Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Editor's Note CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS is Woody Allen's most mature, most profound film. Martin Landau plays Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist having an affair with Dolores (Anjelica Huston), who is threatening to reveal their relationship unless Judah commits to her and leaves his wife. He admits his sin to Ben (Sam Waterston), a friend, a patient, and a learned rabbi who is losing his eyesight but not his faith. Judah turns to his brother Jack, who is connected to the mob and can make Dolores disappear. Allen plays Cliff Stern, a documentary filmmaker who accepts an assignment to film his pompous, successful brother-in-law, Lester (Alan Alda), a comedy star; both Cliff and Lester fall for Hallie Reed (Mia Farrow), a producer involved in the documentary. Allen the director brings all the characters together in a fabulous mix of comedy and drama, deceit and delight. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS is a marvel of complexity, with fascinating, well-written characters; deep, complicated relationships; and thought-provoking examinations of religion, infidelity, morality, murder, comedy, and tragedy.

	Caroline Aaron
	Jerry Orbach
	Anjelica Huston
	Woody Allen
	Jenny Nichols
	Sam Waterston
	Mia Farrow
	Martin Landau
	Claire Bloom
	Joanna Gleason
	Alan Alda
	Jeffrey Kurland - Costume Designer
	Sven Nykvist - Cinematographer
	Woody Allen - Screenwriter
	Susan E. Morse - Editor
	Robert Greenhut - Producer
	Santo Loquasto - Production Designer
	Woody Allen - Director

In this uneasy blend of tragedy and comedy, two crosscut plotlines--one a "crime" and the other a "misdemeanor"--investigate modern moral codes. In one, an adulterous ophthalmologist (Martin Landau) hires a hit man to kill his scheming mistress (Angelica Huston) when she threatens to destroy his perfect society marriage by exposing the affair. In the other, a screenwriter (Woody Allen) agrees to pen a tribute to his brother-in-law (Alan Alda), an obnoxious comic, while postponing a more worthy project, a documentary about a Judaic theologian. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS is one of prolific director Woody Allen's most complex films.

"I think I see a cab. If we run quickly, we can kick the crutch from that old lady and get it."----Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) to Jenny (Jenny Nichols)

"The thing to remember about comedy is if it bends, it's funny; if it breaks, it's not funny."----Lester (Alan Alda)

"Comedy is tragedy plus time."----Lester| |

Rolling Stone
"...In this risky, riveting film, our most prolific and provocative moviemaker uses his wit to touch a nerve. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS is so funny it hurts..." 11/02/1989 p.35

New York Times
"...Allen's most securely serious and funny film to date....The writer and director continues to be his own most vital on-screen force..." 10/13/1989 p.C19

New York Times
Included in the New York Times "10 Best Films of 1989" List 12/24/1989 p.II,11

Los Angeles Times
"...Brainy, poignant....Landau, Huston and Jerry Orbach give the story a dark, pathetic edge..." 10/13/1989 p.C12

USA Today
"...Woody Allen's masterful oddball -- half-morbid, half-uproarious..." 05/16/1997 p.3D

Uncut
"[T]his is an ambitious blend of comedy, drama and ruminations on humanity that Allen juggles with the skill of a director on top form." 08/01/2001 p.141