Every Wednesday, FM writers Simon Columb and Brogan Morris write two short reviews on Woody Allen films … in the hope of watching all his films over the course of roughly 49 weeks. If you have been watching Woody’s films and want to join in, feel free to comment with short reviews yourself! Next up is Blue Jasmine & Zelig…
Simon Columb on Blue Jasmine…
Almost as a dream, a plane begins Woody Allen’s latest. From East to West, Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) travels to San Francisco from New York after a troubled break-up. After Allen’s European jaunt, his return to America places Blue Jasmine amongst his very best. Living a life of luxury and upper-class elitism, Jasmine was married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) – a dubious success within finance. Through flashbacks, we gain an insight into her previous lifestyle as Jasmine pill-pops her Xanax and relentlessly chastises her grocery-store sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) who she is staying with. The blissful ignorance of those in the upper echelons defends them from accountability – and by gently humanising Jasmine’s actions you don’t despise her and only pity her. Cate Blanchett is a wreck and Allen makes no attempt at sheltering us from her cheated, corrupted and warped outlook on the world. Thought-provoking and intriguing, the final revelation only serves to fascinate further.
Brogan Morris on Zelig…
Within ten minutes of watching Zelig, I knew: this is the first Woody Allen film I hate. A masturbatory homage to…something, the bafflingly well-received Zelig tells the story of “human chameleon” Leonard Zelig, a depression-era drifter who can inexplicably transform into other people. Two intertwined factors meant that Zelig didn’t work for me: the premise is inherently absurd, an example of early Woody surrealism, and yet Allen approaches the film as though it’s real, in documentary style. It stops the film from being amusing, involving, from being anything affecting. I didn’t watch the film, I endured it – after those ten minutes, there was no need for me to see more, and I spent the remaining 65 minutes knowing my feelings towards the film weren’t going to change. Zelig didn’t let me in; the documentary approach kept me at a distance, while the concept never meant anything to me on any level.
Brogan Morris – Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the young princes. Follow Brogan on Twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion.
Originally published September 25, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
