In association with

Mighty Aphrodite [1996]
from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
starring F. Murray Abraham, Peter Weller, Woody Allen, Claire Bloom, Helena Bonham-Carter
directed by Woody Allen

Features:

• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

Released in 1995, Mighty Aphrodite was arguably Woody Allen's most successful film since Hannah and Her Sisters almost a decade earlier. The story follows Allen's neurotic New York sports writer Lenny, who becomes obsessed with tracking down his adopted son's birth mother, Linda. His odyssey is narrated and commented upon with coruscating wit by a Greek chorus led by F Murray Abraham. Despite their dire warnings at his rather ham-fisted attempts at hubris, there is nothing tragic in the ultimately uplifting tale. Lenny eventually locates Linda (an Oscar-winning performance from the enchanting Mira Sorvino) and discovers that she's caught up in just about every aspect of the sex trade. Without revealing his reasons, he sets about improving her life with hilarious results.

Sorvino is a wonder as the tall, alluring and vulnerable Linda, who talks with candid innocence of her adventures in vice (she offers a blow job as if it was a pound of apples) and clearly deserves a better hand than she has been dealt. Helena Bonham Carter, not entirely convincing as a driven Manahattanite, plays Allen's ambitious art dealer wife whom Lenny ultimately realises is the love of his life. And a host of stars including Claire Bloom, Gwenn Verdon and Olympia Dukakis (Jocasta) contribute shining moments to this intelligent and touching comedy. When the chorus bursts into "When You're Smiling" at the end, it's like the sun coming out.

On the DVD: The widescreen (1.85:1) presentation gives the location-shot chorus scenes marvellous resonance, although the Dolby Digital mono soundtrack is occasionally rather flat. Both picture and sound quality, however, preserve the intimacy which is the trademark of Allen's finest work. There are no extras beyond a choice of subtitles and the usual scene selection menu.--Piers Ford

DVD Special Features:

Language: English, Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English
Widescreen 1.85:1

MIGHTY APHRODITE is Woody Allen's stab at Greek comedy/tragedy, and it is wildly successful. Allen stars as Lenny Weinrib, a sportswriter married to ambitious Amanda Sloan (Helena Bonham Carter), who desperately wants her own art gallery in New York City and is willing to play the game to get it. Amanda convinces a reluctant Lenny to adopt, and they end up with beautiful Max. Lenny soon becomes obsessed with finding out who Max's biological parents are, and he is not exactly happy when he discovers that the mother is a high-pitched actress wanna-be who is also a minor porn star and hooker (Mira Sorvino, in an Oscar-winning performance). Lenny is determined to turn her life around--but at the same time is forced to examine his own marriage, which is failing.
Allen intersperses New York City vignettes with hysterical scenes of a Greek chorus, led by F. Murray Abraham, chiming in about Lenny's life, comparing it to Greek drama, and breaking out into song-and-dance numbers. The scenes in which the two worlds meet--both in New York and in the Greek theater, are wonderfully witty and incisive. This charming light comedy from Woody Allen also features fine cameo appearances by Olympia Dukakis, David Ogden Stiers, Jack Warden, and Tony Sirico.

Hilarious and sexy, Mighty Aphrodite is the comedy hit from acclaimed writer/director/star Woody Allen, featuring Mira Sorvino in her Oscar winning performance. New York sportwriter Lenny (Allen) becomes increasingly obsessed with finding the birth mother of his exceptionally intelligent adopted son. When the two finally meet, however, Lenny is completely unprepared to learn that the outrageous Linda (Sorvino) is nothing like he's imagined. Even so, their lives grow hilariously entangled.....despite the potentially scandalous secrets they keep from each other. It's a wildly entertaining story filled with unpredictably funny twists that will leave you laughing long after its over.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Woody Allen's best film
  Mighty Aphrodite is the film in which Woody Allen gets the balance right between writing a script that is serious literature and mixing the serious literature with a modern day low-brow bestseller.He uses the idea of the chorus from ancient greek literature as the voice of his conscience and makes a most unlikely series of events seem plausible and highly entertaining,and manages to make something that could have turned out as seeming very sordid,touching and memorable.He was helped in no small part by Mira... more info

• Mighty Aphrodite
  Mighty Aphrodite rates as my favourite Woody Allen film of all time. Both Woody and Mira (Sorvino) are simply great. The film looks good and sounds good too. Mira Sorvino plays the part of a hooker, she plays the part in an almost cartoonish way, whiched i just loved.

• Mira Sorvino is a stunning actress!!
  This film is absolutely brilliant, wit, charm and great dialogue. Mira Sorvino steals pretty much the show as a hooker with a way with words and an unusual outlook on what she wants to do with her life. I wasn't a fan of Woody Allen's movies but after seeing this I gave him more of a look.

• FEEL GOOD FILM
  I believe Allen has produced a wonderful film here in the shape of "Mighty Aphrodite". There is no doubt that Sorvino steals the show, with her magnificent and engaging performance. However the true star is the script. Allen has an incredible knack for writing funny dialogue and creating very distinct characters. The latter is probably not up to his usal standards in this film, but generally the actors are quite good. Directing wise, the film is very bland, i never really saw Allen's strengths as a... more info

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