HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986)

“Millions of books written on every conceivable subject by all these great minds and in the end, none of them knew anything more about the big questions of life than I do…Maybe the poets are right. Maybe the love is the only answer.”

Once again Woody comes with what he’s best at- a drama of complicated human emotions finding love as final solace. The film centers on tangled relationships between three sisters and the husbands.

Here goes brief characters study:
Frederick (Max Von Sydow) is too old, misfit and cynic artistic husband for charming, gullible & directionless romantic Lee (Barbara Hershey). She’s rekindling romance with her sister Hannah’s hubby Elliott (Michael Caine) who’s long infatuated to her. Hannah (Mia Farrow) is more mature, compassionate, supportive having all ingredients of an ideal woman. And than there’s Holly(Dianne Wiest), the third sister constantly insecure about her duller talents & identity compared to her two graceful lucky sisters; she’s just routine inferiority stricken mediocre becomes final hope for a hypochondriac & puzzled intellectual Mickey (who else than Woody!).

Woody keeps his usual misanthrope self on screen as hypochondriac Mickey struggling with his far fetched medical complications and commenting on philosophers ranging from Socrates to Nietzsche. Watch his leaps seeking spiritual solace in Catholicism or Lord Krishna to bring some hope to his already pessimistic perspective of the world. It ends with positive note where Groucho Marx movie & love becomes his final savior.

Casting is again fine one whether its Michael Caine struggling between his extra marital affair with his wife’s sister and inherent guilt that’s constantly hammering his conscience. Mia, Dianne & Barbara too played their parts so well. There are some wonderful songs personifying every character’s mood. There’s lot of exquisite aestheticism around romance usual for Woody film; so there’s Opera, Bach or sweet poetry of E E Cummings.

The end seems quite flippant and sudden and there’s lot of repetition in situations, types, gags and yet there’s something so delicate about strings of tangled hearts. But unlike his earlier ones, here it’s more positive and a fine feel good film.

Ratings- 8/10

PS- I achieved 500 movie reviews record with this post on blog. Heartily thanks for the readers, commenters for inspiration to improvise me in direct/indirect way. Hope it will soon see 1000 mark too!!!