Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters is another great film from Allen’s Golden Era of filmmaking. Much like his earlier film Interiors, Hannah and Her Sisters follows the lives of three sisters sandwiched between two Thanksgiving celebrations.
Hannah, played by Mia Farrow, is the successful yet goody-goody sister who is married to Elliot (Michael Caine), who happens to lust for her sister Lee (Barbara Hershey). Holly, (Diane Wiest) is the confused, cocaine-abusing sister with no career direction and she quite possibly lacks any artistic talent. The film deals with infidelity realistically, where we continually see Elliot making advances towards Lee (such as flirting with her, buying her a collection of poems by e.e. cummings and then informing her that a certain love poem of his reminded him of her, as well as loaning her books, etc).
The film does share some similarities with Interiors, but the relationships in Hannah and Her Sisters are presented much more strongly than in Interiors, and their relationships are more present in the film. We get the sense, for example, that Holly resents Hannah’s goody-goody nature and perfection, as does Elliot. Although he embarks on an affair with Lee (telling her that his marriage to Hannah is in its last stages) ultimately he learns that his connection to her was not as strong as once felt, and he realizes he loves Hannah more than he thought. Though all this is unknown to Hannah.
Likewise, Lee is emotionally weak for much of the film, always seeming to become involved with men who carry emotional baggage and who are not very good for her. Frederick is a depressive, frustrated painter who uses her for his only connection to the outside world, and he refuses to attend any family functions. Elliot essentially lies to her about the status of his marriage to Hannah, and through Lee’s own weakness, she believes him because she wants to believe him.
Woody Allen plays the character of Mickey, a hypochondriac who offers some humor into his ailments, but also deeper themes resonate as he ponders the meaning of life and religion. The film manages to tackle bigger issues as these without pontificating in the process, and all the while maintaining a level of humor throughout. One should not be too shocked then, to discover that the directionless Holly and the hypochondriac Mickey ultimately end up together, despite having suffered an earlier terrible date. Though both these characters are warm, and as viewers, we come to like them.
One of Allen’s many talents is to get into the minds of women, from their sibling rivalries to their competitiveness for the same man (Holly and her friend April, played by Carrie Fisher, compete for the affection of this architect throughout much of the film, and there is a very realistic exchange when he is deciding which to take home first, and the two argue passively over which one should stay in the car with him the longest). We hear Holly’s thoughts as she learns she’ll be the one taken home first. “He prefers April. I hate April. She’s pushy.”
Allen also uses effective camerawork to reveal the naturalness of the setting, such as allowing the characters to move in and out of view as one would realistically do at a party, thus allowing them to engage in small talk and other minor things that are responsible for this film’s authenticity. Although the film is set in the 1980s and one can see the fashion is dated, the film is still fresh and timeless. The dialogue is great and the characters complex, there are many ways one can broach this film. What is the deeper meaning of life? What goes into infidelities? What is the underlining causes for sibling rivalry and competition?
All these questions are asked and answered multiple times. Viewers will be left with many angles to ponder, and many insights into their own lives. Hannah and Her Sisters is a Woody Allen classic that is not to be missed.
