New York Stories (1989)

A middle-aged artist obsessed with his pretty young assistant, a precocious 12 year old living in a hotel, and a neurotic lawyer with a possessive mother make up three Gotham tales.

Directors:

Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola (as Francis Coppola)

Writers:

Richard Price, Woody Allen

Stars:

Woody Allen, Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Sheldon (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Marvin Chatinover	...	Psychiatrist (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Mae Questel	...	Mother (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Mia Farrow	...	Lisa (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Molly Regan	...	Sheldon's Secretary (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Ira Wheeler	...	Mr. Bates (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Joan Bud	...	Board Member (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Jessie Keosian	...	Aunt Ceil (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Michael Rizzo	...	Waiter (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
George Schindler	...	Shandu, The Magician (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Bridgit Ryan	...	Rita (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Larry David	...	Theater Manager (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Paul Herman	...	Detective Flynn / Clifford the Doorman / Cop (segments "Life Lessons" - "Life without Zoe" - "Oedipus Wrecks")
Herschel Rosen	...	Store Clerk (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Lola André	...	Citizen (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")

Storyline

A middle-aged artist obsessed with his pretty young assistant, a precocious 12 year old living in a hotel, and a neurotic lawyer with a possessive mother make up three Gotham tales.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology film | portmanteau film | omnibus film | collection of short films | collective filmmaking | 

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Taglines:

One City. Three Stories Tall.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oedipus Wrecks

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$432,337, 5 March 1989

Gross USA:

$10,763,469

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,763,469

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Four generations of Francis Ford Coppola's family worked with him on "Life Without Zoe": his father Carmine Coppola composed the music and played the street musician, his younger sister Talia Shire played Charlotte Montez, his daughter Sofia Coppola co-wrote the screenplay with him and his granddaughter Gia Coppola played Zoe Montez as a baby.

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Quotes

Lionel Dobie: [When Paulette sees Lionel appearing unexpectedly in Paulette's bedroom] I just wanted to kiss your foot. Sorry, nothing personal.

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Crazy Credits

Coppola's segment introduces cast and crew members only by their first name during the opening titles.

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Connections

Referenced in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995)

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Soundtracks

Sex Kick
Written by Nick Christian Sayer
Performed by Transvision Vamp
Courtesy of UNI Records/MCA Records

User Reviews

So what's the problem?

I'll step out of the loop here about "New York Stories," three tales of New York from 1989, directed by three formidable directors: Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen. I happen to think all three films had something to offer, and the fact that the Zoe sequence is about a child does not for me make it the weakest segment.

I found the Scorcese segment starring Nick Nolte and Roseanna Arquette the most thought-provoking, the Zoe segment the most charming, and the Allen segment the wackiest. The first episode is about a tortured artist (Nolte) who expresses his sexual frustrations and problems with his young protégée (Arquette) in his work. She no longer sleeps with him and wants to quit New York and go home; he wants to kiss her foot and professes undying love for her. To Puccini's Nessun Dorma, he stares at his artwork and goes through a variety of emotions as he paints another masterpiece. This particular muse in the form of Arquette used up, one sees him at his art show connecting with another would-be artist/muse whose identity will also be lost in his genius.

The second sequence, directed by Coppola, is a take-off on the Eloise stories by Kay Thompson. This little girl's name is Zoe. Her father, Claudio Montez (Giancarlo Giannini), is a famous flautist who travels, and her mother (Talia Shire) is a photo journalist who travels. Zoe lives with a butler and her dog Vegas at the Sherry Netherlands Hotel. She proves herself smarter than either parent in this charming film. My only question is why Giancarlo Giannini speaks Italian to his daughter when the name Claudio Montez is emphatically not Italian. Okay, it wasn't typical Coppola, but who said it had to be? The last one is pure Woody, Oedipus Wrecks, about a man with a nagging, critical mother who wants to marry a young woman (Mia Farrow) with children. He loves his mother, but he wishes she'd disappear. During a magic show, he gets his wish, when his mother goes into a magician's box and never comes out. Later she shows up in the sky telling him what to do, with the world as a witness. His girlfriend can't take it. He then goes to a psychic (Julie Kavner) who makes him a boiled chicken dinner. A complete delight.

Three different, interesting stories by three great directors.