Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Woody Allen | ... | Sandy Bates | |
Charlotte Rampling | ... | Dorrie | |
Jessica Harper | ... | Daisy | |
Marie-Christine Barrault | ... | Isobel | |
Tony Roberts | ... | Tony | |
Daniel Stern | ... | Actor | |
Amy Wright | ... | Shelley | |
Helen Hanft | ... | Vivian Orkin | |
John Rothman | ... | Jack Abel | |
Anne De Salvo | ... | Sandy's Sister | |
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Joan Neuman | ... | Sandy's Mother |
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Ken Chapin | ... | Sandy's Father |
Leonardo Cimino | ... | Sandy's Analyst | |
Eli Mintz | ... | Old Man | |
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Bob Maroff | ... | Jerry Abraham |
Renowned filmmaker Sandy Bates is in a professional transition, directing largely comedies early in his career now wanting to direct more serious movies so that he can explore the meaning of life, most specifically his own. Most are fighting him all along the way, including the movie going public, who continually tell him that they love his movies especially the earlier funny ones, to studio executives who are trying to insert comic elements wherever possible into his current movie in production. He reluctantly agrees to attend a weekend long film festival of his movies. Despite the throng of requests for his time, he is further able to reflect on his life as he addresses the questions at the post screening Q&A sessions. He also reflects specifically on his love life as his current girlfriend, married Isobel, shows up unexpectedly, and as he starts to fall for festival attendee Daisy - at the festival with her Columbia professor boyfriend, Jack Abel - who reminds him of Dorrie, a ... Written by Huggo
Reading some of the comments listed here, I'm dismayed by some of the narrowness of the criticisms ("It's shot in black & white for no reason!" "The flashbacks are indistinguishable from the present day!")... as if these were somehow to be construed as mistakes. Jeez.
I love this film. It rambles a little here and there, and sometimes it's so personal I feel voyeuristic watching it. The montage of Charlotte Rampling towards the end is stunning in how it summarizes Allen's feelings about memory, nostalgia, and the ever-present reality that never seems to allow the past to make sense.
One cannot deny that Allen has a very keen understanding of who he is, as a person, comedian, and lover. This is not to say that he is infallible or somehow more evolved than anyone else, but rather - through the retrospective of his "earlier funny films" - it's clear that he understands his strengths, and - outside the theatre - the weaknesses of his emotional life.
A perfect film for a quiet Sunday.