Considered by many to be Woody Allen's best film, even over Annie Hall. Hannah and Her Sisters follows a multitude of characters: Hannah (Mia Farrow), who plays den mother to her extended family; her sister Lee (Barbara Hershey), emotional and a bit of a flake, who's involved with a much older artist (Max Von Sydow), who treats her like a child; and Hannah's other sister, Holly (Dianne Wiest), a neurotic who feels incapable of managing her life. Hannah's husband Elliot (Michael Caine) falls in love with Lee, which sets off a series of upheavals. Allen gives one of his best performances as Hannah's ex-husband Mickey, who--much like Allen himself--is obsessed with death and unhappiness. But a simple summary doesn't begin to capture the warmth and intimacy of this movie; though the story follows a capsizing family, the outcome is surprising, joyous, and richly human. --Bret Fetzer

Woody Allen combined the best parts of his earlier films in creating HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, his 1986 masterwork about the changing relationships among three sisters living in New York City. Hannah (Mia Farrow) has put her acting career aside in order to take care of her family with second husband Elliot (Michael Caine in an Oscar-winning performance). Elliot has fallen in love with Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey), who herself is feeling suffocated by her cynical, mean-spirited loner of a lover, played with great intensity by Ingmar Bergman regular Max von Sydow. Meanwhile, third sister Holly (Oscar winnner Dianne Wiest) is struggling to find her own voice, working as a caterer while she tries to get her own acting career going. And in the middle of everything is Mickey (Woody Allen at his most neurotic), a television writer who is divorced from Hannah, has dated Holly, and, when he suspects he might have a brain tumor, decides to reevaluate his life and his faith in God.
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is Allen's most fully realized, optimistic adult comedy. He won a well-deserved Oscar for his marvelous screenplay, filled with his trademark sharp, witty dialogue, his undying passion for New York (its culture, architecture, music, romance), and some of his most well developed characters. The cast is extraordinary, the music illuminating, the settings magnificent. Taking place over the course of a few Thanksgivings, Allen's insightful, wonderful film is a thoroughly enjoyable mature look at the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of family life.

A comedy that examines the contemporary relationships and romantic attachments of three sisters living in New York.

Artist(s):

FEATURE FILM

Director:

Woody Allen

Producer:

Robert Greenhut

Screenwriter:

Woody Allen

Studio:

MGM

Editor:

Susan E. Morse

Costume Designer:

Jeffrey Kurland

Production Designer:

Stuart Wurtzel

Music:

Michael Bramon

Duration:

102

Weight:

123g

Age Restriction:

15

Subtitles:

Dutch\French\Greek\Hungarian\Polish\Portuguese\Spanish

Video Encoding:

1.85 Wide Screen\16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen

Audio Encoding:

Dolby Digital; Stereo

Release date:

19/08/2002

Colour format:

Colour

Imported Product:

Import

Zone:

Region 2

Rating:

15

"...[Allen's] most personal, most self-searching film....A cast of superlative actors..."

1988-10-14 00:00:00
New York Times

Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1986"

1986-02-07 00:00:00
New York Times

Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menu Screens and Chapter Selections.

OSCAR (1986) - Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Dianne Wiest
OSCAR (1986) - Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen:
OSCAR (1986) - Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen: Woody Allen
OSCAR (1987) - Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Michael Caine