A terrific film, in which ophthalmologist Martin Landau has his neurotic girlfriend Anjelica Huston bumped off via dodgy brother Jerry Orbach - meanwhile nice Rabbi brother Sam Waterston is going blind.. Sight (the all-seeing God) is one of the themes in brilliant drama-comedy, extremely well written (earning both BAFTA and Oscar nominations) - excellent use of flashbacks.
In parallel (well, completely separate) plot, Woody (good) falls for producer Mia Farrow whilst making a documentary about his pretentious brother-in-law Alan Alda, though his real interest is in the fabulous pronouncements of aging professor Martin Bergmann (a real life professor of psychology). And he finds time to take his niece Jenny Nichols to old movies, including Mr and Mrs Smith and Laird Cregar in This Gun For Hire (neither shown in the correct ratio, but both now due for a rewatch).
Using Bergman's cameraman Sven Nykvist, he had made a film every bit as deep as a Bergman, but a lot more fun. He's trying out murder to music (Schubert) too with several magic hour sequences, well directed.
With Claire Bloom, Joanna Gleason, Caroline Aaron.
Seriously overdue. Another rebuttal to those who thinks his films are all the same - the guy's a genius.
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