Italy released, Blu-Ray/Region B DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby Linear PCM ), Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Italian ( Dolby Linear PCM ), Italian ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Bullets Over Broadway is a Woody Allen romp that, as the title suggests, combines gangsters with show business at the height of the Roaring Twenties. David Shayne (John Cusack) is a straight-arrow playwright who plans to stand firm against compromising his work, but quickly abandons that stance when his producer (Jack Warden) finds a backer to mount his show on Broadway. There's just one catch, however: the backer is a mobster (Joe Viterelli) who sees Shayne's play as a vehicle for his dizzy, talent-free girlfriend, Olive (Jennifer Tilly). Shayne also has to deal with the demands of veteran theatre diva Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest) and is shocked to discover that Olive's hitman bodyguard, Cheech (Chazz Palminteri), is probably a better playwright than he is, as he secretly revises Shayne's work when he sits in on rehearsals. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscar Academy Awards, ...Bullets Over Broadway (1994) (Blu-Ray)
P**S
There's no business like the keep your nose out business
Twenty-five years and it's still smelling of roses and grease paint. Woody's Bullets Over Broadway was, for some, his last great movie. Obviously that's nonsense but what can you do, people get funny ideas lodged in their heads.Cusack, channelling Woody's comedic persona with more success than, say, our Ken a few years later, plays a serious artist, a playwright who wants to be Chekhov. His manager finds a shady backer for the new play, a gangster who will spring for the whole show provided his girl gets a leading role. Add Allen regular Dianne Wiest and the cast of the The Sopranos (before they were famous) and plenty of Thirties period style, and presto!Seven nominations and one win (Oscar number two for Wiest), what a roll Allen was on after he swept the cobwebs out of his life. Another Oscar next year, Mira Sorvino for Mighty Aphrodite. He got so whimsical he decided to do a jukeboz musical next. But anyway, Bullets is a charming comedy about a perfectionist playwright compromising to get the play into production and then compromising further to actually make the material work. This is a film about a play in which all the players - Ullmann, Wiest, Tilly, Cusack, Broadbent, Palminteri - play off each other perfectly. One of the handful of movies that got Allen's own personal endorsement. Palmenteri was still new and Allen showed immense faith in Wiest, who at first struggled to find the character, and all the time the whole horrible tabloid business was going on in the background.Personally I think Aphrodite is more original with its bold use of a Greek chorus, and given that some of the same actors are in it perhaps these should be seen as a pair, Bullets and Aphrodite. Why not? Not a wrong note in Bullets, that's for sure, so do yourself a favour and get the dvd to watch it. No compromise necessary.
P**D
Brilliant
Loved this film. Perfectly constructed story-line of a young writer trying to get his play performed on Broadway and a hood re-writes most of it for him. Perfect touches of humour 'Don't speak, don't speak.' Perfect casting and acting. Woody Allen at his best. (Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa)
P**T
I think it's his best movie.....
If you've ever worked in or around the Movie / TV / Music Business you will so appreciate this hysterical movie - I mean you see so much of this crazy behaviour everyday - truly wonderful - watched it loads of times - great to watch to cheer myself up as well !It's been a bit overlooked which is a real pity because it is genuinely so very good - A Very good, complete story and good acting from the entire cast - The casting is so perfect - I can prove what I am saying is true because it got 7 Oscar nominations - Diane Wiest actually winning hers. It's much more difficult to rent now - Blockbuster don't have it but Love Film do.The Blu Ray disc is not really as good a quality as they could have made it but it is definitely better than the regular standard dvd.Do try and watch it a few times because Woody Allen has really packed this movie with an awful lot of great stuff and it's easy to miss.
J**E
Watch, love it, but 'Don't speak!' about it!
Quite simply one of the best Woody Allen films. John Cusack does a marvellous job of playing the usual Woody-type lead character, and the wonderful script, co-written with actor/director Doug McGrath, has an almost constant stream of memorable lines. Hard though it would be to pick out one name from the cast of top-flight actors, Dianne Wiest's stupendous, Oscar-winning performance, does in fact steal the film.
C**A
Another Home Run from Woody Allen
This film reflects the genius of Woody Allen. It is hysterically funny with outstanding performances by a stellar cast. A beautifully filmed period piece and an Oscar Winning performance of Dianne Weist. It is a landmark film of a tempestuous time which shows people's true characteristics.
A**W
Small screen format
This is a wonderful film BUT this DVD comes in a small screen format with Korean subtitles (you can get rid of them).
M**N
Sure fire winner.
Great film by the man Allen starring another great, Cusack.
M**S
A minor movie by Woody Allen is a contradiction in terms.
This is probably my favourite film by Woody Allen. Even more than usual the casting is perfect down to the tiniest character. Plus it is hilarious. Buy it, borrow it, whatever the means, watch it. Now. And last but not least, Mia Farrow doesn't play in it.
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