The Woody Allen Collection 3

This third set of the prolific comic filmmaker's works encompasses his extraordinary run of comic gems spanning 1983-87, a fertile period that rivals Preston Sturges' brief, but shining, creative spurt in the 1940s. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Allen's first film with Mia Farrow, is a trifle, a turn-of-the-century romp in the country with three mis-matched couples. Zelig is a brilliantly realized mockumentary about a susceptible human chameleon who assumes a variety of identities. Broadway Danny Rose, starring Allen as a pathetic show-biz agent with a shot at the big time, is reportedly Steve Martin's favorite Allen film. The Purple Rose of Cairo is a showcase for Farrow, who gives a sweet and heartbreaking performance as a movie buff who briefly gets a dose of fantasy when a dashing actor steps off the screen and into her life. Hannah and Her Sisters, one of Allen's best, earned Academy Awards for ensemble members Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest. Radio Days is a nostalgic labor of love about growing up in the golden age of radio. As with the previous two collections, special features on each disc are limited to the original theatrical preview and a booklet about the making of each film, but Allen devotees will go bananas for this indispensable box set. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)