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Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a famed Russian writer.His plays have lived on.Uncle Vanya is one of them.I read the play pretty recently, and it gives an excellent portrayal of unhappy people, who live their wasted life dealing with their misery.Over the course of three years director Andre Gregory and a group of actors rehearsed the play in the then-abandoned Amsterdam Theater on 42th street in New York City.The actors were in their street clothes and the performances were for an invited audience only.Gregory and Louis Malle decided to document the play.The result is Vanya on 42th Street (1994).This was the last movie of Louis Malle.The film is based on the English translation by David Mamet.Of course this whole thing wouldn't work if the cast wasn't something unique.And in this case it is.Wallace Shawn is the perfect man to play Vanya.Just look at the scene where he finally loses it and blames the professor for ruining his life.That's some amazing acting.The Finnish-born actor George Gaynes does brilliant work as Serybryakov.The then-rising star Julianne Moore is excellent as his young wife Yelena.Larry Pine is fantastic as Dr. Astrov, who likes to drink.Brooke Smith is amazing as Sonya with her unrequited love for Dr. Astrov.Lynn Cohen is terrific as Maman.And so is Jerry Mayer as Waffles.Stage actress Phoebe Brand gives her only movie performance playing Nanny and she does a great job.Also great work by Indian actress Madhur Jaffrey (Mrs. Chao) and Andre Gregory, who plays himself.There's some great spirit between these performers, that carries throughout the play.If you yearn for something intelligent, then you should watch Vanya on 42th Street.
score 9/10
Petey-10 27 January 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2198200/ |
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9-3-2021 04:52:06