Nemici, una storia d'amore

Very little in the previous career of director Paul Mazursky gave any hint of the depth and complexity of this comedy drama, adapted from an Isaac Bashevis Singer story about the misadventures of a Jewish refugee (Ron Silver) in New York City shortly after World War Two. Silver has a few problems most men wouldn't mind sharing, including a wife who is more a devoted servant and a mistress as passionate as she is temperamental, but the cozy arrangement is complicated by the unexpected return of his first wife, long thought dead, to act as a ghostly conscience and councilor for her bewildered husband. The film is so well made, with such attention to period flavor and detail, that it seems mean to point out its few nagging shortcomings: the haphazard structure, with too many sudden, incompatible changes in mood, and the equally inconsistent characters (it's never made clear, for example, why all three women are so devoted to this particular nobody). Too bad some of the effort that went into the production didn't first go into the script, but it's still an unusually rich experience, with an added dimension of depth from the specters of the Holocaust still haunting each character.

Singer is a downer (except for the cinematically changed ending of Yentl), and this extremely well-performed and well-directed sado-masochistic tale is no exception. This film truly makes you feel its characters' abundant and excruciating pains. The Holocaust was Hell, and this film convinces me that the only thing worse than getting killed in a concentration camp, is surviving one.

It's one of those stories that may be better in print or would have more impact on the stage, however this works suprisingly well on film. The superb acting allows it to be both effective as a drama and comedy.For those familiar with NYC in the late 40's, the setting is most believable.It's far from boring, but one must adapt to the slow pace of the movie, which in fact, proves to be an asset.All 'n all; well done. 7/10

It's move over darling, with some extra twists. It's the ol "dead wife returns" story. A period piece, taking place in 1949. Ron silver is herman, the jewish writer, who has a very complicated life. A new wife, and a mistress too! It's a little bit brighton beach memoirs, or maybe radio days, with a side of tune in tomorrow. We can see how its all going to blow up in herman's face, at some point. Who has the emotional energy for all this?.. much less the financial means?? The women are all big emotional messes, so it's sometimes hard to watch... who would put up with all that?? But it's just the right amount tongue in cheek, so it all works! Lots of jewish culture thrown in. I do recommend this one. Even though herman is cheating with everyone all around, we're still rooting for the underdog. Very well done! The book must have been really well written. Novel by isaac singer. Directed by paul mazursky... was nominated for five oscars! One was for enemies.

a hellish tale about a modern jobe from Bashevis Zinger's Novel. Herman Broder(Ron Silver), a holocaust surviver, lives in the 1940's New York with the polish peasant that hid hom during the war, has an affair with Mash (Lena Olin) , a half crazed camps survivor and has to deal with his first wife, supposedly dead, Tamara (Anjeliqua Huston). All of this is brought in a suffocated, sarcastic, sweaty manner, that you feel his suffering. An excellent performance by all of the above in a movie in a very impressive film