the film closes.

Husbands and Wives is a movie that could cause divorces, and could cause long-term lapses between relationships. If nothing else, it is a film that will make you cringe and squirm.