Vanya on 42nd Street

I might not have ever seen this terrific film if it had not been for walking into the wrong theater. I was supposed to see screening of "A Night on Earth" during a local film festival, but I ended up in the middle of a screening of "Vanya on 42nd Street." I decided to stay and watch, not just because I had already seen "A Night on Earth" several times, but because I was curious when I saw Wallace Shawn & Andre Gregory on screen together in a film other then "My Dinner with Andre." Don't be fooled and think that this film is simply a sequel to "My Dinner with Andre," because it is far from it. What you have here is a screen version of the stage play "Uncle Vanya" by Anton Chekhov, but with a twist. The cast is doing a rehearsal of "Uncle Vanya" in a rundown theater in the middle of NYC, to an audience of the director (Andre Gregory) and a few others. The film also includes breaks in the play for stage direction (acting as an intermission for the cast) as well as initial dialogue before and after the rehearsal. This also includes an amazing opening scene in which we see all the actors walking down 42nd Street in NYC heading toward the theater (literally appearing out of the crowdedness of NYC). In addition to just seeing a fantastic version of "Uncle Vanya," you get some of the best acting performances in some time. Julianne Moore ("Boogie Nights") gets top billing being the best known cast member, but the film features some of the best performances by Wallace Shawn ("My Dinner with Andre"), Brooke Smith ("Series 7: The Contenders"), Larry Pine ("Dead Man Walking"), George Gaynes ("Police Academy" films), and stage actress Phoebe Brand. Even though I only mentioned a few, the entire cast is fantastic. If you are in your local video store looking for something a bit unique, I highly recommend that you check out "Vanya on 42nd Street" for night of theater without leaving your house. 10/10

A group of New York actors go to a 42nd Street theatre and rehearse their production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The result is an interesting experiment, though still a novelty film. Many reviewers here have claimed that they got completely into the play, and forgot they were only watching a group of characters rehersing Vanya. I rather thought its success was the way it operated half as actors rehersing Vanya, half as the action of Chekhov's play itself - and the way Malle vascillated every now and then between which reality was stronger. The two most effective moments in it for me were... (spoilers - these two bits are nicer as surprises) When all of a sudden we hear a voiceover - we hear a character's thoughts. This isn't part of the rehersal. The audience inside the theatre don't hear this - only the audience of the movie, me, hear it. This moment suddenly zoomed me into the action of the play... and for a while after had me wondering, okay, is this stuff really happening? Is this play real? The other one, of course, as zetes mentioned, is the cup saying "I love NY," which zooms us into the reality of the artifice, the performance. (end spoilers) I didn't think the rehersal was perfect, though. It may be better than any Chekhov anyone has seen, but it still had the artifact of any translated play, particularly Russian ones, of dialogue which is impossible to make sound anything but theatrical, actors reading lines. No single line of dialogue here is something an english-speaker would say. It just doesn't sound natural - so, no - i don't think it works completely as action, and therefore i was always aware of the artifice, the performance - and the value of this very quickly wore off, and i got very bored. For it to completely work, you have to get into the action of the play - and i don't think it succeeds at that. I was always aware of both levels of reality - never completely in both of them - which is an achievement as a novelty - but its novelty had worn off very quickly before its two hour running time ran out. 3/5. Julianne Moore virtually carries this film on her shoulders, by the way. She's magnificent.

source: Vanya on 42nd Street

Trailer—Vanya on 42nd Street

Vanya on 42nd Street

George Gaynes has a serious role in this excellent feature, and this was produced 10 years after he gained newfound fame as Commander Lassard in the first Police Academy movie believe it or not. Vanya on 42nd Street deserves way more recognition. It's innovative, bold, and the performance is seamless with the audience watching. I have to get my hands on the criterion collection DVD, because there's so much I want to learn about the behind-the-scenes of this fine movie. The movie also featured Brooke Smith, who only three years earlier was in The Silence of the Lambs. Phoebe Brand, Jerry Mayer, Lynn Cohen, and Madhur Jaffrey also deserve recognition.

This is a beautiful inquiry into the human condition. If you doubt that Chekhov was a brilliant writer, then this will be your gateway to excellence. The movie sports a wonderful cast while supposedly filmed during a dress-rehearsal. This is truly a movie to watch when in a serious and reflective mood, but despite such, it is a must see and an insightful gift from a phenomenal writer. Like many slice of life films, this explores the hearts of the characters. Their desires and dreams, like many of us, do not reflect what becomes of their lives. Thus a questioning must occur. Am I dealt this hand or could I have been more? If you like slice of life films, this is a must see.

Like many others I was blown away by this film. It is SO hard to film a play, but Louis Malle and the actors have worked some incredible magic.

Vanya is one of my favorite plays. Have seen it several times--stage, movies, television. This is far and away the best production I've seen. Incredible performances. I was afraid the frame of a rehearsal, and the bare stage would get in the way. They did not. Actors doing Chekhov usually seem to be more like actors than people. This cast was completely believable as real people(ironically, set and "costumes" may actually have helped here). Don't know Brooke Smith or Larry Pine, but they should be getting good roles. Wasn't a Julianne Moore fan, but I am now. Never saw Shawn in a sustained role except "My Dinner with Andre".He was perfect.Malle used camera extremely well, but did not "open up" the play to irrelevant cinematic expansion. Vanya was BOTH a film and a play without sacrificing one to the other. Making it work as both was quite an accomplishment.

Chekhov's Uncle Vanya stripped down to its bare essentials when a group of New York actors rehearse in a decaying theatre with no set dressings or props but just their talent, accompanied by David Mamet's modern adaptation of the play. Off course it may be stagy but you fall under the actors spell and that's what it's all about.