Woody's Masterpiece

Woody Allen is the screen name for Allen Stewart Konigsberg, a man of Jewish heritage. He was born on December 1, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Martin and Nettie Konigsberg. Sadly, the young Allen had encountered tough times during his formative years as his folks didn't get along. Despite this, Allen developed his skills in magic and sports.

Allen made money by selling his gags to David O. Alber who in turn sold them to newspapers. He was later given a break by Milt Kamen who hooked him up with Sid Caesar, a famous comedian. This then led to scriptwriting for shows such as The Tonight Show and Candid Camera. He also was a hit in Broadway and became a playwright with such successes as Don't Drink the Water and Play It Again, Sam.Allen also ventured in the comedy scene himself. He created a foil for his real life persona in Woody Allen. Woody Allen was a weakling who was not popular. Woody Allen was a big hit back then and this persona survives to this very day.

Allen?s first foray into the big screen was with What's New, Pussycat? He was in charge of the screenplay. He then tried his hand in directing with What's Up, Tiger Lily?. He has then went on with such successful films such as Play It Again, Sam, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Stardust Memories and Crimes and Misdemeanors.For all its worth Allen is a living legend. He has garnered numerous accolades and accomplishments and is a household name. He continues his work to this very day. His influence on show business is simply larger than life.

***Crimes and Misdemeanors***

-Actors-

Martin Landau (Judah Rosenthal)
Sam Waterston (Ben)
Woody Allen (Cliff Stern)
Claire Bloom (Miriam Rosenthal)
Mia Farrow (Cliff Stern)
Joanna Gleason (Wendy Stern)
Anjelica Huston (Dolores Paley)
Alan Alda (Lester)
Jenny Nicols (Jenny)
Gregg Edelman (Chris)

-Director-

Woody Allen

-Running Time-

1 Hour 43 Minutes

-Video-

Anamorphic widescreen

-Sound-

Dolby mono track

-Extras-

Static menu
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in French, Spanish with remote access
Original Trailer
Singlefold booklet

-The Story-

The movie focuses on the story of Judah Rosenthal, an ophthalmologist who ironically cannot see or distinguish what is right and wrong anymore. He is currently enjoying what the world defines as success. He has wealth, prestige and fame. Beneath the surface of being a respected medical practitioner lies the heart of an adulterer. He is involved with an affair with Dolores. He is trying to end their two-year tryst but she tries to blackmail him. She knows too much and could send him into ruin with what she knows.Sensing the gravity of the threat Dolores presents, Judah promptly seeks the help of Ben, a rabbi and a patient of his who is losing his eyesight. As expected Ben advises Judah to do the right thing. He tells him to tell his wife and seek atonement. Judah is tempted to take the easy way out and contacts his brother with connections to the underworld to neutralize the problem.

Meanwhile a director named Cliff is busy filming altruistic documentaries. Desperate and low on funding he undertakes the creation of segments which he disdains. These will however ensure the viability of his future projects. He falls for Halley but competes with his brother-in-law for her affection.What will happen then? Will Judah ?neutralize? the one thing that could ruin his life? Or will he man up and face the consequences of his actions? How about Cliff and his brother-in-law? Who will win Halley?s affection?

-The Verdict-

The movie was very compelling and the performances of the actors were very good. I actually felt that the characters were very real and believable. The actors performed their roles to a tee.

The movie was a good combination of lighthearted comedy scenes and heavy drama scenes. The movie also had a very realistic plot and it presented several directions which the story could go. This stuff really happens in real life and not just a product of Woody Allen's fertile imagination.This film tells the story about human nature. We are neither perfectly good nor perfectly evil. The film emphasizes heavily on the decisions and the choices that we make as human beings. Life is after all nothing but a series of decisions and choices from what school to enter to what clothes to wear and to whom to marry. Some decisions may be trivial as in choosing side dishes for a meal or choosing which movie to watch. Yet some could be life changing like what career to pursue or what business to venture into.

Though the movie may be a bit old school and may not be heavy in terms of CGI graphics and special effects as today?s films are, what is central to it is the story. What is right and moral will not change despite changes in the sign of the times. Adultery is the same in Jesus? time as it is in ours. It is an act of betrayal not condoned by society.The movie shows that sometimes it is man who makes his life complicated. Had Judah just went on with his career and stuck to one wife, none of this would ever happen. Man at times chooses to play with fire and appropriately gets burned in the process.I would recommend this film to anyone especially those with thoughts of infidelity. Sometimes we think that deceiving those we love will get us what we want. Little do we know that we just compound our problems and complicate matters. Doing the right thing may be difficult but is more rewarding in the end.

© TheChosen1. Review is published in other sites under the same name

-Previously published in Ciao and Dooyoo
-Woody Allen's profile is sourced from wikipedia