IMDb > Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Crimes and Misdemeanors
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Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) -- An opthamologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife, while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated by another woman.
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   18,121 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Woody Allen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Crimes and Misdemeanors on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 October 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A film about humanity.
Plot:
An opthamologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife, while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated by another woman. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Jay Dipietro's Top Ten Films of All Time
 (From ioncinema. 30 November 2009, 1:32 AM, PST)

Could Carla Bruni be the next Mia Farrow?
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 25 November 2009, 4:05 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Masterpiece more (114 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Bill Bernstein ... Testimonial Speaker

Martin Landau ... Judah Rosenthal
Claire Bloom ... Miriam Rosenthal
Stephanie Roth Haberle ... Sharon Rosenthal (as Stephanie Roth)
Gregg Edelman ... Chris
George J. Manos ... Photographer (as George Manos)

Anjelica Huston ... Dolores Paley

Woody Allen ... Cliff Stern
Jenny Nichols ... Jenny

Joanna Gleason ... Wendy Stern

Alan Alda ... Lester

Sam Waterston ... Ben
Zina Jasper ... Carol

Dolores Sutton ... Judah's Secretary
Joel Fogel ... T.V. Producer (as Joel S. Fogel)
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The role of Prof. Louis Levy, subject of Cliff Stern's documentary in this film, is played by non-actor and therapist friend of Woody Allen's , world-renowned Martin S. Bergmann, clinical professor of psychology in New York University's post-doctoral program. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Judah decides to have Delores killed, he only dials seven digits on the phone calling his brother, Jack. Judah lives in Connecticut and Jack lives in New York, so he would have to dial at least 10 digits to call him. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Testimonial Speaker: We're all very proud of Judah Rosenthal's philanthropic efforts. His endless hours of fund raising for the hospital, the new medical center, and now, the ophthalmology wing, which until this year had just been a dream. But it's due to Rosenthal our friend that we most appreciate. The husband, the father, the golf companion. Naturally if you have a medical problem you can call Judah...
Miriam Rosenthal: You're blushing darling.
Testimonial Speaker: ...day or night, weekends or holidays. But you can also call Judah to find out which is the best restaurant in Paris - or Athens. Or which hotel to stay at in Moscow. Or the best recording of a particular Mozart symphony...
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Crazy Rhythm more

FAQ

Does anyone know what the actual misdemeanor was in "Crimes and Misdemeanors?"
more
7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Masterpiece, 29 April 2008
Author: AdnanZ

Most would say "Annie Hall", some would say "Manhattan", those who prefer Allen's early career might even mention "Sleeper". Few would call "Crimes and Misdemeanors" Woody Allen's best film as writer/director, but the more I watch it, the more I realize that it's not only my favorite, but in many ways the film Allen was working towards for the entirety of his career as a writer prior to this.

In "Crimes and Misdemeanors" Allen revisits a recurring theme in many of his films, adultery. It would be a simplistic and narrow-minded view of this film to say that it was simply about adultery because it is really far more complex than that, and essentially a film about all varieties of human nature and relationships, and one could even argue- the relationship between reality and film as explored through the lens of genre- romantic comedy, Film-Noir, and documentary, and what parts of this film are- satire.

"Crimes and Misdemeanors" is one of Allen's best scripts. Any screenplay attempting to accomplish as much as this one does could easily fall apart, and Allen has had less convincing attempts than this one with similar ambitions, but everything works beautifully here. This film practically defines the 'tragicomedy' sub-genre, with neither overpowering the other and much of the humor is dark humor originating in tragedy, something that is acknowledged by Allen through the character of Lester (played to perfection by Alan Alda), who comments that comedy is nothing more than "tragedy plus time". He also mentions that comedy has to have an ending, and that's one of the best things about this movie- Allen allows dramatic scenes to succeed at being dramatic and emotional, then throws a hilarious punchline at you, which has an effect that is both entertaining and somewhat unsettling. This is an expertly-written movie.

"Crimes and Misdemeanors" is the culmination of a decade of consistently brilliant, evocative, original, and fascinating films from Woody Allen, whose 80's output I would personally consider to be his best. His 70's work is far more popular, but his 80's work contains some of the most unique and memorable films ever made: "Stardust Memories", "Zelig", "The Purple Rose of Cairo", and "Hannah and Her Sisters", as well as numerous overlooked and generally forgotten films that can only be called excellent, such as: "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy", "Broadway Danny Rose", "Radio Days", "September", and "Another Woman". On top of all these memorable films is "Crimes and Misdemeanors", which is simply my favorite Woody Allen film and almost certainly his best and most focused effort.

10/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Well acted and funny, Alda should have been recast... hannahp1
the dr. wouldn;t have gotten away with it lee-tcr
why Alan Alda, ohhhh why????!!!! Rabinu
DVD Problem drumwan
Waterston and Orbach matt-2633
Match Point was very similer to this film. Joshf84
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