NEW YORK STORIES (DVD) DVD

New York Stories
The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can't bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe (Heather McComb) running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen's Oedipus Wrecks, wherein a schnooky lawyer (guess who?) inadvertently "creates" the Jewish Mother From Hell: thanks to a misguided magic trick, Allen's mama (the incomparable Mae Questel) becomes a huge spectral vision on the New York skyline, telling everyone within earshot about her son's inadequacies. The cinematographer lineup on New York Stories includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Nick Nolte as Lionel Dobie Rosanna Arquette as Paulette Patrick O'Neal as Phillip Fowler Heather McComb as Zoe Jesse Borrego as Reuben Toro Talia Shire as Charlotte Mia Farrow as Lisa Woody Allen as Sheldon Mills Peter Gabriel as Himself Illeana Douglas as Paulette's Friend Mae Questel as Mother Julie Kavner as Treva Steve Buscemi as Gregory Stark Giancarlo Giannini as Claudio Paul Herman as Clifford, the Doorman James Keane as Jimmy Don Novello as Hector Selim Tlili as Abu Carmine Coppola as Street Musician Carole Bouquet as Princess Soroya Marvin Chatinover as Psychiatrist Jessie Keosian as Aunt Ceil George Schindler as Shandu the Magician Bridgit Ryan as Rita Edward I. Koch as Himself

Crew Speed Hopkins - Art Director Robert Greenhut - Co-producer Fred Fuchs - Co-producer Barbara de Fina - Co-producer Fred Roos - Co-producer Jeffrey Kurland - Costume Designer Sofia Coppola - Costume Designer John Dunn - Costume Designer Elizabeth Shelton - Costume Designer Francis Ford Coppola - Director Martin Scorsese - Director Woody Allen - Director Susan E. Morse - Editor Barry Malkin - Editor Thelma Schoonmaker - Editor The Coconuts - Composer (Music Score) Carmine Coppola - Composer (Music Score) August Darnell - Composer (Music Score) Kristi Zea - Production Designer Dean Tavoularis - Production Designer Steven W. Graham - Production Designer Santo Loquasto - Production Designer Vittorio Storaro - Cinematographer Sven Nykvist - Cinematographer Néstor Almendros - Cinematographer Jack Rollins - Producer Charles H. Joffe - Producer Susan Bode-Tyson - Set Designer Nina Ramsey - Set Designer Sofia Coppola - Screenwriter Richard Price - Screenwriter Woody Allen - Screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola - Screenwriter Stuart Robertson - Visual Effects Supervisor George De Titta, Jr. - Set Decorator

New York Stories
Probably the greatest flaw of this generally enjoyable attempt to revive the omnibus film, once a staple of the auteur-heavy French New Wave, is that little unifies its three segments other than a common location. Had Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Ford Coppola gotten together to collaborate in, say, 1974, chances are they could have put into focus the new generation of American filmmakers emerging at the time, however different their approaches. But by 1989, filmgoers were already well familiar with each director; consequently, New York Stories feels more like an excuse to dabble in short-form filmmaking than any sort of statement. Of course there's nothing wrong with that, as the film proves. Scorsese's Life Lessons allows him to explore a story too claustrophobic and tightly focused to warrant a feature-length treatment, but it makes for a haunting portrait of a doomed relationship memorably set against the booming '80s' New York art scene. Sandwiching the weakest bit in the middle, the cleverest aspect of Coppola's inconsequential kid's-eye-view of New York Life Without Zoe is the pun in its title. (Coppola's legendary, failed production company was named American Zoetrope.) Allen's film, Oedipus Wrecks, not only has a better pun, but reveals itself as one of Allen's most outright funny efforts in years, feeling like a decade of suppressed mother jokes unleashed all at once and allowing the worthwhile, if never quite overwhelming, film to end with a bang. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: French, English Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc French-language track Dolby Digital Mono Sound Full-screen (1.33:1) DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 124 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Opening Titles/Life Lessons 2. Artistic Obsession 3. Lady-Killer 4. I'll Do Anything 5. Life Without Zoe 6. Priceless Jewel 7. The Baby Music 8. Oedipus Wrecks 9. Sadie Milstein 10. Mother Knows Best/End Credits