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With its cryptic pace and somber texture, this is a film hard to enjoy, but easy to admire. It is Woody Allen's first straight drama, which was obviously inspired by the films of Allen's idol Ingmar Bergman. It is hard to explain how shocked I was when I first watched this movie. I did not expect such morose film from the man responsible for "Bananas," "Sleeper" and "Annie Hall." It is relentlessly downbeat, yet the movie is never depressing. Allen shot the film in a minimalistic manner, generating energy from empty spaces. I do not want to get into the Allen vs. Bergman thing, but I think Allen's technique is more in tune with my own sensibilities. While I admire Bergman, I find him a little hard to connect with. I do not have the same problem with Allen. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but Allen's characters seem more real to me. Many have praised the movie, but I feel that the film has not gotten enough attention. It is one of Allen's boldest experiments, and that alone makes it very interesting. The superb cast is simply brilliant. Gordon Willis' cinematography is a great asset too.
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