Blue Jasmine - Film Review
Feb. 22nd, 2014 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI rather liked this quote from FB:
Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are not a sign of weakness. They are a signs of having remained strong for far too long. Did you know that 1 in 3 of us go through this at some point in our lives? [Having personally gone through all of the above, I can attest to how reassuring the quote is and how true. Life is tough. People are harsh. Compassion is harder to come by than it should be. We all rely on the kindness of strangers.]
Speaking of the above, just finished watching the Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine, which is basically Allen doing his own version of Tennesee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire. (Except I think I preferred Streetcar Named Desire...less rambling, more poetry. Allen's characters tend to babble or ramble. While Williams...are more poetic. Also Allen's story takes place in modern day New York City and San Francisco. And, sorry, Andrew Dice Clay is not a young Marlon Brando.) And I've mixed feelings about this film. I can't quite decide if I liked it or not. I'm tempted to say that I didn't - it's depressing. But on the other hand...it's also weirdly haunting. A snapshot of life, and a rather realistic one. Again - I ask, why do these types of films, much like their novel counterparts, always focus on pathetic characters and bleak world-views? And I just realized something... what an odd thing to say about a Woody Allen film. It's almost an oxymoron. Allen, after all, rarely does bleak. Oh he does it. But rarely. Even here - he attempts to insert bits of humor.
Cate Blanchett's performance makes the movie. Other than that? Like I said above..I don't really know. Can't say I enjoyed it. Found it rather slow and difficult to watch in places, which may just be a mood thing? Humorous, it's not. It's more in line with Allen's darker character sketches, such as Match, Crimes and Misdeamenors, Husbands and Wives, Hannah and Her Sisters...
* Does repeat some bits from other Allen films, which Allen appears to be somewhat obsessed with, cheating husband and the deranged wife, mostly due to the husband falling for another woman. Other Allen films that reference this are:
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Hannah and Her Sisters
Husbands and Wives
I can't help but think Allen is struggling to find a way of apologizing or explaining his infidelity? Or womanizing? Womanizing appears in a lot of his stories. His supporting male character is a womanizer and he's usually the villain or antagonist, albeit a complex and somewhat inept one - keep in mind, Woody Allen. And the female heroine gets her revenge on him, somehow. Which is interesting.
There's also, always a neurotic character - whose the protagonist. In the darker ones - it tends to be the female character, in the comedic ones, it's the male character.
In this one, Cate Blanchett is the neurotic character, Jasmine. Who inadvertently appears to leave destruction in her wake. But she doesn't really. The other characters use her as a convenient scapegoat, a means to shirk their own responsibility for their own choices. Allen and Blanchett imbue her with a vulnerability and a sense of pride. Her fatal flaw appears to be her pride, and her desire to lie to herself about everything. As a result she's a very good liar - and lies to others as well. Telling them the lies she's told herself.
* Say what you will about Woody Allen films, he certainly creates powerful roles for women. He's also a lot like Alfred Hitchcock in that he will film several movies often with the same leading lady. His films often focus on a woman or have a female point of view. In this respect he reminds me a bit of Hitchcock and of Tennesee Williams, who also created great roles for women.
While I can't say I found the film enjoyable, it was fascinating in its character explorations - Allen films tend to be more character centric than plot centric. Jasmine is an interesting character. She's in the midst of a nervous breakdown and hanging by a thread.
As the movie progresses, you watch as various characters slowly pull and yank and unravel that thread. In some respects she helps them, unwittingly. They don't appear to see Jasmine at all. OR hear her. The characters don't listen to each other. Nor do they really connect. It's a rather sad film...about the human condition, with little hope. And while not nearly as intense or melodramatic as Williams' Streetcar, it's still as hopeless.
* The musical score is jazz...a soft burr in the background. Blue Moon...whispering on the airwaves at various points. Making one think more of New Orleans than Frisco or NYC. Which may be why its there...a homage to Williams' Streetcar, which does not hum with jazz, but more with the blues.
* Like I stated above, this is a hard film to watch and a harder one to like. From a purely objective standpoint - it is quite good. Also...haunting. I cringed through most of it. Watching as Jasmine humiliated and exposed herself to various verbal stones and arrows, not necessarily undeserving ones. Also she does shoot a few off herself. Watched as she crumbled again and again - I can see why Cate Blanchett has been nominated for best actress for this role. She's not necessarily likable. She skewers her sister. A regular Blanche Dubois, with her hoity-toity airs...and put-downs. But there is, thankfully, no sexual violence in this film. Keep in mind this is Woody Allen not Tennessee Williams. Allen, the director and writer, isn't into physical violence, sexual or otherwise (it's actually one of the things I love most about Woody Allen films). Verbal violence - yes. Physical - no. Allen's Stanley cries for his Stella (Ginger) in a super-market with one of the staff following him around and offering him a handkerchief, but does not act violently. He never rapes Allen's Blanche. And unlike Williams' Blanche Dubois, Allen's Jasmine is a bit more waspish, more abrasive, and tougher. She carries her pride like an armor, close to the chest. She doesn't allow herself to break until she's alone. Both fall apart, but differently.
* It was admittedly hard to watch this film without thinking about the recent Woody Allen scandal, which I've worked hard to ignore. This has happened once before with another Allen film - Husbands and Wives, throughout that film, I kept thinking about the Mia Farrow and Woody Allen scandal (which is when that scandal first arose - gives you an idea how long that scandal has been going on, since Husbands and Wives was made in 1992 and was about 15 films ago. Allen is anything if not prolific. After reading about that scandal, and various bits before and after about Mia Farrow (an actress who always grated on my nerves) I came to the conclusion - that the neurotic female in Allen's films were all based on Farrow - who up until Allen left her, had portrayed almost all those roles. She lost a lot - he was the only one employing her. ) I've seen roughly 75-85% of Allen's films. And when I was in highschool, read all the plays published prior to 1985. And say what you will about Woody Allen's plays and films - they aren't misogynistic nor chauvinistic, and there's no sexual violence anywhere in them. Actually, he seems rather clumsy when it comes to sex, and self-conscious. He makes a joke out of it. (Roman Polanski, on the other hand, I could see going there. His films certainly go there - unlike Allen's Polanski's films are rather ...ahem dark with a lot of sexual violence. If there's violence in an Allen film - it's either critiqued or made fun of. Allen treats violence much the same way Mel Brooks does - with humor.) Which is why I've found Mia Farrow and her daughter's allegations regarding Allen difficult to believe. (There's just no evidence of this in Allen's art. Not that there necessarily would be...but he seems to shrink away from it completely unlike many of his contemporaries.) Also, well, this is Mia Farrow.
Anywho...while watching the film, the Cate Blanchett character reminded me more than a little of Mia Farrow or at the very least the roles she's played. Even had some of her mannerisms. Which was distracting. (I had the same problem with Husbands and Wives, where Judy Davis played the lead role, although Davis didn't have as many of the mannerisms. Interesting both Davis and Blanchett are Australian actresses, who do a lot of stage work. And both played roles in Woody Allen films that reminded me a bit of Mia Farrow.). And there were situations...such as the scene where her husband admits he's fallen in love with someone else and the wife falls apart, then retaliates by calling the cops...that reminded me think uncomfortably of the Mia Farrow/Woody Allen relationship as depicted in the press. It's been a while since that relationship has...superimposed itself on a Woody Allen film. Like I said, the last time it happened was with Husbands and Wives.
So distracting. I keep wondering how I would have felt about the film, if I didn't know anything about Allen's personal life? There's something to be said about not breaking the fourth wall. Allen is not the first director/writer/actor I've pondered that question about nor will he be the last.
* There's a sly commentary on how poorly society handles mental illness. Both then and now.
Jasmine is picked up on the streets of NYC talking to herself (really how could they tell, with everyone talking into hidden cell phones...but whatever). They give her Addisons Treatment - electric shock therapy, which resulted in anxiety attacks, claustrophobia, and depression. The prozac and the lithium made it worse. Now, she's popping zanax and drinking vodka, and still talking but not to herself, but to the ghost of Hal or so it seems. And no one notices...or does anything to assist her. She's alone in the world. Disconnected from it and herself. And how much of this hell she created and just happened...the writer/director leaves the audience to ascertain.
See, hard to like, but also hard to forget.
Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are not a sign of weakness. They are a signs of having remained strong for far too long. Did you know that 1 in 3 of us go through this at some point in our lives? [Having personally gone through all of the above, I can attest to how reassuring the quote is and how true. Life is tough. People are harsh. Compassion is harder to come by than it should be. We all rely on the kindness of strangers.]
Speaking of the above, just finished watching the Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine, which is basically Allen doing his own version of Tennesee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire. (Except I think I preferred Streetcar Named Desire...less rambling, more poetry. Allen's characters tend to babble or ramble. While Williams...are more poetic. Also Allen's story takes place in modern day New York City and San Francisco. And, sorry, Andrew Dice Clay is not a young Marlon Brando.) And I've mixed feelings about this film. I can't quite decide if I liked it or not. I'm tempted to say that I didn't - it's depressing. But on the other hand...it's also weirdly haunting. A snapshot of life, and a rather realistic one. Again - I ask, why do these types of films, much like their novel counterparts, always focus on pathetic characters and bleak world-views? And I just realized something... what an odd thing to say about a Woody Allen film. It's almost an oxymoron. Allen, after all, rarely does bleak. Oh he does it. But rarely. Even here - he attempts to insert bits of humor.
Cate Blanchett's performance makes the movie. Other than that? Like I said above..I don't really know. Can't say I enjoyed it. Found it rather slow and difficult to watch in places, which may just be a mood thing? Humorous, it's not. It's more in line with Allen's darker character sketches, such as Match, Crimes and Misdeamenors, Husbands and Wives, Hannah and Her Sisters...
* Does repeat some bits from other Allen films, which Allen appears to be somewhat obsessed with, cheating husband and the deranged wife, mostly due to the husband falling for another woman. Other Allen films that reference this are:
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Hannah and Her Sisters
Husbands and Wives
I can't help but think Allen is struggling to find a way of apologizing or explaining his infidelity? Or womanizing? Womanizing appears in a lot of his stories. His supporting male character is a womanizer and he's usually the villain or antagonist, albeit a complex and somewhat inept one - keep in mind, Woody Allen. And the female heroine gets her revenge on him, somehow. Which is interesting.
There's also, always a neurotic character - whose the protagonist. In the darker ones - it tends to be the female character, in the comedic ones, it's the male character.
In this one, Cate Blanchett is the neurotic character, Jasmine. Who inadvertently appears to leave destruction in her wake. But she doesn't really. The other characters use her as a convenient scapegoat, a means to shirk their own responsibility for their own choices. Allen and Blanchett imbue her with a vulnerability and a sense of pride. Her fatal flaw appears to be her pride, and her desire to lie to herself about everything. As a result she's a very good liar - and lies to others as well. Telling them the lies she's told herself.
* Say what you will about Woody Allen films, he certainly creates powerful roles for women. He's also a lot like Alfred Hitchcock in that he will film several movies often with the same leading lady. His films often focus on a woman or have a female point of view. In this respect he reminds me a bit of Hitchcock and of Tennesee Williams, who also created great roles for women.
While I can't say I found the film enjoyable, it was fascinating in its character explorations - Allen films tend to be more character centric than plot centric. Jasmine is an interesting character. She's in the midst of a nervous breakdown and hanging by a thread.
As the movie progresses, you watch as various characters slowly pull and yank and unravel that thread. In some respects she helps them, unwittingly. They don't appear to see Jasmine at all. OR hear her. The characters don't listen to each other. Nor do they really connect. It's a rather sad film...about the human condition, with little hope. And while not nearly as intense or melodramatic as Williams' Streetcar, it's still as hopeless.
* The musical score is jazz...a soft burr in the background. Blue Moon...whispering on the airwaves at various points. Making one think more of New Orleans than Frisco or NYC. Which may be why its there...a homage to Williams' Streetcar, which does not hum with jazz, but more with the blues.
* Like I stated above, this is a hard film to watch and a harder one to like. From a purely objective standpoint - it is quite good. Also...haunting. I cringed through most of it. Watching as Jasmine humiliated and exposed herself to various verbal stones and arrows, not necessarily undeserving ones. Also she does shoot a few off herself. Watched as she crumbled again and again - I can see why Cate Blanchett has been nominated for best actress for this role. She's not necessarily likable. She skewers her sister. A regular Blanche Dubois, with her hoity-toity airs...and put-downs. But there is, thankfully, no sexual violence in this film. Keep in mind this is Woody Allen not Tennessee Williams. Allen, the director and writer, isn't into physical violence, sexual or otherwise (it's actually one of the things I love most about Woody Allen films). Verbal violence - yes. Physical - no. Allen's Stanley cries for his Stella (Ginger) in a super-market with one of the staff following him around and offering him a handkerchief, but does not act violently. He never rapes Allen's Blanche. And unlike Williams' Blanche Dubois, Allen's Jasmine is a bit more waspish, more abrasive, and tougher. She carries her pride like an armor, close to the chest. She doesn't allow herself to break until she's alone. Both fall apart, but differently.
* It was admittedly hard to watch this film without thinking about the recent Woody Allen scandal, which I've worked hard to ignore. This has happened once before with another Allen film - Husbands and Wives, throughout that film, I kept thinking about the Mia Farrow and Woody Allen scandal (which is when that scandal first arose - gives you an idea how long that scandal has been going on, since Husbands and Wives was made in 1992 and was about 15 films ago. Allen is anything if not prolific. After reading about that scandal, and various bits before and after about Mia Farrow (an actress who always grated on my nerves) I came to the conclusion - that the neurotic female in Allen's films were all based on Farrow - who up until Allen left her, had portrayed almost all those roles. She lost a lot - he was the only one employing her. ) I've seen roughly 75-85% of Allen's films. And when I was in highschool, read all the plays published prior to 1985. And say what you will about Woody Allen's plays and films - they aren't misogynistic nor chauvinistic, and there's no sexual violence anywhere in them. Actually, he seems rather clumsy when it comes to sex, and self-conscious. He makes a joke out of it. (Roman Polanski, on the other hand, I could see going there. His films certainly go there - unlike Allen's Polanski's films are rather ...ahem dark with a lot of sexual violence. If there's violence in an Allen film - it's either critiqued or made fun of. Allen treats violence much the same way Mel Brooks does - with humor.) Which is why I've found Mia Farrow and her daughter's allegations regarding Allen difficult to believe. (There's just no evidence of this in Allen's art. Not that there necessarily would be...but he seems to shrink away from it completely unlike many of his contemporaries.) Also, well, this is Mia Farrow.
Anywho...while watching the film, the Cate Blanchett character reminded me more than a little of Mia Farrow or at the very least the roles she's played. Even had some of her mannerisms. Which was distracting. (I had the same problem with Husbands and Wives, where Judy Davis played the lead role, although Davis didn't have as many of the mannerisms. Interesting both Davis and Blanchett are Australian actresses, who do a lot of stage work. And both played roles in Woody Allen films that reminded me a bit of Mia Farrow.). And there were situations...such as the scene where her husband admits he's fallen in love with someone else and the wife falls apart, then retaliates by calling the cops...that reminded me think uncomfortably of the Mia Farrow/Woody Allen relationship as depicted in the press. It's been a while since that relationship has...superimposed itself on a Woody Allen film. Like I said, the last time it happened was with Husbands and Wives.
So distracting. I keep wondering how I would have felt about the film, if I didn't know anything about Allen's personal life? There's something to be said about not breaking the fourth wall. Allen is not the first director/writer/actor I've pondered that question about nor will he be the last.
* There's a sly commentary on how poorly society handles mental illness. Both then and now.
Jasmine is picked up on the streets of NYC talking to herself (really how could they tell, with everyone talking into hidden cell phones...but whatever). They give her Addisons Treatment - electric shock therapy, which resulted in anxiety attacks, claustrophobia, and depression. The prozac and the lithium made it worse. Now, she's popping zanax and drinking vodka, and still talking but not to herself, but to the ghost of Hal or so it seems. And no one notices...or does anything to assist her. She's alone in the world. Disconnected from it and herself. And how much of this hell she created and just happened...the writer/director leaves the audience to ascertain.
See, hard to like, but also hard to forget.
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no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 04:08 pm (UTC)Allen's certainly not the first nor the last Hollywood Celebrity to marry or get involved with an 18 year old. James Marsters notably started dating his wife when she was 17/18. He took her to her prom. And they are same age range as Allen and Soon-Yi. Also, I believe Frank Sinatra got involved with Mia when she was young, as did Andre Previne. And then there's the trope which has existed in film forever: Whedon went to town with the Buffy/Angel romance - hello, ancient vampire and 16/17 year old sexy girl complete with push-up bra. There's also : Daddy Long Legs (older guy, much younger girl about 18), Love in the Afternoon (Gary Cooper much older guy and a very young girl), Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart), Roman Holiday (Hepburn and Gregory Peck), Gigi...the list goes on and on.
Add to this all the New Adult and Romance novels - which often involve a much much older man and a much much younger girl.
Also, not sure you can call an older man being interested in an 18 year or 17 year old pedophilia exactly. Lolita was notably 14 in Nabokov's novel.
So no, I can't say you can use those films as proof - since it is after all - a common film trope stretching back to the beginnings of cinema.
no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 04:43 pm (UTC)It is admittedly distracting. And I've deliberately skipped the films you mention, mainly because that trope tends to bug me. Always had issues with Daddy Long Legs for example. Actually most of Astair's later musicals...
In fact I think the films of Allen's that I've skipped were the ones that dealt with that trope or referenced it. So yes, it interferes with my enjoyment. It definitely interfered with my enjoyment of Blue Jasmine.
Same thing happened with Mel Gibson (who I can't watch any longer - mainly due to The Passion of the Christ), Roman Polanski, Orson Scott Card, Virgina Woolfe, TS Eliot, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Thomas Jefferson, and Flannery O'Connor to name a few. Some I can still watch or read, but it is a bit discombobulating.
no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 04:46 pm (UTC)Also a key factor missing in all of the examples you used of common, yet still very skeevy, relationships? Allen was Soon-Yi's stepfather. And he conducted his affair with her while still in a relationship with Mia Farrow.
I'm not saying it's wrong to see or enjoy his films. Hey, if he makes one in the future that interests me I might go myself, but I think we need to do so with open eyes.
(fun fact: Mariel Hemingway was 16 in Manhattan)
no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 04:48 pm (UTC)Like I said above, I have not seen the films. I skipped them. I can only talk about what I've seen.
no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 05:56 pm (UTC)There's a handful of Allen films that I admittedly skipped, they just didn't appeal, or I saw and remember seeing but have no memory of. I think they were his romantic comedies? Or romances where he played the romantic lead?
Not a fan of Allen's performance as the neurotic male romantic lead...weirdly I prefer Woody Allen films that do not star Woody Allen. LOL! There's something about the actor that always turned me off. It's an instance of liking the writer/director but not the actor.
Also the male neurotic romantic lead doesn't work for me.
For example: I am amongst the few people I know that was not a huge fan of Annie Hall (because I don't like watching Woody Allen as a romantic lead on screen.) Did however like him in Deconstructing Harry - have no idea why. Maybe because he wasn't the romantic interest or it wasn't a romantic comedy? Allen as a romantic leading man never worked for me. I don't know why. It could be that something about him creeps me out? (shrugs)