Interiors (Widescreen/Full Screen): Amazon.ca: Diane Keaton, Geraldine Page, Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, E.G. Marshall, Maureen Stapleton, Sam Waterston, Missy Hope, Kerry Duffy, Nancy Collins, Penny Gaston, Gordon Willis, Woody Allen, Ralph Rosenblum, Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins, Robert Greenhut: DVD

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Although indisputably a film by Woody Allen, Interiors is about as far from "a Woody Allen film" as you can get--and maybe more people could have seen what a fine film it is if they hadn't been expecting what Allen himself called "one of his earlier, funnier movies." An entirely serious, rather too self-consciously Bergmanesque drama about a divorcing elderly couple and their grown daughters, it is slow, meditative, and constructed with a brilliant, painterly eye. There is no music--a simple effect that Allen uses with extraordinary power. In fact, half the film is filled with silent faces staring out of windows, yet the mood is so engaging, hypnotic even, that you never feel the director is poking you in the ribs and saying, "somber atmosphere." Diane Keaton, released for once from the goofy ditz stereotype, shines as the "successful" daughter. Some of the dialogue is stilted, and it's hard to tell whether this is a deliberate effect or simply the way repressed upscale New Yorkers talk after too many years having their self-absorption sharpened on the therapist's couch. Fanatical, almost childish self-regard is the chief subject of Allen's comedy--it's remarkable that in this film he was able to remove the comedy but leave room for us to pity and care about these rather irritating people. --Richard Farr

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated first Woody Allen drama, April 14 2011

By

K. Gordon - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Interiors (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

Pleased to see so many positive comments here about Woody Allen's underrated first drama. I was getting tired of the odd looks I'd get when telling people I liked this film.

A totally serious, almost theatrical examination of the meltdown of a rich, WASPy family might seem worlds away from anything Allen's earlier films prepared us for, but for the most part he's very up to the task, creating a gallery of disturbing and unforgettable moments and characters.

Yes, it's derivative of Bergman, but it's also pretty damn good. Beautifully photographed by Gordon Willis, with amazing performances (Geraldine Page, Mary Beth Hurt, Maureen Stapleton in particular are brilliant, but everyone is strong). The script does border on cliché at moments, and some specific dialogue is clunky, but there's something deeply moving and hard to shake in it's overall final effect. Under appreciated in its time, it's faults now seem very forgivable, and there's excitement in watching a great filmmaker stretch his talent in a new direction.

On the other hand, it's very disturbing to see yet another important film listed as only available used, as are a number of Allen films. I can only hope this means upgraded re-releases (blu-ray?) are on the way. But you might want to grab a used copy now, just in case. It's also currently available new on PAL at the Amazon UK site, if you have a region free machine.

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4.0 out of 5 stars visceral and subdued, Dec 29 2003

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Steven T. Cannon (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Interiors (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

This emotional film may appeal to refugees from nauseating and intelligence-insulting Hollywood tear-jerkers. The film exposes expression and suppression of emotion in the educated upper middle class family of origin. The emotional tension rises higher and breaks down more hysterically than in his films that address marriage and the sexual relationship.

Modern interiors gut-hardeningly frame the confrontations and evasions. The interiors on their own would make it worth watching.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Film That Deserves A Place In Every Art Collection, Feb 28 2003

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Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Interiors (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

Revisiting INTERIORS written and directed by Woody Allen in 1978 it becomes apparent that this is one of the most important American films made. In this time of video art and digital manipulation of images, both in real time and in fixed entities, INTERIORS exemplifies the finest in what film can achieve. Without manipulation of scenery, without (gratefully) a senses-asaulting musical score, without GIMMICKRY - here is a film of brilliant writing, stunningly and beautifully subtle sets and costumes, and acting of the first degree. The angst so present in our society's family relationships is gently observed and explored and the results are a paean of understated simplicity and pain. It is difficult to single out any of the outstanding cast as 'best' and that is yet another proof of ensemble acting and directing at a zenith. Yes, it is unimaginable to leave behind the characters created by Geraldine Page, H.G. Marshall, Diane Keaton, and Maureen Stapleton, but again this is an indicator of how well and cohesive the experience provided by this movie is.

I have never been a Woody Allen fan: I find his comedies overwrought, self-absorbed, and frustratingly tedious. Seeing INTERIORS on a DVD, in the quiet of home, has altered my respect for this man. A dazzingly brilliant, thoughtful, elegy of a film.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Allen's Bergman homage
Woody Allen threw the film world a curveball in 1978 when he released not only his first straight dramatic film, but also the first film he directed that he didn't appear in... Lisez davantage

Published on Dec 30 2002 by Christopher Ingalls

3.0 out of 5 stars Awful, but deliciously so
Giving "Interiors" three stars is a compromise: as a film it rates worse and yet watching it can be, in a rather twisted way, a five-star experience. Lisez davantage

Published on Nov 3 2002 by Penhoet