Rating: 
Summary: The Best of Woody?
Review: This is the third release of Woody Allen's pictures and this is a welcome set, focusing on his most developed period. The set includes the wonderful PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO and HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, my favorites as well as the great RADIO DAYS, ZELIG and BROADWAY DANNY ROSE. The only underperformer in the group is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY. All the films have great widescreen transfers and nice soundtracks. It's great to have this stuff available to us!
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Woody?
Review: This is the third release of Woody Allen's pictures and this is a welcome set, focusing on his most developed period. The set includes the wonderful PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO and HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, my favorites as well as the great RADIO DAYS, ZELIG and BROADWAY DANNY ROSE. The only underperformer in the group is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY. All the films have great widescreen transfers and nice soundtracks. It's great to have this stuff available to us!
Rating: 
Summary: The heat is on--the last wave of Woody's films arrive on DVD
Review: Well, after the lukewarm and definately standoffish reception of the 2nd Woody Allen Collection (which contained five of his most serious movies), the pressure was apparently on to release the 3rd, and final, remaining set of his films. These are some of Mr. Allen's very finest works, including two of my personal favorites, "Zelig" and "Broadway Danny Rose." ... Most of these films are considered classics and almost all of them are usually sited as Woody Allen at his very best. The only exception may be that of "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy." His first film with .. Mia Farrow, this was also only his second period film after the 19th-century Russian "Love And Death" ..., but one that was a portent of the many to come ... Woody had always considered making a comedy of manners and so, after a year off following the lackluster ... release of "Stardust Memories," this came out. However, it turned out that this was an even bigger bomb than "Stardust Memories" (one of my favorites, incidentally), and still remains one of his two biggest financial disasters.... The film does have it's merits ..., but, on the whole, it is usually ignored by even some of Woody's most adamant fans. And so, when these finally make it to the shelves, all of Woody's films but "Husbands And Wives" will be available on DVD. ...
Rating:
Summary: Thinking outside of the box
Review: Without a doubt the existence of the third Woody Allen collection is reason to rejoice. Those of you without any of the other previous releases in your collection, should consider making this your initial acquisition. Eventually, like me, you will crave that which came before, after and whatever comes next. If you assemble all the films available you will appreciate the enormity of this man's talent and range. Actually, within this set is the very essence of what he does best. A little pathos and little bathos and some very specific NYC moments you can appreciate, even if you do not live in or know NYC. His love and respect of music and its significance to the overall impact of the film is perhaps one of Woody Allen's most significant contributions to the artform. These selections from the 80's contain some of the most inspired casting, sets and script writing. All the Seinfeld devotees might investigate the origins of neurosis and urban nuance as it was originally conceived and enacted by a true comic genius. This is the template for ensemble comedic acting. Yes there are laughs but most arrive as bittersweet moments that are not annouced as marquee statements that benefit from a laugh track, but as simple moments that are so memorable because of their subtlety. Perhaps the three most unique films of Woody's pantheon are here, MidSummer Night's Sex Comedy, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Zelig. All are told as fractured fairy tales that create an atmosphere of pure escapism and delight. These three demonstrate the range and flexibility of his vision. Broadway Danny Rose and Radio Days are infused with a love of subject that few films match. Again the performances of the ensemble represent some of the finest work by those actors yet. Mia Farrow's performance in Broadway Danny Rose, sinks in as you finally realize its her in the role of Tina Vitale. Hannah and Her Sisters is a tour de force of acting and script. You must see it several times to grasp it's individual performances and appreciate the complete vision it represents of human nature. When you consider the pace with which he makes his films and the balance he exhibits in the stories he chooses to tell, you can appreciate how important Woody Allen is to cinema. Think of him as the Robert Rauschenberg of film, an artist capable of taking elements from anywhere and applying his signature to them, making them his own, just by the way he assembles the pieces. Get this set and if possible try to watch all of them in sequence. I promise that if you are not a Woody Allen fan you will be after seeing this particular group. * INTERESTING NOTE: Here's something to watch for as you are viewing. In Hannah and Her Sisters you will notice a solitary ant that crosses the frame, staggering top to bottom. At first, I thought it was actually on my screen and attempted to "flick" it away. Upon finding it was in the DVD print, I then saw it as a wry Hitchcock-like reference to his role in the animated feature ANTZ. Silly I know, but just another reason to pay close attention to every little thing in his films.
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