"Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986): What Works/What Doesn't
"Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986): What Works/What Doesn't
A film about the meaningless trappings of modern living [in the 1980s] dressed up as a comedy/romance gets it right
Synopsis - Love, life, and the pursuit of happy-ness with another’s spouse
"I need some evidence. I gotta have some proof. You know, If I can't believe God, then, I don't think life is worth living" - Mickey, a neurotic New Yorker obsessed with this mortality and Hannah’s first husband. Also, a quote that adeptly frames the premise of the film - life’s meaning.
On the surface, Hannah and Her Sisters, one of Director Woody Allen’s highest-grossing films, (after Annie Hall and Manhattan) tells the story of three sisters - the oldest, Hannah, played by Farrow, is responsible, loving, nurturing, and the most talented theatrically of the three sisters. Hannah’s second husband, Elliot (Michael Caine), is a horny accountant, and lusts after Lee (Barbara Hershey), Hannah’s younger sister. Lee wallows aimlessly about her life in a constant state of existential dread and is in a long-term relationship with her former Professor, “an angry depressive” "Frederick (Max Von Sydow), with who she no longer feels sexually or intellectually satisfied. Odds are high that emotional intimacy never factored into this couple’s relationship. Then there’s the “free-spirited” sister, Holly (Dianne Wiest), an aspiring actress and entrepreneur, who in spite all of her progressive art scene bravado, just wants “old-fashioned” love when it comes to romance.
Norma (the sisters’ mother): Holly's game for anything. Holly takes after me.
Hannah: True.
Norma: I'd have been a great dope addict.
The sisters’ story is one that I can get behind. The chemistry shared between Farrow, Wiest, and Hershey is a proper ship (Gen Z slang short for “relationship”) and it’s clear that Allen gets female closeness, and the type of intimacy shared among sisters. The existential quest for meaning and purpose, embodied by Allen's character Mickey, serves as a central theme throughout the film. While this philosophical exploration may become somewhat repetitive and tiresome as the narrative progresses, it remains a timeless and profound inquiry. Mickey's neurotic contemplation of life's big questions, particularly his fear of death and search for significance, reflects Allen's sensibilities as a filmmaker.
Maybe that comes from childhood; my mother had seven sisters and their children were female so all I knew were aunts and female cousins.” (Allen on his ability to tell sister stories)
Where the film gets a bit muddled, to use a turn of phrase espoused by one of my favorite male characters to ever grace the screen, Mr. Emerson in a Room with a View is the male-female relationship that is fraught with heightened sexual guilt, lies (explicit and omitted), and a whole lot of heady, cerebralness, weaponized to excuse infidelity. As in, “It’s ok that you’re sleeping with your wife’s sister because you’re wracked with guilt.” This all feels like it’s begging for a giant absolution for his sins on Allen’s part, especially as Elliot is an Allen stand-in, who in real life, apparently harbored a crush on Farrow’s sister. My bet is on Prudence Farrow, who in her younger years, bears an uncanny resemblance to Hershey, who plays the object of Eliott’s lust, Lee. And because this film hits close to home for the Farrow and Allen marriage, it’s hard to ignore the real-life cross-over elements.
A Restackable Notes Moment:
That said…Hannah and Her Sisters is undoubtedly a remarkable film that captures the multifaceted nature of love, showcasing its raw, complicated, and often entitled expressions among intellectual New Yorkers. Like Director Ingmar Bergman, a giant influence on Allen’s work here, he’s presenting a story in a certain number of acts throughout three successive annual holidays. (Fanny & Alexander) Ultimately, these timeline anchors, are an orientation point to convey the the evolution of Hannah's (and her sister’s) crises and by extension, their lives. It’s effective.
The Backstory - It’s All in the Family
It’s the meta-story here, like in any good fiction, where art imitates life. During pre-production, Farrow struggled with the script, which Allen had crafted using thinly veiled elements from their personal relationship and family life. She found it challenging to accept that these intimate details were being presented for public consumption and scrutiny. Like Farrow, Hannah has a blended family with many children, some adopted, and by his admission, Allen saw Hannah as a “romanticized Mia.” The apartment in the film was Mia’s, some of their real-life kids are in the film, and even Mia’s mother, actress Maureen O’Sullivan, playing a washed-out narcissistic actress with a dysfunctional marriage, plays her mother here. O’Sullivan was furious about the depiction of Hannah and the characters in the film - seeing them as “cartoony” versions of their real-life models. Perhaps, she was rightfully reacting to her characterization. Indeed, a chutzpah play for a son-in-law.
The subplot of Hannah’s sister, Holly, who eventually becomes Mickey’s romantic partner, writing a script detailing the inner workings and intimacies of Hannah and Elliot’s marriage is very on the nose. Watching Farrow as Hannah reacts to this script, and her betrayal is like watching Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage. Elliot’s gaslighting (ha! before it was an expressed phrase) or dismissal of her in ways that serve to make her into the stereotype of the “crazy, emotional woman” is painful to watch, especially as the next minute he’s hugging and loving her up like nothing happened. I do think that it also demonstrates Mia/Hannah’s strength in all of this as well. Granted, this film would have been easier to watch with the naive gaze of yesteryear before knowing what we now think we know about Allen (the only people who know are the ones involved), but the final scene, depicting Mickey and Holly's embrace, strikes a hopeful chord rather than a cynical one, suggesting that love can be a redemptive force. However, this optimistic conclusion is nuanced by the unresolved tensions and secrets that linger beneath the surface. What’s overlooked is the crucial role of intention and methodology. The "how" of our actions and decisions can be just as significant, if not more so, than the result.
Let’s Discuss
What do you think about the depiction of romance and betrayal in this film? Does Allen get these details right?
Allen film fans - Which of his films is your favorite and why?
Olivia Wilde did a live read of this film with an all-star cast ten-ish years ago with Wilde as Hannah and co-starring Bobby Cannavale (Mickey), Rose Byrne (Lee), Uma Thurman (Holly), and Michael Sheen (Elliot). I wish I could have seen this! Link here to review