Bananas

Bananas (1971)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban, Nati Asbacal, Jacobo Morales

From: United Artists

It’s been awhile since viewing any Woody Allen; an apology for doing so probably isn’t necessary on Letterboxd when people still view his films, they’re still on television, and other controversial figures haven’t been banished either. Of course, I’m separating the art from the artist whenever viewing one of Allen’s pictures… some have been reviewed here and Bananas was seen by me once—like 20 years ago. Time for a revisit, right?

Woody portrays… yes, the standard Woody Allen character w/ the great name Fielding Mellish. He tests products for a conglomeration, including a multi-faceted setup at a desk which looks like something that’d be marketed today. Heck, there’s a potshot at the National Rifle Association that many would agree with… anyhow, he meets Louise Lasser-as mentioned a few months ago, RIP to her-who is an activist. They break up but he decides to visit the fictional South American country of San Marcos. 

An overthrow of the government occurred, a dictatorship now ruling. Mellish meets both them & rebels looking to overthrow the dictatorship. Bananas was a comedy featuring satire, pratfalls, absurd moments, the tragic humor of banana republics, sight gags & wordplay. While not my favorite from Allen, I was still entertained by his brand of comedy. Spoofing major events in the film by having sportscaster Howard Cosell (I won’t dwell on him or how he’s best known for his interactions w/ Muhammad Ali. I imagine many would know him from Michael Mann’s Ali) commentate on them as if they were sporting events… those were a highlight. 

Some moments I did not recall from that first viewing. In the latter half, there’s a scene which is comparable to the whole “55 burgers, 55 fries, 55 tacos…” thing I’ve never seen but know is a meme. Much more horrifying is a reprise of a shocking moment that was in Hannan and her Sisters. Early on, Allen mentioned… CHILD MOLESTATION. 

This is a detail worth mentioning for both movies lest someone would react poorly to being blindsided by that comment for whatever reasons. That does make it difficult to separate the art from the artist; otherwise, I was happy with this second viewing; it was done on YouTube rather than the copy that is on Amazon and is a few minutes shorter. The assumption is that a scene early on featuring adult magazines was excised for whatever reasons, if other scenes weren’t also trimmed or excised. 

I imagine the one scene featuring Sylvester Stallone as a thug wasn't removed.