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Crimes and Misdemeanors - 1989
Tagline: A film about humanity.
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 107 minutes
Film Synopsis
Woody Allen's Oscar-winning film about the difficult decisions people must make in life. Here Allen combines two distinct threads of comedy and drama. Successful optician Judah Rosenthal (Martin Landau) must contand with an affair that threatens to destroy his marraige, while, in another story, unsuccessful documentary filmmaker Cliff (Woody Allen) tries to woo Halley (Mia Farrow). Allen's point with his own subplot was that good intentions mean nothing. In order to earn the gratitude of others, what actually matters in life is success and acomplishment, as represented by Alan Alda's character. The second point, as illustrated with Landau's storyline, is that there is no God, and morality is purely up to the individual.
Main Cast
- Bill Bernstein .... Testimonial Speaker
- Martin Landau .... Judah Rosenthal
- Claire Bloom .... Miriam Rosenthal
- Stephanie Roth .... Sharon Rosenthal
- Gregg Edelman .... Chris
- George J. Manos .... Photographer (as George Manos)
- Anjelica Huston .... Dolores Paley
- Woody Allen .... Cliff Stern
- Jenny Nichols .... Jenny
- Joanna Gleason .... Wendy Stern
- Alan Alda .... Lester
- Sam Waterston .... Ben
- Zina Jasper .... Carol
- Dolores Sutton .... Judah's Secretary
- Joel Fogel .... T.V. Producer (as Joel S. Fogel)
Film Remarks
Some critics and filmgoers have hailed this 1989 comedy-drama as Woody Allen's best film, and while that's certainly open for debate, a good case can be made that it's the most ambitious and morally complex of Allen's films. It's the kind of movie that provokes heated philosophical debate about the role of God in our lives, the nature of guilt, and the circumstances that would allow a seemingly good, law-abiding family man and successful professional (Martin Landau) to commit a murder with no risk of being caught.
Could you live with yourself under those conditions? Allen explores this complicated issue in the context of an extramarital affair that Landau's mistress (Anjelica Huston) threatens to expose, while developing a second story about a documentary filmmaker (Allen) who reluctantly makes a film about his brother-in-law (Alan Alda), a TV sitcom producer whose vanity is seemingly unlimited. From serious crimes to misdemeanors of personal behavior, Allen ties these stories together to create a provocative and unsettling study of divergent moralities and the price we're willing to pay to preserve our personal comfort and happiness. It's a sobering film, but a fascinating and funny one as well, unfolding like a thriller in which the question is not whodunit but rather, would you do it if you knew you could get away with it?
--Jeff Shannon from Amazon.com
Crimes and Misdemeanors Movie Trivia & Awards:
Many fans already know that Daryl Hannah's scenes were edited down to a brief cameo. But did you also know....
Budget: $19m (USA)
Release Date: October 13, 1989 (USA) February 21, 1990 (France - Crimes et délits), March 16, 1990 (Finland), February 23, 1990 (Sweeden)
Soundtrack Information
Song titles and information on music from the film Crimes and Misdemeanors
Posters / Collectibles<
Posters from different countries. Promotional.
