Revisiting Hannah

Yesterday, Woody Allen's masterpiece "Hannah and Her Sisters" was the focus of our CineVerse group discussion. Here's a roundup of some of the important points examined during that chat:

NOTES ON HANNAH AND HER SISTERS

HOW CAN YOU TELL THIS IS A WOODY ALLEN PICTURE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIRECTOR’S TRADEMARK SIGNS USED IN HANNAH AND HER SISTERS THAT DISTINGUISH THIS AS ALLENESQUE?

·       The use of intertitles and credits with simple white text on black backgrounds

·       The use of classic jazz music, which evokes a comfortable, nostalgic feel

·       A large, star-studded ensemble cast of quality actors

o   Additionally, the seem to give organic, spontaneous performances, sometimes in an improvisational style

o   Allen is also known for introducing up and coming actors in his films who later become stars; this one includes John Turturro, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, comedian Lewis Black, J.T. Walsh, and Richard Jenkins

o   The actors’ names are shown in alphabetical order in the credits, suggesting that there isn’t a main star and that every part and character is no less important than the others

·       Sharp zingers and infinitely quotable one-liners throughout the picture

·       Use of inner monologues to take us inside the private thoughts and desires of the characters

·       The story consists of interconnected episodes rather than one uninterrupted, flowing narrative or plot: there are vignette-like chapters throughout the movie that can be taken out of context and enjoyed independently of the picture as a whole

·       A simple visual style free of flashy camera moves or editing tricks: the focus is squarely on the characters and their dialogues/monologues

·       An exploration of several important themes and issues

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ESSENTIAL THEMES ANALYZED IN THIS FILM?

·       The unpredictable nature of love

·       The impossibility of planning and forecasting our lives because we are captive to the whims of our emotions

·       The strong bonds of family and loved ones

·       Fidelity and infidelity

·       The frailty of the human condition and the limits of our mortality

·       Religion and spirituality

·       According to Ebert, the film “suggests that modern, big city lives are so busy, so distracted, so filled with ambition and complication that there isn’t time to stop and absorb the meaning of things. Neither tragedy nor comedy can find a place to stand.”

DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES OF THE 3 SISTERS AND HOW THAT ENHANCES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS STORY AND ITS MESSAGE

·       Hannah is the stable, unflustered one: she’s nurturing, relatively calm and composed

·       Holly is insecure and inexperienced but warm and trusting

·       Lee is emotional, sensual, and beautifully mysterious  

WHICH MAJOR CHARACTERS DOES THIS FILM CENTRALLY FOCUS ON, AND WHAT COMPOSITIONAL AND EDITING CHOICES DOES ALLEN MAKE TO DEMONSTRATE THIS FOCUS?

·       The style of the film, according to film scholar David Bordwell, emphasizes the notion that no one single character is necessarily more important than the other

·       Notice that when the characters are in a fixed position, the camera typically keeps them joined together in a balanced framing; the camera pans with the characters when they do move in order to keep them onscreen.

·       Consider the dinner scene, which is executed in one lengthy, continuous take

·       Other filmmakers usually choose to employ more frequent cuts and editing to draw attention to particular reactions or dialogue. Here, as Bordwell says, “Allen presents the characters as a group, much as Renoir did in Grand Illusion.”

·       The occasional scenes that employ quick cutting and shot/reverse shots feature Mickey, as he’s demonstrated to be the outsider, the misfit among this group of family and loved ones

·       How is Allen able to keep the story moving along and help us to move between and distinguish among each character, considering how many parts are in this movie?

o   The plot is organized around holiday parties, which provide occasions to bring the characters and their conflicts together, per Bordwell.

o   Allen uses intertitles between scenes, which segment and organize the different episodes

o   Allen employs cyclical patterns of action: Mickey usually appears in every third scene, for example.

DOES THIS MOVIE BRING ANY OTHER WORKS OF LITERATURE OR FILM TO MIND?

·       Allen claimed that Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina was the inspiration for this story

·       Interiors, a darker earlier picture by Allen that also features 3 siblings

·       Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander, in its depiction of a large, strongly bonded family

·       The Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup