Crimes and Misdemeanors

Starring:Caroline Aaron, Alan Alda, Martin S. Bergmann, Bill Bernstein, Claire Bloom, Donna Castellano, Thomas Crowe, Gregg Edelman, Mia Farrow, Joel Fogel, Joanna Gleason, Anjelica Huston, Zina Jasper, Martin Landau, George J. Manos, Jenny Nichols, Stephanie Roth Haberle, Dolores Sutton, Sam Waterston
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Along with Deconstructing Harry which would follow seven years later, this is Woody Allen's most somber comedy-drama, as well as his most ambitious film of the 1980s. Allen weaves together two central stories about very different groups of Manhattanites, linking them through a mutual friend, a rabbi (Sam Waterston) who's going blind. This image is key to the sometimes ponderous, often clever musings on faith, morals, and vision (or lack thereof) that obsess his deeply troubled and unhappy characters. At its center, the film explores people who, through lack of religious conviction or arrogance, rationalize their awful, selfish acts by presuming that God couldn't possibly be watching.

Amazon.com

Along with Deconstructing Harry which would follow seven years later, this is Woody Allen's most somber comedy-drama, as well as his most ambitious film of the 1980s. Allen weaves together two central stories about very different groups of Manhattanites, linking them through a mutual friend, a rabbi (Sam Waterston) who's going blind. This image is key to the sometimes ponderous, often clever musings on faith, morals, and vision (or lack thereof) that obsess his deeply troubled and unhappy characters. At its center, the film explores people who, through lack of religious conviction or arrogance, rationalize their awful, selfish acts by presuming that God couldn't possibly be watching.

Description

"Poignant, penetrating [and] scathingly hilarious" (Long Beach Press Telegram), Crimes and Misdemeanors is a deftly rendered tale about the complexity of human choices and the moral microcosms they represent. Showcasing Allen's brilliant grasp of the link between the funny and the fatal, his 19th movie is "one of the watershed films of his career" (Los Angeles Times). Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) is an idealistic filmmaker until he's offered a lucrative job shooting aflattering profile of a pompous TV producer (Alan Alda). Judah Rosenthal (Martin Landau) is the pillar of his community until he learns that his ex-mistress (Anjelica Huston) plans to expose his financial and extramarital misdeeds. As Cliff chooses between integrity and selling out, and Judah decides between the counsel of his rabbi (Sam Waterston) and the murderous advice of his mobster brother (Jerry Orbach), each man must examine his own morality, and make an irrevocable decisionthat willchange everyone's lives forever.

Customer Reviews:

a long long time ago, woody allen made good movies.......2007-05-12

woody allens best film since the 70s (and hey this one was 18 years ago!) features great acting turns by martin landau, sam waterston, alan alda, angelica huston, jerry orbach, joanna gleason, claire bloom, and even the usually awful mia farrow (who it might be noted hasnt been cast by a real director she want sleepoing with in 30+ years). his nod to dostoevski (however you want to spell that guys name) is clear in both the title and theme, and for once (maybe its because he only plays a minor role) one of his his post-"manhattan" manhattan movies comes off as real instead of stilted.

My favorite Woody Allen film.......2007-03-15

Simply put, a terrific movie and Allen's masterpiece. At once funny, troubling, romantic, hopeful, sad... Allen manages to both sypathize with and damn the characters in both stories. Interesting plot, truly great acting, and a screenplay that makes you think about the common themes of Allen's work (death, humor, love, identity, etc.) in new ways.

I'm writing this after years of watching and re-watching because I just saw Match Point, which horribly cribs this movie's characters and plot and marries them with bad acting and a terrible screenplay. Sadly, Match Point was heralded as Allen's best film in years. Wha?

One of Woody's best.......2007-03-15

This is a superb film. In essence there are 2 main overlapping parts and few smaller subplots.
One part revolves around the guilt of Martin Landau, who has never been better. This section is Woody Allen in Bergman mode and doing it very well.
The second section is Alan Alda and Woody Allen fighting over Mia Farrow. This contains some classic Woody Allen lines which once heard you won't forget. Alan Alda's "If it bends its funny..." and "Comedy is tragedy plus time". Woody Allen finding out that Prof Levy (his hero and who he is making a TV docu about) has killed himself leaving a note that justs says "I've gone out the window".
The film comments on a number of very serious moral issues but still manages to be funny and entertaining at the same time. This is the DVD equivilent of the unputdownable book.

the power of transgression.......2007-01-25

Judah Rosenthal boasts all the accomplishments of a successful ophthalmologist, but is wracked by the guilt and angst of having entangled himself in adultery, lies and murder. He realizes, as the film says toward the very end, that we "define ourselves by our moral choices." Meanwhile, Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) loses the love of his life, Halley (Mia Farrow), who falls for his wife's boorish brother, Lester (Alan Alda). Along the way, Allen's characters discourse on nearly all the important themes of life--love and sex, God and religion, marriage and family, work and calling. Some have hailed this as Woody Allen's best film.

"Human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation..........2006-12-29

...If you want a happy ending, you should go see a Hollywood movie"

"Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989)- is Woody Allen's masterpiece and my favorite film. It is urban and sophisticated, subtle and cruel. It is darker than dark and self-ironic. It is profound and touchingly poignant. It is deadly serious and in the same time it is incredibly funny. Its humor is razor sharp and sparkling and the best and funniest Woody's one-liners and comic performances belong here. As always in his best films, Allen had created a clever and elegant film out of his own weaknesses and insecurities and it shines. How much was Allen able to meditate on life, death, God, religion, morality, crimes and the responsibility, love and lust, happiness and the price one pays for it, and among those eternal subjects - how much fun it is to skip work or school and to sneak to the movies.

It is universal. It has the references to many Artists and cultures - Chekhov, Dostoyevsky, and Bergman among the others but it is so undeniably and uniquely Allen. It could not have been made by any other director.

It is the movie Allen will be remembered for.

The Woody Allen Collection, Set 2 (Shadows and Fog / September / Crimes and Misdemeanors / Another Woman / Alice)

Average customer rating:

THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION, SET 2
PRODUCT DETAILS: WHAT PRODUCT DETAILS?
Great selection of movies!
What can I say?
Quit complaining.

The Woody Allen Collection, Set 2 (Shadows and Fog / September / Crimes and Misdemeanors / Another Woman / Alice)
Starring: Woody Allen
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Woody Allen Collection, Set 3
Play It Again, Sam
Manhattan Murder Mystery
New York Stories
Don't Drink the Water

ASIN: B00005AUJE
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Customer Reviews:

THE WOODY ALLEN COLLECTION, SET 2.......2005-07-27

The second Woody dvd collection includes five films:
"Alice"
"Another Woman"
"Crimes And Misdemeanors"
"September"
"Shadows And Fog"

PRODUCT DETAILS: WHAT PRODUCT DETAILS?.......2004-05-15

How about including the names of the movies contained in this boxed set in your so-called "product details" ?

We all know that Woody Allan is virtually always "vaux le voyage", but the merest hint of the actual content would be useful here.

Bless you and may you have many children.

Great selection of movies!.......2002-06-15

This box is a good collection of some of the most beautifull films of W. Allen. This features some of the best directions of melodramatic films of W. Allen.

If you are a fan of Woody A. buy it now. If you are one of those very few who never saw a film of Woody Allen, buy one of the films not on this box. You will be back later to buy the box. Trust me.

What can I say?.......2002-03-02

The whole idea behind a Box Set, is to attract fans. So if you're not a Woody Allen sucker, you'll probably never come to this point of the navigation, specially reading reviews. The fact is, this Box Set comes with more "noire" films from Mr. Allen, not the best comedy, but some very good drama though. The Sets 1 and 3 are better. But what can I say? The worst Woody Allen movie deserves 4 stars and a half, but I could't figure out how to give them. So I gave it a five. You're his fan too, you understand me.

Quit complaining........2001-10-22

I can't believe all the bad reviews this has gotten. This box doesn't hold a bad film, yet there's so many complaints about it not holding any comedy or being to serious or something. First off, "Another Woman" and "September" aren't really funny at all, but hey, they excellent anyways. And the other three, "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Alice", and "Shadows and Fog", are essentially comedies! Sure, "Crimes..." has a deathly serious side, but really... does that matter? "Alice" is one of those movies you can't really have any complaints about. It's really fun to watch. The weakest film here is, true, "Shadows and Fog", but that does not by any circumstances mean it is a bad film. It has excellent cinematography and it is really funny at times. Definitely worth seeing, even if it is one of Woody's weakest films. All in all, you pretty much get the best of Woody Allen here. Really funny, funny and whimsical, funny and sad, deathly serious, and more deathly serious. A fine box set. -Randy

Average customer rating:

a long long time ago, woody allen made good movies
My favorite Woody Allen film
One of Woody's best
the power of transgression
"Human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation...

Crimes and Misdemeanors
Starring: Caroline Aaron , Alan Alda , Martin S. Bergmann , Bill Bernstein , and Claire Bloom
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Hannah and Her Sisters
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ASIN: 6305075328
Release Date: 1997-11-05

Amazon.com

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

Description

American auteur Woody Allen explores themes of good and evil in this masterful modern-day morality play. When ophthamologist Judah Rosenthal (Oscar-nominated Martin Landau) is threatened with ruin by his mistress if he doesn't marry her, he considers the ultimate solution to his problem: murder. Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Clifford Stern is faced with an equally heinous moral dilemma: selling out. Allen compares the choices both men make, using a double storyline to brilliantly pair sharp comedy with harrowing drama.

Customer Reviews:

a long long time ago, woody allen made good movies.......2007-05-12

My favorite Woody Allen film.......2007-03-15

One of Woody's best.......2007-03-15

the power of transgression.......2007-01-25

"Human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation..........2006-12-29