The film Woody Allen made twice. Yes, he wasn't happy with Maureen O'Hara's performance, and as he related to biographer Stig Björkman, also realised that he'd miscast Charles Durning as the neighbour. (It's quite funny to think he had to tell his girlfriends's mother that he'd recast her.) He was definitely in a casting maze, because he'd also made Christopher Walken the writer, then replaced him with Sam Shepard. And though Sam was good, he didn't really like acting, he preferred writing plays, so when it came to remake it Woody felt he couldn't ask him to do it again. But Sam Wanamaker was available and he was more the right kind of actor Woody was looking for. So Santo Loquasto's set was still standing, the other actors were still available, so he completely reshot it.
The other actors are Mia Farrow, Diane Wiest (one of five collaborations), Denholm Elliott, Elaine Stritch and Jack Warden, all often caught in long takes.
Stig: I talked to Carlo Di Palma the other day, and he said that for him September was the best picture he had made together with you.
Woody: He did beautiful, beautiful work on it.
Like Annie Hall, there's no music score, it's what occurs from the scene - thus Art Blakey on the record player or Weist playing the piano.
It's (according to Allen ) Chekhovian, 'a similar atmosphere', and one he knew in advance audiences wouldn't come to see. He loved Andrej Konchalovsky's Uncle Vanya, but when he and Diane Keaton watched it they were the only people in the cinema. It's essentially about people longing to be with people who themselves long to be with other people, and the atmosphere is definitely that of melancholia (which is maybe why Q said she wanted to cut her wrists when it was over).
Stig wonders if it evokes the Lana Tuner story where her daughter shot her mother's abusive boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, but Woody, though 'aware' of the story denies he based it on it. It does sound very similar, however.
And... it rains! Woody: "I love rain!"
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