Hannah and Her Sisters (1986; Woody Allen\Carlo Di Palma) is one of my favorite films of the director’s long career. The fact that I contributed some day-playing as a young assistant cameraman has no bearing on that. It’s just a good story told in an interesting way, energized as it is by some terrific acting.
It’s also nicely photographed by Italian legend Carlo Di Palma. While his collaborations with Michelangelo Antonioni on such classics as Red Desert (1964) and Blow Up (1966) easily established his set-cred, his style here was tastefully restrained. In his first of eleven collaborations with Allen, HAHS ends with a long take that struck me as peculiar…for a very peculiar reason.
On the surface it’s simple: Allen and co-star Diane Wiest’s husband-and-wife characters share a quiet moment away from a busy Thanksgiving celebration. Despite the profound intimacy of their exchange, with the exception of two or three inconsequential glints off Wiest’s corneas, we never see their eyes. Superficially, this violates a cardinal rule of mainstream filmmaking! It’s also an issue I’ve chewed over with a variety of directors during my career. Some insist that you need to see the windows to the soul at all times. Others, not so much. For my part, I let the material tell me what to do. Allen clearly chose the latter approach; the chiaroscuro lighting barely reveals their faces.
But why did he do so at the seemingly happy conclusion of a family dramedy?
Discussions always come around to The Godfather (1972) and the way Gordon Willis, ASC used deep shadowing of the eyes to underscore character or theme. The technique has never been used to better effect. I think Allen and Di Palma were plowing the same turf. If you’re familiar with the journey these two characters have taken to reach this point in the story, a hint of visual ambiguity about their future is not out of place.
Watch the clip, if only to note the technical point I’ve made. If you haven’t seen the complete film, I urge you to do so. It’s very enjoyable.
Then, let me know what you think about that closing shot.