Plot: What’s it about?
Lane (Mia Farrow) has returned to her childhood home in Vermont, in an effort to recover after a most serious personal breakdown. She has found herself within a most fragile state, but she has found some solace in a romance of sorts, with neighbor Peter (Sam Waterston). He is a writer and the two have had quite a time together, but of late, it seems like the passion had died down to an extent. Lane had planned to leave once again and start up a new life, but this setback has jarred her and of course, there’s more bad news involved. Her mother Stephanie (Dianne Wiest) soon arrives and lays a serious announcement on her, which adds even more to her woes. But this is not all that will happen to Lane and those around her this weekend, as six people expose their love and of course, discover new ones.
As I’ve said time and time again, I like Woody Allen movies, but I prefer his more comedic efforts, to be sure. His dramatic works are well made and have his signature of course, but I just seem to enjoy his humorous endeavors more. September is one of Allen’s dramatic pictures and while it falls under the mentioned circumstances, I do think this is one of Allen’s better films, in terms of drama focused efforts. The film has many of Allen’s usual trademarks and works very well, it is indeed a well made overall motion picture. Allen supplies a literate, intelligent screenplay and of course, a more than able cast ensures it is executed well. Such names as Denholm Elliot, Jack Warden, Mia Farrow, Elaine Stritch, and Dianne Wiest all appear, a terrific cast indeed. But as well written and well performed as it is, I simply didn’t connect with it all, which left me a little let down. This is a solid movie to be sure however and if you’re a fan of Allen’s work, it is more than recommended.
This film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who delivers his usual level of cinema, but in this case, it just doesn’t work out too well. It is well made on a technical basis and Allen ensures the writing is very smart, but in the end, we just have no reason to care about anything that happens, which is not a good sign. I mean, the characters of September are well written and acted, but Allen gives us no base to connect to them, which lessens the impact involved. I think Allen’s work here has merit to be sure, but I wish he could have made it all a little deeper, at least to some extent. Other films directed by Allen include Annie Hall, Interiors, Bullets Over Broadway, Love and Death, Bananas, Husbands and Wives, and Small Time Crooks. The cast here includes Dianne Wiest (Footloose, The Associate), Denholm Elliot (Toy Soldiers, Raiders of the Lost Ark), Elaine Stritch (Screwed, Out to Sea), and Mia Farrow (Coming Soon, Widow’s Peak).
Video: How does it look?
September is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I was quite pleased with this treatment, although the film does show some signs of age, but not enough to lessen the experience much. The main problem comes from the grain present and while it isn’t extreme, it does have an impact on the visuals, to be sure. Even so, the contrast and colors stand up very well, with no serious issues to report. I was surprised at how sharp the contrast was, given the layer of grain evident, but hey, it looks great. I do wish the grain had been lessened here, but since it doesn’t hinder the experience much, I won’t complain.
Audio: How does it sound?
Just as Woody Allen likes it, the audio is presented via a mono option, which more than handles the material. As usual, Allen places the emphasis on dialogue and it comes through very well, no complaints in the least. The vocals are crisp and always at a proper volume balance, I detected no harshness at all either. The music sounds good also and while sound effects are a little limited, it all comes across in fine form in the end. This disc also includes language options & subtitles in Spanish and French, should you need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
