BLUE JASMINE
Tonight, a glorious and warm Spring-like Saturday night, I decided to confine myself at home with a thin crispy French baguette with crab spread followed by some prime Belgian chocolate and coffee, while watching Woody Allen’s latest film: Blue Jasmine.
I didn’t expect much, especially after hearing from various sources that the high point of the film is Cate Blanchet’s performance. That, in itself, suggests that the film may be at best “enjoyable”.
Without a dream in my heart
Tonight, a glorious and warm Spring-like Saturday night, I decided to confine myself at home with a thin crispy French baguette with crab spread followed by some prime Belgian chocolate and coffee, while watching Woody Allen’s latest film: Blue Jasmine.
I didn’t expect much, especially after hearing from various sources that the high point of the film is Cate Blanchet’s performance. That, in itself, suggests that the film may be at best “enjoyable”.
This is indeed the impression one has at the beginning, especially with the constant alternate flashbacks (Something I never enjoyed in story-telling), until, quite unexpectedly but firmly so, we start getting more and more involved and drawn in to the story. Obviously, this is a film directed by Woody Allen, which amounts to unusual levels of intelligence for Hollywood Standards, coupled with a deep understanding of human psychology and an uncanny talent for story-telling, and when these ingredients come together and the story works, the result is always a step higher than the best around.
Cate Blanchet plays Jasmine French (What a delightfully chosen name for her character), a delusional Park Avenue socialite married to successful multi-business owner and millionaire Hal, played by Alec Baldwin.
When Hal is arrested on serious tax evasion and fraud charges, all assets are frozen and Jasmine, left with nothing, travels to San Francisco to be with her sister Sally, who has two hyperactive kids, and gets by with a simple supermarket job. Sally’s boyfriend Chili (played by Bobby Cannavale) and in fact her whole world represent the antithesis of Jasmine’s vanished privileged world. In this set of circumstances, Jasmine struggles to find herself again, by making herself believe that she can craft a new reality, working and getting up the ladder from ground zero, but instead she quickly falls prey to her own delusions of grandeur, from which there is no escape.
The film is clever in that it shows life and human beings as they are, as they think and as they act in our modern western society. I am often positively surprised with Woody Allen’s insight into human psychology and how easy he makes it for us to relate to the characters portrayed. Cate Blanchet is indeed fantastic in her role but it’s the screenplay and directing genius that put it all in place for her. The dialogues are pure Allen and the tone of the film is neither that of a drama nor that of a comedy, it doesn’t rely on the usual emotion triggers we are used to, it handles serious emotions all the same with some naturally subtle comic scenes, something very few directors are able to pull off, especially these days..
Jasmine is the portrait of a woman who lived by an acquired idea of herself, in a world where not only fortunes are volatile, but also a whole set of circumstances and ultimately identity.
In all Woody Allen films I can think of, characters are plagued with flaws from which they cannot escape, much like characters in Dostoyevsky’s tales. Flaws that determine behavior, ascension and fall. Flaws that are characteristic of our own human nature. Some of us accept these flaws and opt for forgiveness and acceptance, whereas others choose to mask and manipulate, which, as in all good Greek Tragedies, (another ever present element of Allen’s stories) always ends up in self-demise.
Jasmine’s story is that of a downfall and the song “blue moon” to which she clings to the very end, is extremely well chosen as a song that seems to tempt and escape us at the same time.
Blue Jasmine is an intricate, intelligent film, delivered with an ease that characterizes one of our best contemporary directors. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
Cate Blanchet plays Jasmine French (What a delightfully chosen name for her character), a delusional Park Avenue socialite married to successful multi-business owner and millionaire Hal, played by Alec Baldwin.
When Hal is arrested on serious tax evasion and fraud charges, all assets are frozen and Jasmine, left with nothing, travels to San Francisco to be with her sister Sally, who has two hyperactive kids, and gets by with a simple supermarket job. Sally’s boyfriend Chili (played by Bobby Cannavale) and in fact her whole world represent the antithesis of Jasmine’s vanished privileged world. In this set of circumstances, Jasmine struggles to find herself again, by making herself believe that she can craft a new reality, working and getting up the ladder from ground zero, but instead she quickly falls prey to her own delusions of grandeur, from which there is no escape.
The film is clever in that it shows life and human beings as they are, as they think and as they act in our modern western society. I am often positively surprised with Woody Allen’s insight into human psychology and how easy he makes it for us to relate to the characters portrayed. Cate Blanchet is indeed fantastic in her role but it’s the screenplay and directing genius that put it all in place for her. The dialogues are pure Allen and the tone of the film is neither that of a drama nor that of a comedy, it doesn’t rely on the usual emotion triggers we are used to, it handles serious emotions all the same with some naturally subtle comic scenes, something very few directors are able to pull off, especially these days..
Jasmine is the portrait of a woman who lived by an acquired idea of herself, in a world where not only fortunes are volatile, but also a whole set of circumstances and ultimately identity.
In all Woody Allen films I can think of, characters are plagued with flaws from which they cannot escape, much like characters in Dostoyevsky’s tales. Flaws that determine behavior, ascension and fall. Flaws that are characteristic of our own human nature. Some of us accept these flaws and opt for forgiveness and acceptance, whereas others choose to mask and manipulate, which, as in all good Greek Tragedies, (another ever present element of Allen’s stories) always ends up in self-demise.
Jasmine’s story is that of a downfall and the song “blue moon” to which she clings to the very end, is extremely well chosen as a song that seems to tempt and escape us at the same time.
Blue Jasmine is an intricate, intelligent film, delivered with an ease that characterizes one of our best contemporary directors. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
Trailer:
RELEASED: August 2013
Director: Woody Allen
Running Time: 98 mn
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin
Rating: 3,5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment