New York Stories

New York Stories
New York Stories

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Woody Allen
Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese
Produced by Barbara De Fina
Fred Fuchs
Robert Greenhut
Charles H. Joffe
Jack Rollins
Fred Roos
Written by Woody Allen
Francis Ford Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Richard Price
Starring Woody Allen
Larry David
Mae Questel
Mia Farrow
Heather McComb
Talia Shire
Giancarlo Giannini
Don Novello
Julie Kavner
Nick Nolte
Rosanna Arquette
Steve Buscemi
Jesse Borrego
Music by Kid Creole
Carmine Coppola
Cinematography Sven Nykvist
Vittorio Storaro
Néstor Almendros
Editing by Susan E. Morse
Barry Malkin
Thelma Schoonmaker
Studio American Zoetrope (Life without Zoe)
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) March 10, 1989 (1989-03-10)
Running time 124 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $15 million
Box office $10,763,469

New York Stories is a 1989 anthology film; it consists of three shorts with the central theme being New York City.

The first is Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The second is Life Without Zoë, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and written by Coppola with his daughter, Sofia Coppola. The last is Oedipus Wrecks, directed, written by and starring Woody Allen.

Reviews were generally positive for Life Lessons and Oedipus Wrecks, but generally negative for Life Without Zoë.[1] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote that Coppola's segment was "by far the director's worst work yet."[2]

The film was screened out of competition at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.[3] This was the screen debut of actress Kirsten Dunst, who appears in Oedipus Wrecks.

One actor, Paul Herman, has a bit part in each segment.

Contents

Plot

Life Lessons

In a story loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short novel The Gambler, Nick Nolte plays Lionel Dobie, an acclaimed abstract artist who is unable to paint before a major gallery exhibition of his new work. Rosanna Arquette is Paulette, his apprentice/assistant and former lover. Lionel is still infatuated with her, but Paulette wants only his tutelage, which makes things difficult since they live in the same studio-loft. Paulette dates other people, including a performance artist (Steve Buscemi) and a painter (Jesse Borrego).

These deliberate provocations on Paulette's part make Lionel insanely jealous — and fuel his creativity. Lionel and Paulette, it becomes clear, have been using each other: Lionel using her sexually, Paulette using him as a means of entry to the higher spheres of the New York social and art scene. Paulette wants to give up and go home to her parents but Lionel persuades her to stay because New York is where a painter needs to be.

Lionel pours his anxiety and repressed passion into his work. Paintings around the studio show visual metaphors from relations past: stormy skies, burning bridges, and tormented clowns. Lionel realizes that he needs the emotional turmoil of his destructive relationships in order to fuel his art. In the last scene, at the art exhibit, Lionel meets another attractive young woman, a struggling painter. He persuades her to become his assistant, and potentially his lover, beginning the cycle anew.

Life Without Zoë

Zoë (Heather McComb) is a schoolgirl who lives in a luxury hotel. She helps return to an Arab princess a valuable piece of jewelry that the princess had given to Zoë's father (Giancarlo Giannini) and had been subsequently stolen and recovered. Zoë tries to reconcile her divorced mother, a photographer (Talia Shire), and father, a flute soloist. Adrien Brody also appears in his first film role.

Oedipus Wrecks

New York lawyer Sheldon (Woody Allen) has problems with his overly critical mother (Mae Questel). Sheldon complains constantly to his therapist about her, wishing aloud that she would just disappear. Sheldon takes his fiancé, Lisa (Mia Farrow), to meet his mother, who immediately embarrasses him. The three, as well as Lisa's children from a previous marriage, go to a magic show. His mother is invited on stage to be a part of the magician's act. She is put inside a box that has swords stuck through it and she disappears, just as she is supposed to, but then she never reappears.

Furious at first, this development turns out to be great for Sheldon because, with her out of his life, he can finally relax. But soon, to his horror, his mother reappears in the sky over New York City. She begins to annoy Sheldon and Lisa (with the whole city now watching) by constantly talking to strangers about his most embarrassing moments. This puts a strain on his relationship with Lisa, who leaves him. Sheldon is persuaded by his psychiatrist to see a psychic, Treva (Julie Kavner), to try to get his mother back to reality. Treva's experiments fail, but Sheldon falls for her, possibly finding her to be very similar to his mother (see Oedipus complex). When he introduces Treva to his mother, she finally approves and comes back to Earth.

Oedipus Wrecks includes the film debut of Kirsten Dunst in a bit part. Also seen is Larry David as a club owner who explains to Allen that his mother is missing.

Cast

Reception

New York Stories currently holds a 73% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[4]

References

External links


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