HUSBANDS AND WIVES
A film review by Jon Webb
Copyright 1992 Jon Webb
What a great film. The story revolves around two couples, one of whose marriage has just broken up, as we learn in the opening moments of the film, and the other whose marriage seems stable.
Woody Allen shows incredible insight into human relationships and vast skill as a director in portraying them. I particularly loved the fight scene as the one couple is leaving the party, and the scene between Allen and Juliet Lewis in the kitchen. The latter was deeply moving, for me, without being cloying or sentimental.
The acting is first-rate; in particular Judy Davis stands out. The layers of feeling she portrays as she tries to cover up her pain and anger or tries to play a role on a date are complex and convincing.
This is perhaps Allen's greatest film; it will almost certainly be his most financially successful, as the controversy surrounding it will draw people in for a look, and its quality will sustain it. As a commentary on that controversy, the film is very compelling; the film portrays the complexity of human relationships, and seems to be telling us who are ready to judge Allen as a father or husband, "You do not (cannot) know the whole story; love is strange; don't judge, it could happen to you."
Without the controversy, this film would get Allen nominated for a Best Director Academy Award, and Judy Davis for Best Actress. As it is, who knows. But this work of art will far outlast the disorder in Allen's life, and goes a long way to establish him as the greatest living American director.
-- J
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