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Home , Husbands and Wives

Ij FILM nized attraction for him. Freed fro\rm Sally's carping criticism and New York Times sophistication. Jack finds great delight in Love Amid the Ruins the company of Sam (Lysette Anthony), a simple young aerobics instructor. Soon, VENTS OF THE LAST several marriage, long little more than a truce, however, her mindless preoccupation with months have changed forever the inevitably slides into open hostility. The health foods and horoscopes drives him to Eway we must look at 's romance of unfilled promise leading to the edge of violence. Perhaps Sally and films. Before tabloid journalists went into a lowered expectations is the most universal Jack are not so bad for each other after all. feeding frenzy about his private life, his theme in Allen's films. Happiness comes In an early bit of dialogue, Gabe accus- admitted romantic involvement with the only from appreciation of the common- es of playing hide-and-seek with him, oldest adopted daughter of his long-time place, like a walk in Central Park after a and without some awareness of a personal companion and her allegations snowfall. When these simple joys become God and some criteria for morality, these of sexual abuse involving her other chil- dusty memories, then the marriage is over. affluent, talented Manhattanites stumble dren, one could understand his films as psy- The opening scene of "Husbands and from one unsatisfying relationship to the cho-documentary. Wives" offers fair warning that this film will next. What are they looking for? Allen Now a more psychoanalytic reading of the be different and disturbing. In an unbearably offers little logical explanation for his films seems more appropriate and more long take, cinematographer Carlo DiPalma characters' decisions. They plan no malice rewarding. Allen, the clown character, has moves his restless camera from face to face and sincerely want to hurt no one. bul been observing, not other people, but the var- in a cramped apartment as Sally (Judy things happen to them. In affairs of the ied dark sides of his own very complex per- Davis) and Jack () explain to heart there is no logic, Allen maintains. As sonality. His fictional characters desperately Gabe and Judy that they have decided to love works out its own cruel devices, the search for love in a tough world, imaged by separate. The nervous movement of the cam- innocent become victims, and victims the concrete canyons of Manhattan. In their era makes us seasick watching this painful become assassins. In the end, the relation- quest, they become in turn pathetic and scene. This documentary quality, maintained ships sort themselves out, and only Gabe destructive of others as well as themselves. throughout the film, creates the intimacy of is left alone, with no companionship other Tlie genius of the artist is that the portrayal of home movies. At times the action stops, and than his work, another novel that he strug- moral ambiguity, sin and redemption in his the characters face the camera for a few gles to complete. Looking into the camera, own life, reflected in many of the less sympa- moments of a television-style interview with he asks, "Is this over? Can I go now?" thetic figures in his films, says a lot about an off-camera voice that approaches the self- personal sin as it touches all of us. revelation of a therapy session. Husbands and Wives, Woody Allen's As Sally and Jack follow out their deci- As "Husbands and Wives" autobiogra- brilliant new film, echoes with spooky refer- sion to separate, they reveal themselves as phy? Or apologia? Some of the screen por- ences to the summer headlines. The autobio- unpleasant facets of Allen's own personali- trayals certainly hit very close to the news graphical elements, though striking in the ty. In the manner of all English teachers, stories. The Mia Farrow character, in earli- present context of sensational revelations and Gabe is ever critical of people and their er films presented as a personification of allegations, are no more revealing of the ideas. Like Allen, the meticulous director, gentleness and compassion, emerges as author than many of his earlier films. Allen Gabe pushes his charges to ever higher lev- grasping, confused and emotionally unsta- once again segments his own personality, els of performance. For this reason Judy ble in Judy. Rain's parents encourage her dividing the burden among several of his key cannot show her husband her poetry. Judy friendship with her professor, and at one characters and examining each one in turn. Davis brilliantly creates in Sally a nasty point in their relationship they take in a Gabe Roth (Woody Allen), a modestly pros- caricature of Allen's and Gabe's perfection- Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. perous novelist and professor of creative ism. Chain-smoking and foul-mouthed, she Hunting for parallels between life and writing at Columbia, finds himself attracted rarely finds a positive word or thought the film can be fun, but it can also be a to Rain (), a talented 20-year- about anything. Who could live with such a distraction from a superbly crafted, imagi- old student in one of his classes. Her parents person? Certainly not her husband Jack, native and innovative film. Any artist, named her after the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whose pathetic search for love leads him even one of great imagination like Woody but Allen buffs recall Allen's use of the e.e. into a series of inept, transparent and ulti- Allen, has to base art to some extent on cummings line "nobody, not even the rain, mately unsatisfying adulteries. He may experience. As the most personal of has such small hands" as an expression of the believe his adolescent behavior is a cry for American film-makers, Allen should not romantic ideal in "" help, but Sally hears it as a call to arms, surprise us by his use of autobiographical (1986). His infatuation goes no further than preferably nuclear. images and situations. If, however, his an adult kiss at her 21 st-birthday party. Sally and Jack experiment with different relationship with Mia Farrow had As usual, the Allen protagonist searches partners during their separation. Sally's remained stable and this were "just anoth- for an ideal love, which, given the human outspoken and negative wit, once taken as er" Woody Allen movie, "Husbands and condition, is simply unattainable. Gabe's a sign of delightful independent-minded- Wives" would still be a splendid piece of wife Judy (Mia Farrow) needs to be needed ness, soon erodes her relationship with art and a priceless comment on life and and wants another child, but Gabe refuses, Michael (), a charming editor love in urban America at the end of this concerned with his work and the terrible she met through the aggressive matchmak- very tired, shopworn century. state of the world. Their apparently happy ing of Judy, who has her own unrecog- RICHARD A. BLAKE

AMERICA OCTOBER 10,1992 255