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Shadows and Fog | Year: 1992 Classification: Drama Actors/Actresses: - Jodie Foster - Woody Allen - Mia Farrow The Most Underappreciated Woody Allen Film! People really seem to absolutely hate this movie! Whether they're an Allen fan or not. But, I don't. I can see more good points to this film than bad. First of all, there's the acting. Woody Allen is going through his classic persona, dishing out oneliners, and wishcracks. Now with Allen in the lead, the rest of the cast seems to be like cameo performance. We have; Madonna, David Ogden Stiers, Donald Pleasence, Jodie Foster, Lilly Tomlin, John Cusack, Fred Gwynne, William H. Macy, Kathy Bates, and Kenneth Mars, and the list goes on and on! Each actor\actress is wonderful to watch, as in my opinion, the ensemble is amazing! The music by Kurt Weill fits perfectly in each and every scene. The use of Weill's score from the "Three Penny Opera", which included "Mack The Knife", was a great choice. For those of you who don't know, "The Three Penny Opera" had a similar story, that too was about a killer roaming around a small town. So, the choice for "Mack The Knife" as the movie's theme, matched perfectly. That song is about a murderer. The cinematography by Carlo Di Palma is wonderful, his use of the camera really adds to the effect the movie was aiming for, though many people hate the "mood" of the film. Every scene is filled with "Shadows and Fog". A great job was done by Santo Loquasto who was the production designer on the film, and, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, both did amazing work here. The story is about a killer is on the loose in a small town, we assume somewhere in Europe durning the 20's. The villagers of the town have decided to "act" like the police and track down the killer themselves. Their first mistake is to include Kleinman (Allen) in their plan. He is never given his assignment. He has no idea what he's suppose to do. So he walks around the desolate streets. Across town, the circus has come, and Irmy (Mia Farrow) and her boyfriend, simply named "Clown" (John Malkovich) are having trouble in their relationship. She wants to settle down and leave the circus, while he wants to remain "free", claiming he's an artist, and he needs his space. This causes Irmy to leave the circus herself, not knowing about the killer. The film then mostly consist of mishaps occuring for not only Kleinman, but every other character also. Some scenes are very funny, and I'll admit, some aren't as funny. Many are going to find the color of the movie a distraction. It's a very "dark" movie. But, if you just try for one second to stop complaing about the "mood" of the film, you might find that you actually enjoy this movie. Allen's Secret Masterpiece I've seen a lot of Woody Allen's movies and "Shadows And Fog" stands as my ultimate favorite. This movie is unique and beautifully directed. Everything' s perfect: music, photography,... The cast is absolutely brilliant: Woody Allen (he was meant to play Kleinman), Kathy Bates, Mia Farrow, Madonna, Lily Tomlin, Julie Kavner, John Malkovich, and others... "Shadows And Fog" is both a drama and a comedy and can be seen through several views: thriller, film noir, fairy-tale, with tender and rough moments.. The movie also sums up Allen's obsessions and favorite themes. Definitly a Must-have. A movie about vision If you say this movie is about existence or non-existence, I would rather suggest that is more about vision - how we see and what we see. Everything in Shadows and Fog is blurred, or illusioned. The make-up, costumes and wig of the clown and sword-swallower, the mirror of the magician, or even the foggy setting is all planned to convey the message of unclear vision. The star gives out light not because it exists, yey it died a million years ago but it reflected light from another source. I am not too sure how much this movie can be associated with German Expressionism, apart from a few allusions to Franz Kafka and Bruno Schulz, but I hope the three-star rating I have given here is a true image. Buy Shadows And Fog at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Shadows And Fog Search with the Priority Search Engine on Shadows And Fog This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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