DVD 124 mins IMDB 6.1
PG
New York Stories
New York Stories: Life Lessons, Life Without Zoe, Oedipus Wrecks
 (1989)
In Collection
#1961

Seen It:
Yes
Comedy, Drama, Romance
USA  /  English

Woody Allen Sheldon
Marvin Chatinover Psychiatrist
Mae Questel Mother
Mia Farrow Lisa
Molly Regan Sheldon's Secretary
Ira Wheeler Mr. Bates
Joan Bud Board Member
Jessie Keosian Aunt Ceil
Michael Rizzo Waiter
George Schindler Shandu, The Magician

Director Woody Allen; Francis Ford Coppola
Producer Barbara De Fina; Fred Fuchs
Writer Richard Price; Woody Allen

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.

Edition Details
Region Region 1
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Links IMDB

Notes
The cinematographer lineup includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist.