Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

Plot Keywords:

Thanksgiving | Actress | Writer | Hypochondriac | Ex Husband

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Barbara Hershey	...	Lee
Carrie Fisher	...	April
Michael Caine	...	Elliot
Mia Farrow	...	Hannah
Dianne Wiest	...	Holly
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Norma
Lloyd Nolan	...	Evan
Max von Sydow	...	Frederick (as Max Von Sydow)
Woody Allen	...	Mickey
Lewis Black	...	Paul
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Mary
Christian Clemenson	...	Larry
Julie Kavner	...	Gail
J.T. Walsh	...	Ed Smythe
John Turturro	...	Writer

Also Known As:

Hannah und ihre Schwestern (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Hannah y sus hermanas (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Ana e as Suas Irmãs (Portugal) [pt]
Hana a její sestry (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Hannah és növérei (Hungary) [hu]
Hannah e Suas Irmãs (Brazil) [pt]
Hannah e le sue sorelle (Italy) [it]
Hannah et ses soeurs (France) [fr]
Hannah i jej siostry (Poland) [pl]
Hannah i les seves germanes (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Hannah ja sisaret (Finland) [fi]
Hannah och hennes systrar (Sweden) [sv]
Hannah och systrarna (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Hannah og hendes søstre (Denmark) [da]
Hannah ve Kizkardesleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
I Hannah kai oi adelfes tis (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

103 min | Spain:106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (PCA #27862) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The Stanislavsky Catering Company is based on an actual two-person catering company that Janet Margolin, who appeared with Woody Allen in Take the Money and Run (1969) and Annie Hall (1977), ran with fellow actress Jennifer Salt early in their careers between acting jobs.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Lee returns home to tell Frederick she wants to leave him, as she moves across the room a microphone and boom can be seen near the floor poking out from behind the kitchen island.

Quotes:

Frederick: You missed a very dull TV show on Auschwitz. More gruesome film clips, and more puzzled intellectuals declaring their mystification over the systematic murder of millions. The reason they can never answer the question "How could it possibly happen?" is that it's the wrong question. Given what people are, the question is "Why doesn't it happen more often?"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Soundtrack:

Freedonia's Going To War

perfect allen

Very funny comedy has one of Woody's all time best casts. Dianne Wiest is the best; glowing, neurotic, irritating and vulnerable, within minutes. Michael Caine is the most touching, Mia Farrow, as always, close to heartbreaking. I think it's her voice that does it. Nice scenes with her and her real-life mother, Maureen O'Sullivan.

Like Manhattan, this picture looks beautiful; NY in all its many breath- taking colors. The relationships of everyone on the screen are perfectly woven, and Woody has the best sight gag of the film when he takes a bible and a crucifix out of a paper bag (to find religion), and follows them up with some Wonder Bread and mayonaisse. Hilarious!

Deserving of its writing and supporting actor Oscars, it's too bad everyone in the movie couldn't have won. They're all believable and enjoyable to watch. My favorite: Max Von Sydow as the very cynical, older Frederick. He should have had more moments. Imagine him at one of the Thanksgiving dinners...