Enemies: A Love Story (1989)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Writers (WGA):

Isaac Bashevis Singer (novel)
Roger L. Simon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Set in 1949 New York, a Holocaust survivor (Ron Silver) who makes a living as a ghostwriter for a Jewish rabbi...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Polygamy | Holocaust Survivor | Polish | Survival

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ron Silver	...	Herman Broder
Anjelica Huston	...	Tamara Broder
Lena Olin	...	Masha
Malgorzata Zajaczkowska	...	Yadwiga (as Margaret Sophie Stein)
Alan King	...	Rabbi Lembeck
Judith Malina	...	Masha's Mother
Rita Karin	...	Mrs. Schreier
Phil Leeds	...	Pesheles
Elya Baskin	...	Yasha Kobik
Paul Mazursky	...	Leon Tortshiner
L.J. Dollinger	...	Reb Nissen Yaroslaver
Zypora Spaisman	...	Sheva Haddas
Arthur Grosser	...	Doctor
Burney Lieberman	...	Yom Kippur Cantor
Nathaniel Katzman	...	Wedding Cantor

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Quotes:

Tamara: The truth is, I have no claim on him. He probably always loved you. I'm, I'm sure he slept with you before me.
Yadwiga: Oh, no! I was an innocent girl! I came to him a virgin.
Tamara: Oh, congratulations. Men love virgins. If every man had his way, every woman would lie down a prostitute and get up a virgin.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Leap Frog

40% Comedy + 60% Drama = 100% Great

When comedian Alan King passed away last year, I thought of his sweet performance in this should-be classic. One would not expect comedy to come from a story about Holocaust survivors, but this film takes the quirks of human behavior in the wake of tragedy and puts them on display, warts and all. I haven't read Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel, but I can't imagine him not being pleased with Paul Mazursky's winning adaptation. Poor Ron Silver though, he finally gets a lead role, and almost every scene of his is stolen by one of his three outstanding female co-stars.

Lena Olin has the showiest part as a fiery concentration camp survivor. Full of passion, bitterness, and paranoia all at the same time, she puts sex back into an era normally depicted as colorless and empty. I don't want to say too much about Anjelica Huston's role for fear of spoiling the intrigue each revelation about her character brings. She pulls off several humorous moments as well. But the real revelation is Margaret Sophie Stein. As Silver's wife whom he married out of gratitude, she is not as naive as she seems, and her performance anchors the film.

This movie snuck in under the wire at the tail end of the 'eighties, and seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle of high caliber end-of-the-year movies all seeking Oscar consideration. Some feel that its Best Picture nomination was stolen by Dead Poets Society. I am one of those people. But keep in mind that this was the year that Do the Right Thing was ignored in favor of more sentimental fare like Field of Dreams. Olin and Huston were nominated for their roles, but they lost to Brenda Fricker's tour de force performance as Christy Brown's mother in My Left Foot.

It bothers me that this film doesn't have more votes. Rent it, people!!! (Or better yet, buy a copy. When you see it, you'll want to.) You'll love the characters, and it's a great film to watch after you've seen something like Life is Beautiful. It is an unusual tale, but one I am glad someone thought to tell.