Shadows and Fog (1992)

No other Woody Allen film has ever been hustled into oblivion faster than this black-and-white mélange of Mittel-European nightmare, absurdist farce, and homage to German expressionism--sort of Woody Allen meets Franz Kafka in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, set to Kurt Weill's score for The Threepenny Opera. Yet the daft experiment is not without charm and, as the title suggests, oodles of atmosphere.

In a murky, seriously deranged cityscape only a studio art department could create, a giant bald strangler (Michael Kirby) is going around killing people with piano wire. The authorities are powerless (though he stomps about freely, occasionally declaiming speeches), so vigilante posses start roving the streets. For some reason, they dragoon a noisy nebbish named Kleinman (Allen) to assist them. So Kleinman goes into the fog, kvetching, and meets Irmy (Mia Farrow), a circus sword swallower (no double-entendres, please) whose clown of a husband (John Malkovich) is two-timing her with the strongman's wife (Madonna). Add an "et cetera" here, because the big, mostly wasted cast also includes Kenneth Mars as the strongman, Donald Pleasence as a philosophical coroner, John Cusack as a student who mistakes Irmy for a prostitute, and Kathy Bates, Jodie Foster, and Lily Tomlin as the real prostitutes in whose company she happens to be at the time. None of this adds up, and the whole thing moves and feels less like a film than one of Allen's oddball New Yorker sketches. Still, as the fever dream of an art-house addict, it has its moments. --Richard T. Jameson Amazon.com

Shadows and Fog DVD

Seller gave me superb and speedy service! This movie is deliberately both suspenseful and very depressing. Rating: aces to seller, a couple of stars to the film. August 12, 2008

Developed appreciation of this sleeper classic

I original saw "Shadows and Fog" when it first came out on home video in like 1993 or 1994. When I saw this movie for the first time, it is safe to say "I didn't get it". I mean I liked it alright, but I really didn't get it. I think most people felt the same way, since this movie seems like the black sheep of the Woody Allen library.

I also really enjoy Woody Allen's work. I know that many people either love him or hate him. I think that probably works in his favor. I also find it interesting that society picks and chooses which celebrities' personal life will constitute if their body of work is good or not. Since a great deal of controversy has surrounded Woody Allen. Ultimately a person's personal life might have no real influence on the content of their body of work. In other words, Woody's lifestyle and/or relationship choices doesn't mean he isn't a good film maker. If this was the case than all rock stars who do/did drugs don't make really good music and/or sell many ablums, right?

Anyway, since I am a fan of Woody Allen and like many of his movies, I decided to take the risk and attain "Shadows and Fog" on DVD. My brother was kind enough and bought it for me as a gift. After my recent viewing of this film, I have to say that I am very pleased with what I watched. This movie really pays homage to German Expressionism and/or classic horror films of the 1940s/1950s. This is mainly due to the fact that this movie is shot in black and white and has a murky set design and wonderful cinematography. There is also an element of tension set through out the entire film.

Now this movie does have the Woody Allen staples: witty humor (even thought it is more buried than some of his other films), multiple stories, good characterization and philosophical undertones. This is all added to a plot of a serial killer lurking around one night that is shadowy and foggy. There is also a MacGuffin that is present through out the entire film, which really adds the magic of this film.

I suppose the reason I appreciate this movie more now than I did some 13 odd years ago, is because I am not the same person I was back then. My viewing of movies, education and life experiences brought a totally different viewer to television when I watched this movie for the second time. It is quite interesting that a person can watch a movie at one point in time and have a certain perspective on it and watch it many years later having a totally dissimilar perception. This is exactly what happened during my viewing of "Shadows and Fog". I originally thought it was alright and now I think it is a wonderful movie.

I can also say I had the reverse effect when I watched "The Beastmaster" recently. When I was a kid this movie was awesome and kept me at the edge of my seat. When I saw it again as an adult, I couldn't stop laughing at how cheesy it was. Mind you I enjoyed it, but it was a totally different film. Droll. July 16, 2007

Little Man's Night Out

I like Woody Allen's "Shadows and Fog" and I think it is seriously underrated. Shot in a beautiful B/W this surreal Comedy / Mystery / Drama / Thriller takes place in a small town somewhere in the Eastern Europe between two World Wars where a mysterious maniac stranglers the people all over the town. Since the local police proved to be helpless, the citizens form vigilance committees and a small timid insignificant bookkeeper Kleinman (his name is translated as "Little Man") is recruited to search for a murderer in the dark night full of shadows and fog. Allen parodies German Expressionists (Fritz Lang), Franz Kafka, and Ingmar Bergman ("Magician") in this funny, scary, warm, dark, surreal, and dramatic film that he saw as a metaphor for humanity, as we all muddle through the murk and attempt to find meaning. The cast is all brilliant and includes Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Kirby, John Cusack, John C. Reilly. Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, and Kathy Bates appeared in the cameos playing prostitutes in the local brothel. I was especially impressed by John Malkovich - never expected him be as tender as in the final scene.


June 3, 2007

Massively Underrated

Woody Allen's "Shadows and Fog" has been called a "misfire" and is, in a sense, a forgotten film by Allen. It's hardly mentioned in conversations about his work. I consider myself a pretty big fan of Woody Allen, but the only reason I rented the movie was because John Malkovich was in it. Turns out, this is one of my favorite Woody Allen movies (I've seen 13). It's funny, well acted, has a huge array of stars, has perfect black & white cinematography, and is a pretty damn good movie. Allen plays Max Kleinman, a man who has fallen into a deep sleep only to be rudely awakened by his neighbors. They want his help in finding a serial strangler and Max, apparently, has a part in helping find him. Problem is, Max doesn't know what his part in it is. As Max walks around the gloomy, foggy area fearing the strangler will strike he encounters a bunch of quirky characters. One is Irmy (Mia Farrow), a circus sword-swallower who has ran away after catching her lover, Clown (Malkovich) cheating on her (with Madonna, no less). Before Max and Irmy actually run into each other, Irmy runs into a brothel that is occupied by such familiar faces as Jodie Foster, Lily Tomlin, and Kathy Bates. After she makes $700 for a one-night stand with John Cusack, she finally runs into Max. The movie's got a huge cast, with some actors' only turning up for a few moments. Some of the players include William H. Macy, Donald Pleasence, John C. Reilly, and many others. The movie has a gloomy, shadowy, and foggy (fitting, I guess) atmosphere which might be paying homage to early film-noir movies. The movie, like many Allen films, is fueled almost entire by dialogue and all of it's good and almost all of it's interesting. There are a few quotable lines in here. Since I've noticed most fans of Allen's don't like this film, I'll give you a general idea of what my taste in Allen is like. My favorite Allen movie is Annie Hall, my second favorite is Crimes & Misdemeanors, and my least favorite is Melinda & Melinda. All the performances (even though most of them are very brief) are good. Malkovich, as usual, steals most of his scenes and seems very comfortable reciting Allen's dialogue. Shadows and Fog is a great movie, for Woody Allen and just as a movie.

GRADE: A December 16, 2006

A Personal Favorite

Much of the plot has been outlined above, as well as the cast and I am, in large part, in complete agreement with the positive reveiws recorded.

I want to add that, for anyone raised on the old Universal horror pictures, or the films directed by James Whale or Val Lewton, where the suspense is the important part of the film; this picture, Shadows and Fog, has this quality absolutely dripping from every frame! Despite the comedic elements (and there are many funny things happening) the tension rises perceptibly throughout the narrative. The climax is dissapointing for many, but if you follow the subtext of this extremely philosophical script it is nearly a perfect resolution in all ways.

I have had philosophy students who were struggling with concepts of 19th and 20th century writers watch this movie and instantly gain insight into the point of the often times obtuse & oblique writings of Hegel, Kant and the like. I beleive that the unpopularity of the this film is based on people thinking that they were about to see Bananas or Sleeper.

Love him or hate him, you have to admit, Woody Allen is DEEP.

A personal favorite film of mine, but definetly not everybodies cup of philosophicallly comedic tea. November 14, 2006

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