Husbands and Wives (1992)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Syndey Pollack, Jeffrey Kurland, Judy Davis

Anamorphic: Yes
My Advice: Rent it

Gabe and Judy (Allen and Farrow) are a long-time happily married couple, but when their friends Jack and Sally (Pollack and Davis) announce that they are splitting up, it turns their focus on their own relationship. Even though Jack and Sally begin their split up as the best of friends, but it quickly goes sour. Gabe begins to have an affair with one of his students named Rain (Juliette Lewis). Judy winds up setting Sally up with a friend in her office named Michael (Liam Neeson). As one couple breaks up and begins to reassess their lives, so too must the other couple take a good hard look at themselves.

Even moreso than other Woody Allen films, this has a "mockumentary" feel about it. But not very far underneath the humorous skin of this film (and the realistic jerky camerawork), there is a feeling that this film was very difficult for Allen and Farrow to make. After all, this film came out just after their breakup and the very public announcement that Allen had had an affair with Farrow's adopted daughter. Perhaps the struggle that took place is what makes it such an alluring film.

It can sometimes make you a little dizzy with the hand held camera style and the quick cuts, but it definitely works for the semi-voyeuristic tone that Allen uses to tell this story. It seems to be that Allen is commenting on the public side of his life and how intrusive it can feel to have someone all but looking in your window at your personal life. Coupled with the great ensemble, the many messages behind the film make for a film worth watching.

I wish I could say the same for the DVD. Allen doesn't do commentaries--and doesn't seem to do special features, either. None of the discs that I've seen from the director have anything special to go along with them. The people at Columbia Tristar seem to be well aware of this--because as we always know, folks--when you have "Widescreen and Fullscreen Presentations" as the highpoint of your feature list, you might as well give up.

For the Woody Allen completist, this would be a buy, most definitely. Everyone else, though, I say rent it.