Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A film about humanity.

Plot:

An opthamologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife, while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated by another woman.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Brother | Mistress | Adultery | Doctor

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Bill Bernstein	...	Testimonial Speaker
Martin Landau	...	Judah Rosenthal
Claire Bloom	...	Miriam Rosenthal
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Sharon Rosenthal (as Stephanie Roth)
Gregg Edelman	...	Chris
George J. Manos	...	Photographer (as George Manos)
Anjelica Huston	...	Dolores Paley
Woody Allen	...	Cliff Stern
Jenny Nichols	...	Jenny
Joanna Gleason	...	Wendy Stern
Alan Alda	...	Lester
Sam Waterston	...	Ben
Zina Jasper	...	Carol
Dolores Sutton	...	Judah's Secretary
Joel Fogel	...	T.V. Producer (as Joel S. Fogel)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:12 | Norway:10 | Norway:15 (self applied) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

Role of Prof. Louis Levy, subject of Cliff Stern's documentary in this film, is played by non-actor and therapist friend of Woody's, world renowned Martin S. Bergmann, clinical professor of psychology of New York University post-doctoral program.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Judah decides to have Delores killed, he only dials seven digits on the phone calling his brother, Jack. Judah lives in Connecticut and Jack lives in New York, so he would have to dial at least 10 digits to call him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Testimonial Speaker: We're all very proud of Judah Rosenthal's philanthropic efforts. His endless hours of fund raising for the hospital, the new medical center, and now, the ophthalmology wing, which until this year had just been a dream. But it's due to Rosenthal our friend that we most appreciate. The husband, the father, the golf companion. Naturally if you have a medical problem you can call Judah...
Miriam Rosenthal: You're blushing darling.
Testimonial Speaker: ...day or night, weekends or holidays. But you can also call Judah to find out which is the best restaurant in Paris - or Athens. Or which hotel to stay at in Moscow. Or the best recording of a particular Mozart symphony...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (1989) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Home Cooking

Perfection

As much as any other Woody Allen film, this celluloid gem demonstrates how expertly the director psychoanalyzes his actors and brings out personal qualities in them that make their characters utterly true to life--good or bad. Alan Alda's portrayal of Lester is a spot-on example of Allen's exquisitely tailored casting. The plot may disturb some viewers--it disturbed me upon my first viewing in 1989--but that didn't prevent me from watching it again. Since then, I've probably seen this film at least a hundred times and never cease to marvel at its perfection. Stellar casting, writing, direction, score...and not a false note to be found. Bravo.