DVD REVIEWS: Melinda and Melinda

20th Century Fox
Movie ••• Picture/Sound •••½ Extras None
Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda is actually two films in one: the same story told as (serio)comedy and tragedy, intercut. In the comic world, out-of-step characters find happiness with their own kind to the beat of a big-band soundtrack featuring Duke Ellington. But then these same sensitive types are eaten alive by society's ruthless winners to the accompaniment of disconcerting music by Béla Bartók. Basically, it's the two sides of Allen - Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman - and the result is an interesting experiment with moments of classic Allen humor. Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond's gorgeous, golden images of New York City are touched off with splashes of rich color, and although they're purposely soft-focus, they have plenty of detail. The sound is the usual clear mono. [PG-13] English, French, and Spanish, Dolby Digital mono; letterboxed (1.85) and anamorphic widescreen; single layer..

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