Enemies, A Love Story (1989)

A ghostwriter finds himself romantically involved with his current wife, a married woman and his long-vanished wife.

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Writers:

Isaac Bashevis Singer (novel), Roger L. Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston, Lena Olin

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ron Silver	...	Herman
Anjelica Huston	...	Tamara
Lena Olin	...	Masha
Malgorzata Zajaczkowska	...	Yadwiga (as Margaret Sophie Stein)
Alan King	...	Rabbi Lembeck
Judith Malina	...	Masha's Mother
Rita Karin	...	Mrs. Schreier
Phil Leeds	...	Pesheles
Elya Baskin	...	Yasha Kobik
Paul Mazursky	...	Leon Tortshiner
L.J. Dollinger	...	Reb Nissen Yaroslaver
Zypora Spaisman	...	Sheva Haddas
Arthur Grosser	...	Doctor
Burney Lieberman	...	Yom Kippur Cantor
Nathaniel Katzman	...	Wedding Cantor

Storyline

Set in 1949 New York, a Holocaust survivor who makes a living as a ghostwriter for a Jewish rabbi, finds himself involved with three women - his current wife, a passionate affair with a married woman, and his long-vanished wife whom he thought was killed during the war and suddenly reappears. The film concentrates on the views of the Jewish survivors, who no longer abide by religious morales and question a God who could let the Holocaust occur.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | holocaust survivor | pregnancy | post world war two | polygamist | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enemigos - Una historia de amor

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,636, 17 December 1989

Gross USA:

$7,754,571

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,754,571

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was one of a number of movies in a 1980s Hollywood cycle of pictures about divorce. Initiated by the Best Picture Oscar winning film Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), the cycle included that movie as well as Shoot the Moon (1982), The Champ (1979), Author! Author! (1982), Table for Five (1983), Heartburn (1986), Irreconcilable Differences (1984), Enemies, A Love Story (1989), The Good Mother (1988), The War of the Roses (1989) and The Last Married Couple in America (1980).

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Quotes

Masha: Herman! This is the last time I'm going to talk to you, and I'm going to tell you you're the worst fraud I've known in my life! If you hear that I'm dead, don't come to my funeral.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Blue Steel/Lord of the Flies/Nuns of the Run/The Last of the Finest/Black Rain (1990)

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Soundtracks

Love Is Here To Stay
Composed by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Billie Holiday

User Reviews

One of Paul Mazursky's high points.

I once read about how Paul Mazursky's career as a director has gravitated between very well done ("Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice", "Moscow on the Hudson") and what-was-he-thinking?! ("Scenes from a Mall", "The Flying Pickle"). Well, I can say with certainty that "Enemies: A Love Story" is one of his good ones. Portraying Holocaust survivor Herman Broder (Ron Silver) living in New York in 1949 and suddenly surrounded by three women (his current wife, another married woman, and his first wife whom he believed to be dead), the movie presents an eye-opening situation. It's like a slice-of-life story taken one step further. As the three women, Margaret Sophie Stein, Lena Olin, and Anjelica Huston do a very good job. Definitely worth seeing.