Great Film overall

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting in this movie is really good.

While a fan of Woody Allen I never found him to be the cinematic genius that some did. He made good solid movies and some tremendous comedies in his career. But to rank him among the best directors always seemed like a stretch for me.In the eighties following several hit comedies Allen turned away from the genre and began making more dramatic films. Influenced by Ingmar Bergman some took on a dark tone and almost all followed the lives of women in the lead. Critically acclaimed for the most part the films died at the box office. And yet year after year studios still supported his films.ANOTHER WOMAN is one of the films from that time period. Gena Rowlands stars as Marion, the Dean of Philosophy at a woman's college on sabbatical as she writes a new book on the subject. To do so and avoid disruptions she takes an apartment that is next door to a psychiatrist's office. She discovers this when she finds she can hear his patients through the ventilation system. Putting pillows against the vent she shuts them out until one slips and she wakes from a nap to hear a woman talking about the problems she's having with her husband.The more she listens the more Marion begins to question the respectable life she now leads and the relationship she has with her own husband, Ken (Ian Holm). Compared to their friends their lives seem unadventurous and boring. An attempt to reignite their flame is rebuffed by Ken. This makes Marion recall their lives just before marriage, when the two of them were having an affair behind the back of Ken's first wife Kathy (Betty Buckley) and when his best friend Larry (Gene Hackman) encouraged Marion to leave Ken and run away with him.With each passing day Marion becomes more infatuated with the stories the psychiatrists patient (Mia Farrow) tells him. She also finds that her relationships are not what she thought they were. Her closest one is with Ken's daughter Laura (Martha Plimpton). One she had but forgot was an old friend who became an actress (Sandy Dennis) who she finds out resented her all along. As she begins to look at her life Marion begins to wonder who she is, what her life is really all about and just how she has affected those around her.The film might sound like a boring melodrama but it isn't. The combination of solid performances by everyone involved as well as the well-paced and written script makes it an interesting story and one that might inspire everyone to give their own life a look. Do we see ourselves through the eyes of others or are we blind to the possibility we aren't what we think we are? There are no big laughs in this film but no points of sadness that are inescapable either. Instead we get a glimpse into the life of this woman and what goes on in her life. In true Allen fashion I must say that his choice for characters always seems to run the same, socialites living in high fashion going to cocktail parties and drinking wine. It would be interesting to see what he could do choosing a different motif like a redneck bar.Twilight Time brings this movie back to life after being abandoned by the original studio, another of their blu-ray releases of movies forgotten or considered unprofitable by their home base. Extras are sparse with only an isolated score soundtrack and the original theatrical trailer. And as with all Twilight Time releases this title is limited to just 3,000 copies so if you're a fan of Allen make sure and order yours today.

"Another Woman" is not the easiest Woody Allen film to get into. It has some fine moments of observation, it allows several members of its outstanding cast a chance in the spotlight, and it comes to a beautiful, almost cathartic ending. But it often is as stuffy, suffocating and mannered as the type of character and lifestyle that it purports to condemn. Woody Allen is the master of balancing comedy with drama, as he has shown multiple times in his career; "Another Woman" represents one of the few times that he completely removes almost every ounce of comedy. Two years later, he made a film ("Alice") that dealt pretty much with the same themes as "Another Woman", but because he allowed comedy - and fantasy - back into it, without sacrificing some dead-serious moments, the result was more varied and more satisfying, to me at least. **1/2 out of 4.

Of the full-on serious drama films(Interiors, September and Another Woman), Another Woman is for me the best one. Interiors is still a great film but an acquired taste and it did ramble a little at times and September is also good and was better on re-watch. Another Woman is such a beautiful film and Allen has probably not done a more emotionally affecting film, and is close to perfect. It looks gorgeous especially with Sven Nykvist's typically wonderful cinematography and the dark and surreal colours are also eye-catching. The music is some of the most understated of any of Allen's films and good thing too, anything louder would have spoilt the mood, the piano as the instrument couldn't have been a more perfect choice. The script is incredibly thought-provoking and reflective, as well as usually with Allen painfully truthful and the odd bit of subtle humour, and the story is very layered and told with much intensity and genuine emotional impact. It is by far the most poignant Allen film and the one I personally connected with the most. There's a definite Ingmar Bergman influence here, Interiors and September also did, but never in a way that feels ripped off, more of a homage if you will. The characters are developed beautifully and easy to connect with(compared to other characters in Allen's films), and Allen's direction has never been more intricate. The cast are all top-drawer but Gena Rowlands is stunning- one of her, perhaps her very, best performances- and her haunting narration sublime. Ian Holm is delightfully priggish and Gene Hackman is remarkably moving as a conflicted character, one that is different to other characters he's done. Mia Farrow's role is rather small but she is very restrained and plaintive and appropriately so. Blythe Danner also gives one of her better performances in one of her best films and John Housemann, Sandy Dennis and David Ogden Stiers give more than able support. The ending is somewhat abrupt but incredibly moving. Overall, a beautiful film and among his better films, and Allen to me has never done anything more poignant. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Very much in the same vein as 1978's Interiors, Woody Allen returns to serious dramatic fashion with Another Woman, which like Interiors explores the inner workings and details that make up a family. In particular, this one focuses through the parameters of Marion, brilliantly played by Gena Rowlands as an icy cold woman who has managed for years to shield her true feelings and emotions from practically everyone close to her.Unfortunately, this begins to fall back into her lap as she talks with her step-daughter, husband and old friends and family who tell her that she is nearly impossible to communicate with and not very feeling. This comes as a shock to Marion and us; we don't notice it and how did this happen? Woody Allen is certainly one of the great comedic writer/director/actors of the last 50 years, but his serious dramatic turns are just as impressive. With the help of Ingmar Bergman's legendary cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Allen creates a mesmerizing canvas of dark, surreal colors and palates that give off a moody and depressing tone felt by all the characters, especially Marion. This is certainly a film only for true Woody Allen fans as it doesn't have any of his usual zany or self-depraved humor. Yet, what it does have is terrific performances by Rowland, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow and Gene Hackman as well as a solid script and direction by Allen. A must-see for any of his fans.