When the haze of time clouds memory, it's hard not to have Woody Allen's films blend a bit. In addition to the filmmaker's general tone and style, most of his films post ANNIE HALL deal with relationships and morality. But when looked at more closely, each film has something distinct to say. Despite dealing with infidelity, insecurity, and narcosis, common themes for his films, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is Allen's most uplifting film.
Allen builds his drama around the love lives of three sisters. Hannah (Mia Farrow, ROSEMARY'S BABY) is the oldest, motherly sister, who's married to restless middle-aged Elliot (Michael Caine, SLEUTH). Elliot fantasizes about Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey, HOOSIERS), whom is no longer excited with her older, serious husband Frederick (Max von Sydow, THE EXORCIST). Hannah's youngest sister Holly (Dianne Wiest, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) is a fledgling actress, who's unlucky in love. Hannah tries to be supportive, but seems to constantly touch on Holly's insecurities. She even tries to set her up with her ex-husband Mickey Sachs (Allen), a successful TV producer, which goes terribly. Mickey is going through a spiritual crisis himself when the hypochondriac gets a real medical scare.
Like many of Allen's films, irony is what drives the humor. Caine, who won his first Oscar for his performance, plays Elliot as a man who really doesn't know what he wants. One moment he wants Lee and then the next he's going to break it off and then something will happen and he's back where he started. Lee, who is warmer than his wife, brings excitement to his life. However, every time he goes back with Hannah, he feels extreme guilt and love for her. What does Elliot really want? Lee feels stifled in her marriage. She's turned on by Elliot's attraction, but doesn't want to hurt her sister. She wants to go back to school, but doesn't know what to study. Holly is an actress who tries to start a catering business then eventually turns to writing. She's always into the trends of the moment. But she doesn't know what she really wants. Starting to see a pattern?
However, those who know what they want, Hannah and Frederick, are the ones shuffled aside by the restless. One of the issues Elliot has with Hannah is that she's so self-sufficient, making him feel unneeded. Contentment is the characteristic most of the characters lack. They're resentful of those that have it. Hannah was a successful actress who has found her purpose raising her kids. The others are unsuccessfully searching for something they're missing. The problem is they don't know that they're missing. Micky's story takes this longing to an existential level. He attempts a spiritual journey that ends in a very unlikely place. And in the process he discovers something important about the meaning of life. It's a lesson the uptight Frederick should have learned.
Allen often uses voice over to get into the minds of the characters. Usually considered a cheat in film, Allen gives wit to the internal dialogue, which often set up some funny jokes. Elliot's inner turmoil after his first kiss with Lee is one of the most memorable. In a mirror to the main arches, Allen also looks at Hannah's parents, Norma (Maureen O'Sullivan, TARZAN THE APE MAN) and Evan (Lloyd Nolan, AIRPORT), a couple of veteran actors who are struggling with the same insecurities and marital problems they had when they were young. But watch how they bounce back. Their issues aren't resolved, but their love and common bond reunite them.
Another stylistic technique unique to HANNAH is Allen's use of quotes on the screen that precede the scene they're taken from. They split the film into chapters, highlighting key lines from the sections. What do they mean? That's the point. They don't mean anything until after we've experienced the scene. They give meaning to the episodes in the lives of the characters, like Cliff Notes of the collected memories of that moment. These quotes are just one more stylistic choice that highlights the film's theme. We obsess about the unknown, and too often it gets in the way of living. Allen could have made a very depressing film about that idea, but he chooses not to. Those quotes could only be collected after they were lived. In the end, Allen is telling us — especially through the Mickey character — to stop obsessing about the collection of those quotes, and start creating new ones by living. Those missing pieces in our lives are like lost keys; we find them when we stop looking for them.
Buy "Hannah and Her Sisters" Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
