Shadows and Fog
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.
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- Cast：
- Woody Allen , Kathy Bates , John Cusack , Mia Farrow , Jodie Foster , Fred Gwynne , John Malkovich
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Reviews
Sick Product of a Sick System
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
If you're a film student, you've got a much better chance of liking this movie. I've read that Woody Allen made this as an homage to German Expressionist filmmakers, like F.W. Murnau. It's a black-and-white movie, utilizing the two elements in the title, Shadows and Fog, to make the scenes extra spooky and European-looking. For the rest of you out there, this probably won't be your favorite Woody Allen movie. The plot is jumbled and hap-hazard, with a bookie in charge of solving a string of murders and a travelling circus coming into town.All in all, this one's a little sinister and confusing, but if you like Woody Allen's darker movies, or you just like renting all his movies no matter how good they are, you might want to rent this one. Just don't expect a joke fest. The famous faces you'll see in this one besides Woody himself and his sweetie-pie at the time, Mia Farrow, are David Ogden Stiers, Jodie Foster, Kathy Bates, James Rebhorn, John Malkovich, Donald Pleasence, Madonna, Wallace Shawn, Julie Kavner, John Cusack, Fred Gwynne, Lily Tomlin, William H. Macy, Philip Bosco, Kate Nelligan, and John C. Reilly.
It isn't just Bergman and Fellini that Woody is hung up on. In 1991's "Shadows and Fog" he spoofs not only Fritz Lang and 1920's German Experessionism but also Franz Kafka. Shot superbly in black and white by Carlo Di Palma, (though you might feel Sven Nykvist would have been more appropriate), and with a phenomenal cast headed by Woody and Mia Farrow, this is a lot funnier than I remember it.Woody is the Joseph K character briefly mistaken for the Peter Lorre character in "M" since a serial killer is lurking in the fog and the vigilantes are out to get him. If it feels more like one of Allen's short stories and if there isn't a great deal to get your teeth into, it's still very likable and certainly didn't deserve the critical kicking it got on its release, including a fairly negative review from yours truly.
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.For Woody Allen, this film was intended to work off of the German expressionism of such 1920s greats as Murnau and Pabst. Although he chose not to make a silent film, he definitely made every effort to keep the "shadows and fog" in black and white. One scene of the Strangler coming out of the fog is a clear homage to "Nosferatu".The casting is fantastic, with some Woody regulars (Mia Farrow) and some unexpected performances from the likes of John Cusack. Although it seems blasphemous to say so, Cusack far outshines many of his co-stars, and yet this is not considered one of his best roles.Gene Siskel apparently named this one of the worst films of the year. Well, one hopes he lived to regret that choice, as he seems to be in the minority. Ebert, for his part, seemed to go along with Siskel to a point, suggesting that viewers could just rent "M" or "Nosferatu" instead.
Shadows and Fog is funny and, at times, atmospheric homage to German expressionism. This was probably the best tribute made to the era made by somebody other then Tim Burton.Woody Allen does a good job recreating the chilling atmosphere of early horror movies. Like the title suggests, he makes good use of shadows and fog, with atmospheric black and white cinematography. He combines this with his trademark witty dialogue, making for an unique movie experience. Although the movie had a creepy atmosphere, it wasn't as suspenseful as Woody Allen wanted it to be. You know who the killer is very early in the movie so that takes away any possible mystery surrounding the murders. And it even though it was funny, it wasn't quite as funny as it could've been.If you're a Woody Allen fan, or enjoy old horror film noir, you might enjoy this film.
