Home / Bananas

Bananas

Year:

1971

Duration:

82 min

Genres:

Comedy

IMDB rate:

7.1

Director:

Woody Allen

Awards:

2 nominations

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1971-07-19

Filming Locations: New York City, New York, USA

Cast

Actor

Character

Carlos Montalbán

Bananas

Woody Allen

Fielding Mellish

Louise Lasser

Nancy

Nati Abascal

Yolanda (as Natividad Abascal)

Jacobo Morales

Esposito

Miguel Ángel Suárez

Luis (as Miguel Suarez)

David Ortiz

Sanchez

René Enríquez

Diaz

Jack Axelrod

Arroyo

Howard Cosell

Himself

Roger Grimsby

Himself

Don Dunphy

Himself

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Mellish

Stanley Ackerman

Dr. Mellish

Dan Frazer

Priest

Martha Greenhouse

Dr. Feigen

Axel Anderson

Man Tortured

Tigre Pérez

Perez (as Tigre Perez)

Baron De Beer

British Ambassador

Arthur Hughes

Judge

John Braden

Prosecutor

Ted Chapman

Policeman

Dorothi Fox

J. Edgar Hoover

Dagne Crane

Sharon

Eddie Barth

Paul (as Ed Barth)

Nicholas Saunders

Douglas

Conrad Bain

Semple

Eulogio Peraza

The Interpreter

Norman Evans

Senator

Bob O'Connell

FBI Man #1 (as Robert O'Connel)

Robert Dudley

FBI Man #2

Marilyn Hengst

Norma

Ed Crowley

FBI Security

Beeson Carroll

FBI Security

Allen Garfield

Man on Cross

Princess Fatosh

Snake Bite Lady

Dick Callinan

Cigarette Commercial Man

Hy Anzell

Patient In Operating Room (as Hy Anzel)

Anthony Caso

Subway Thug #2

Mary Jo Catlett

Woman in Hotel Lobby Cheering Honeymoon (uncredited)

Danny DeVito

Subway Hood (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Ines Hellendall

Patron (uncredited)

Sylvester Stallone

Subway Thug #1

Willy Switkes

Man (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Woody Allen said he made a conscious decision not to show any blood to maintain the light, farcical tone of the film.

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The third feature film directed by Woody Allen, and the first in which he had nearly full creative control.

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According to the Eric Lax biography, the musicians in the dinner scene at General Vargas' house were actually to be playing instruments, but the rented instruments hadn't arrived, and rather than wait, Woody Allen decided the miming would fit with the tone of the film.

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Goofs

During the riot scene at the "embassy," the firefighter hosing down the crowd has LBFD on his turnout coat. That likely stands for Long Beach Fire Dept. The embassy is presumably located in New York which would have NYFD firefighters.

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When Fielding is driving his Volkswagen and talking, there is a shot where his lips clearly aren't moving.

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During the montage of Mellish training with the rebels he is standing in the chow line with a plate. When the cook dished out his meal, the overhead shot shows Mellish holding an army style mess kit. In the next scene he asks "What the hell is this stuff anyhow?" and he is back to eating off the plate.

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Quotes

Fielding Mellish: What the hell is this stuff anyhow?

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Howard Cosell: I think we should leave the happy couple on that note. It's hard to tell what may happen in the future. But they may live happily ever after. Again, they may not. Be assured of this, though. Wherever the action is, we will be there with ABC's Wide World of Sports to cover it. Now, on behalf of Nancy and Fielding Mellish and all of the others who have made this possible, this is Howard Cosell thanking you for joining us and wishing you a most pleasant good night.

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Nancy: May I ask... what do you do?

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Faq

Why is the film titled "Bananas"?

The title is a pun, "bananas" being slang for "crazy," as well as a reference to the phrase "banana republic", describing the film's setting, since a banana republic is a pejorative term for a country that is politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture (e.g. bananas), and ruled by a small, self-elected, wealthy, and corrupt clique.When Woody Allen was asked why the film was titled "Bananas", he jokingly answered "Because there are no bananas in it."

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