LE SAUVAGE (1975)

Catherine Deneuve is bullied into promising to marry a local gangster, Vittorio. She's very unhappy, so a few days before the wedding she runs away, but doesn't make it far before Vittorio is hot on her trail. After some exciting and funny misadventures she ends up on a deserted island with Yves Montand. He rents the island, has a really nice set up going and doesn't want any company, but he has it anyway because Catherine refuses to leave! They have a small war, but soon enough romantic sparks begin to fly. I was pleasantly surprised to see how natural their romance grew. It wasn't forced like you see in a lot of romantic comedies. I was also surprised, more like shocked, to see Tony Roberts with a substantial role in this film and speaking French!

When I first put this movie in I thought it was going to be a deserted island drama, but instead it's an light-hearted comedy and a good one at that. I found myself laughing a number of times and will definitely be watching it again. It also didn't hurt that the tan Catherine is beautiful and runs around in warm weather clothing and even gets topless! Yves turns in a perfect performance, Catherine is beautiful and funny and the script was very well written and kept my attention the entire time. When it was over I found myself wishing it had been longer!

[SPOILERS!!!] At the end, I wish that instead of returning to his childhood home, Catherine instead had rebuild the house that got burned down on the island. I think that would have been more romantic.[SPOILERS!!!]

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY (1982)

[Update 04/18/2023: Need rewatch this film and redo this review completely. Fix the screenshots also.]

Outside of INTERIORS this is probably Woody Allen's most underappreciated masterpiece. It's funny and touching, the acting is superb, the script (which was reportedly written in only 2 weeks!!!) is so brilliant that every time I watch it I'm left speechless, the photography is beautiful, it's the first pairing of Allen and Farrow and it's based on Ingmar Bergman's SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT.

Set in the early 1900's, Woody Allen works on Wall Street, but is currently staying at his summer home with his wife (Mary Steenburgen). They're expecting company but Allen is shocked when he learns that Mary's cousin's fiancee (Farrow) is actually the long lost love of his life that he's secretly been pining away over for years. Naturally this complicates the joyful weekend, but things take an even worse turn with Allen's best friend suddenly decides that he too is deeply in love with Farrow!

In 1982 Woody was right in the middle of his greatest period and AMNSC is amazing. It's so simple, yet deep and no matter how many times I watch it it never gets old. Also, Farrow absolutely radiates.

I cannot recommend this movie high enough.  Double feature it with SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT.

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986)

"I can't fathom my own heart."

[Update 07/18/2021: Need to edit this review and fix the screenshots.]

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is anchored around three consecutive Thanksgivings. Kinda like Bergman's FANNY AND ALEXANDER had three Christmas'. The movie opens with a dinner celebration taking place on the first Thanksgiving. Michael Caine (who's married to Hannah - played by Mia Farrow) is moaning away over Hannah's sister Lee, played by Barbara Hershey. He is bored with his marriage and deeply in lust with Lee. Lee is in a relationship with painter Max van Sydow. Hannah's other sister is played by Diane Wiest. She's a drug addicted wannabe actress who is constantly borrowing money from Hannah to support her various ideas like to be a writer or to run a catering company. She also once went on a horrible date with Hannah's ex-husband Mickey, played by Woody Allen.

Everything about this film is engaging. The acting, the cinematography, the music, but what makes it such a great movie to me is the script. Every single line is a treasure. Classic Woody Allen. Just look at this passage where Michael Caine is thinking to himself while watching Lee at the Thanksgiving party:

"God, she's beautiful. She's got the prettiest eyes. She looks so sexy in that sweater. I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her and tell her how much I love her and take care of her. Stop it you idiot, she's your wife's sister. But I can't help it. I'm consumed by her. It's been months now. I dream about her, I - I - I think about her at the office. Oh Lee, what am I gonna do? I hear myself moaning over you and it's disgusting. Before, when she squeezed past me at the doorway and I smelt that perfume on the back of her neck - Jesus, I - I thought I was gonna swoon. Easy! You're a dignified financial adviser. It doesn't look good for you to swoon."

I'm swooning just reading it. I would give 10 inches off my dick if I could write like that.  I get so much pleasure out of watch old Woody Allen movies. He was so great back in the 80's. So great that I nearly forget he later made MELINDA AND MELINDA. [vomits all over keyboard]

If you've never seen HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, I cannot recommend it enough. It has an organic quality. Entirely interdependent, if you know what I mean. I can't put it into words. The important thing is, it breathes. An epiphany of the soul!