SEPTEMBER

US, 1987, 82 minutes, Colour.
Mia Farrow, Diane Wiest, Denholm Elliot, Sam Waterston, Jack Warden, Elaine Stritch, Rosemary Murphy.
Directed by Woody Allen.

September was written and directed by Woody Allen, but he does not appear. When Allen becomes more serious, critics tend to decry his films, especially Interiors and Stardust Memories. It has been the same with September.

This one is quite interior, inside the one house, and focuses on six characters, echoes of Chekhov and Ingmar Bergman, generally unhappy people, one attached another who cannot return the love: Mia Farrow, Diane Wiest, Denholm Elliott, Sam Waterston. The exceptions are the more contented older couple, Jack Warden and Elaine Stritch. Stritch steals the show with her extraordinarily extrovert dragon-like mother.

Much of the dialogue sounds pretentious to many audiences - especially if they look at the film as realism. However, Allen has written a wry, serious comedy of manners.

1. Audience response to Woody Allen films? Serious, comic? Skill with characters, situations?

2. The film as a drama of interiors: of characters, the influence of Chekhov, Ingmar Bergman? Comic touches?

3, The plausibility of the plot, the memories of Lana Turner's daughter and the murder of her mother's lover? Characters, interactions, behaviour? The credibility of the dialogue?

4. The focus on the house and the rooms, the corridors? An enclosed world? How claustrophobic?

5. The division of the screenplay into four acts, with fade-out?

6. The setting of the film in August - and September coming in some days?

7. The importance of the musical score: the credits and The Slow Boat to China, the medley of popular classics, for example, of Irving Berlin? The jazz score?

8. The focus on afternoon, night, morning, the goodbye sequence? Visualising and creating moods? Characters within the moods? Light and dark, night and day?

9. The focus on Lane: Mia Farrow's style, acting skills? The story of her relationship with her mother and father, 14 and the killing (and the question of who really held the gun?), the advice of the lawyers, her growing up influenced by the shooting? Her photography skills? Suicide attempts, affairs? Her being in Vermont at the family house to recuperate? Her house and owning it, the decision to sell? Memories of her father, of her mother's behaviour, the gangster? The attraction towards Peter, the affair? Her concern about his novel? Howard as neighbour and his attentions? Stephanie as best friend and the bonds between them? Her dowdiness, dress? Wanting to go to the film and the night spoiled by her mother? Her longing for Peter? Diane's pushing her? The selling of the house, the visitors, the embarrassment with the kissing in the cupboard? Her being hurt? The concern about Peter, his novel versus her mother's memoirs? The outburst and her telling the truth about her mother, the shooting? Her desperation? The visitors leaving, having the cup of tea with Stephanie in the kitchen, her feeling of Stephanie's betrayal, talking things out - her future?

10. Diane and Lloyd: their marriage, the taxi story? Diane and her career, strong and extrovert woman, concern about appearances, clothes, age? Vanity? Her talk to others about Lane and her life? Wanting to have a party, the dancing, her pushiness, the ouija board and the truth about her memories and relationships? Staying out late? Her reaction to the selling of the house, her rudeness to the visitors? The challenge of Lane's outburst about the shooting? Her talk, apologising for her mistakes? Her attitude of forgive and forget?

11. Lloyd and his background in physics, the Alamo, meeting Diane in the taxi, his interest in the meaning of the world, the long serious talk with Peter, supportive of Diane, her clothes and appearance, her vitality? His response to the situations and the characters?

12. Peter and his writing, memories of his father and upbringing, novel, getting over t he divorce, the summer in Vermont, writing, the affair, his tangle with Lane, falling in love with Stephanie, his advances towards her, explaining his feelings, the complications, the party, his staying the night, the relationship with Stephanie, her resistance, compliance? Music and talk? The next morning, the embrace in the cupboard and the embarrassment? The discussion with Lane about reading the wrong signals? Interested in Diane's memoirs and her vitality? A futile summer, his future?

13. Stephanie and her friendship, present in the house, the separation from her husband for the summer, concern about her children, the phone calls and her reaction? The friendship with Howard, the discussions? Peter, flirting, shock of his advances, her fears, playing the piano and the medley of
songs, the relationship with Peter, upset by the kiss, the betrayal of Lane? her reaction to the truth games and the conflict between Lane and Diane? Staying with Lane, the reconciliation?

14. Howard as pleasant neighbour, attraction towards Lane, widower, talk, coming to the party, his return, helping with the luggage? Dashed hopes? Future?

15. The close-ups on the characters, their relationships, hurts and frustrations, disappointments? Love and frustration? mood of August-September?