Hannah and her Sisters (Mia Farrow)

(Amazon UK link)

I had never heard of the film ‘Hannah and her Sisters’, but spotted it at a church sale. The blurb sounded interesting, and the cast list impressive, so I forked out fifty cents. It sat on the shelf for a while, but we decided to watch it last night.

Mia Farrow is superb as Hannah, a successful wife and mother who seems to be the peacemaker and found of knowledge in her dysfunctional family. Except that we know, from the opening scenes, that her husband Elliot (Michael Caine) is secretly lusting after Hannah’s sister Lee (Barbara Hershey).

Lee lives with a rather bizarre hermit-like artist called Frederick (Max von Sydow); it appears that she was once his student, and he still likes to teach her. But she’s finding his refusal to leave the house increasingly irritating, which leaves her open to looking for romance elsewhere…

The third sister is Holly (Dianne Wiest). She is an unreliable and manipulative addict, who never feels good enough for anyone. Hannah had tried to set her up with her first husband Mickey (Woody Allen) and there’s quite an amusing scene involving a totally disastrous evening they spent together. Holly keeps trying to do something constructive, but when she writes a novel it proves to be the catalyst for Hannah to start questioning many things.

This film is considered one of Woody Allen's finest, although his role is not the starring one. Most of the humour involves his hypochondria, and search for some form of religious certainty.

The story is primarily character-based; each character changes in subtle ways. The story runs over the course of a year, from one Thanksgiving (hosted, of course, by Hannah) to the next. The various subplots unfold alongside each other, and there’s a growing awareness that Hannah isn’t quite as secure and confident as she appears. Nobody ever asks her what she likes or wants. And she seems so self-reliant that some of her loved ones find her rather stressful to be around.

The film was made in 1986, and feels more dated than that; perhaps it was intentionally so. We found it quite engrossing. The characters all feel believable, and there’s a good mixture of light-heartedness and poignancy. It's rated 15 in the UK, PG-13 in the US. Nowadays I suspect it would be just 12 in the UK, as there's no violence, and only the mildest of bad language. There are sexual references, but nothing explicit. Not that it would be of much interest to younger viewers.

‘Hannah and her Sisters’ was beautifully made, brilliantly cast. Definitely recommended if you like thirty-year-old character-based films of this genre, with a great deal more depth than more modern rom-coms.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Widows' Peak (Joan Plowright, Mia Farrow, Natasha Richardson)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember why this DVD caught my eye; perhaps, as happens so often, Amazon recommended it to me based on something else I had liked. In any case, I put it on my wishlist and was given it for my birthday in the spring. We decided to watch it last night.

‘Widows’ Peak’ is set in a small Irish town, shortly after the first world war. So many women lost their husbands that this particular neighbourhood has become known as ‘Widows’ Peak’, ruled over the the domineering Mrs Counihan (brilliantly played by Joan Plowright). There are the elite in her circle, and the ordinary people of the town, and they rarely mix.

The one exception to widowhood is Miss O’Hare (Mia Farrow), who comes across as rather outspoken, even angry and it’s a bit of a mystery as to why she is part of the upper crust widows’ circle.

Into the fold arrives Edwina (Natasha Richardson) a young American woman who proceeds to charm almost everyone she meets, including Mrs Counihan’s thirty-something bachelor son Godfrey, who is very much tied to his mother’s apron strings. It’s a bit puzzling as to why Edwina is so taken with him, but no surprise at all that he is very taken with her.

The only person who does not like Edwina is Miss O’Hare who seems to take her in aversion from the start. It all seems rather puzzling, particularly when Edwina tries to offer friendship, only to have it rejected…

I thought the film was going to be a series of cameos of the life of these women, and enjoyed that aspect of it, but I gradually realised that there is also an underlying plot, one which becomes more convoluted towards the end of the film, in a series of unexpected twists and turns.

The scenery is sumptuous, the settings perfect, the acting giving just the right amount of caricature for light-hearted humour. The suspense is built slowly, almost imperceptibly, so that I didn’t quite realise that it was a mystery with a hint of thriller until the climax of the story. I had guessed some parts of the outcome, but not all, and thought it all very clever.

Rated PG, which reflects the lack of major bad language, and the family-friendly nature of the whole film. There are tense moments, and some mild fighting, but nothing to upset or offend anyone. Then again, it's the kind of film that's mostly going to appeal to older adults, and highly unlikely to be of interest to anyone under the age of at least fifteen.

Recommended.

Review copyright 2016 Sue's DVD Reviews