New York Stories

The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can’t bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson’s Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe (Heather McComb) running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen’s Oedipus Wrecks, wherein a schnooky lawyer (guess who?) inadvertently “creates” the Jewish Mother From Hell: thanks to a misguided magic trick, Allen’s mama (the incomparable Mae Questel) becomes a huge spectral vision on the New York skyline, telling everyone within earshot about her son’s inadequacies. The cinematographer lineup on New York Stories includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist., As told by Martin Scorsese’s “Life Lessons,” about an artist; Francis Coppola’s “Life Without Zoe,” about a 12-year-old at a hotel; and Woody Allen’s “Oedipus Wrecks,” in which he plays a lawyer whose mother hovers. Nick Nolte, Mia Farrow, Rosanna Arquette, Talia Shire. Zoe: Heather McComb. Phillip: Patrick O’Neal. Claudio: Giancarlo Giannini. Treva: Julie Kavner. Mother: Mae Questel., A remarkable collection of celluloid shorts from three of the most influential film-makers of today. Scorsese opens with his tale of a bohemian painter’s obsessive love affair with his assistant. Coppola follows with his adaption of the children’s book ‘Eloise’ about the daughter of affluent, globetrotting parents. To close, Allen delivers a comic gem about a neurotic lawyer who is haunted by his nagging mother., Three stories happening in New York. The first is about a painter who falls in love with his apprentices. The second, a fantasy story about a little rich girl who tries to reconciliate her parents. The third is a Woody Allen comedy about a jew who cannot get rid of his mother, even after her death., As told by Martin Scorsese’s “Life Lessons,” about an artist; Francis Coppola’s “Life Without Zoe,” about a 12-year-old at a hotel; and Woody Allen’s “Oedipus Wrecks,” in which he plays a lawyer whose mother hovers.