The French Lieutenant's Woman

Based on the novel by John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is the story of a Victorian-era gentleman who falls for a social outcast during the 19th Century while two actors playing the characters in a production of the film fall in love with each other. Directed by Karel Reisz and screenplay by Harold Pinter, the film is an unusual drama that mixes the period film with postmodern aesthetics to play into two cross-cutting narratives that blur reality and fantasy. Starring Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Hilton McRae, Emily Morgan, Peter Vaughan, Leo McKern, Richard Griffiths, and Penelope Wilton. The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a ravishing and evocative film from Karel Weisz.

The film follows the love affair between a Victoria-era gentleman in Britain and a social outcast that is considered forbidden as the former is engaged to the daughter of a revered gentleman. At the same time, the story parallels with two actors taking part in a film production of the story that is being told as they’re having their own affair. Harold Pinter’s screenplay provides a cross-cutting narrative of sorts as the bulk of the film is about the story between the paleontologist Charles Smithson (Jeremy Irons) and this mysterious woman in Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep) whom he meets as she is standing on a pier during a windy and rainy day. Their relationship is one of intrigue from Smithson’s point of view as he is wondering about her story and why she is considered an outcast. Even as Smithson is reminding himself that he has an obligation to marry Ernestina (Lynsey Baxter) but remains entranced by Woodruff’s presence who often looks out at the sea as it relates to her sense of loss and longing as she had an affair with a married French officer.

Pinter’s script would also have this paralleling storyline in which the actors playing the characters of Smithson in Mike (Jeremy Irons) and Woodruff in the American actress Anna (Meryl Streep) who both begin an affair during the production as they try to figure out the story and characters they’re playing. Yet, their relationship has some complications as both of them are married to other people with Mike wanting to pursue Anna similar to what Smithson is doing in his pursuit towards Woodruff. Still, there is something about Woodruff that is compelling as she is a person that is anguished in her longing as it would often lead to episodes of madness which would drive Smithson into making impulsive decisions into his obsession for Woodruff.

Karel Reisz’s direction is quite exquisite for the way he would mirror certain locations of what it looked like in the 19th Century and what it would look like in the late 20th Century. Shot on various locations in Britain such as Lake Windermere, Exeter, Lyme Regis, the docks of London, and sets at the Twickenham Studios in Britain. The film does play into a world where many of the ideas of obsession and desire haven’t changed where Reisz would be in a certain location where the main story is taking place and then transport it to where the story is being told by the actors as they’re making the film. The approach to the compositions as well as trying to match it whether it’s in a wide or medium shot allows this line of fantasy and reality to emerge though the actors playing these characters are unaware of their relationship starting to mirror the way Smithson and Woodruff happens. Reisz’s close-ups would play into the growing relationship between the two couples in the film while he would create these exquisite wide shots to play into Woodruff’s sense of longing including this opening shot of Anna as Woodruff walking into the pier where Smithson would first meet her.

Reisz’s direction would also infuse elements of melodrama in some aspects of the main story as it relates to Smithson’s own search for Woodruff when she’s been sent away as he turns to others for help as they’re reluctant to knowing it would hurt his social status. Reisz would use some long shots to play into some of the monologues that happens including one in the forest where Woodruff reveals her affair with the French officer and how it ruined her to the point that she would turn into an outcast. The film’s third act would play into the pursuits of Smithson/Mike towards Woodruff/Anna with the latter in Anna attending a gathering held by Mike where it adds some confusion about what she wants to do in her relationship with Mike. Even as they’re about to film the ending as it is revealed that the book had multiple endings. One of which Reisz would make the choice as it add into the journey of these two couples with two different outcomes that blur reality and fiction. Overall, Reisz creates a riveting and enchanting film about a man pursuing an outcast in Victorian-era Britain with its players falling for each other.

Cinematographer Freddie Francis does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its low-key yet naturalistic look for many of the daytime exterior scenes in the forests as well as the usage of available lighting for scenes at night while the 20th Century scenes is presented with bits of style in its usage of artificial lighting. Editor John Bloom does excellent work with the editing with its stylish transitions in some match cutting of locations in its different time periods as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Assheton Gordon, with set decorator Ann Mollo plus art directors Allan Cameron, Norman Dorme, and Terry Pritchard, does brilliant work with the look of the sets of the 19th Century scenes from the rooms and offices where Smithson goes to as well as the hotel room that Mike and Anna stay at.

Costume designer Tom Rand does fantastic work with the period costumes of the 19th Century scenes as it play into the look and mood of the characters while going for something more casual for the scenes with Mike and Anna. Sound editor Don Sharpe does superb work with the sound in creating some natural textures in some of the locations as well as capturing some of the chaos in the some of the locations. The film’s music by Carl Davis is wonderful for its somber orchestral score that play into the drama as well as in some of the romantic scenes while the soundtrack include a couple of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The casting by Patsy Pollock is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Penelope Wilton as Mike’s wife Sonia, Peter Vaughan as Ernestina’s father, Richard Griffiths as a young nobleman Smithson gets drunk with, Emily Morgan as a young maid named Mary, Hilton McRae as Smithson’s assistant Sam, Lynsey Baxter as Smithson’s fiancée Ernestina, Charlotte Mitchell as an old woman Woodruff works for, and Leo McKern in a superb performance as Smithson’s mentor Dr. Grogan who helps Smithson trying to decide what is right. Finally, there’s the duo of Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep in phenomenal performances in their respective dual roles of Charles Smithson/Mike and Sarah Woodruff/Anna. Irons provides a determination as well as a sensitivity in his approach to Smithson who would eventually become obsessed while is more calm but troubled as Mike. Streep has this air of radiance in her approach as Woodruff as a woman filled with a lot of anguish and torment to express her madness while is a bit more aloof yet witty as Anna.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a sensational film from Karel Reisz that features great performances from Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. Along with Harold Pinter’s inventive script, gorgeous visuals, and a sumptuous score, the film is truly an offbeat yet rapturous film that explores relationships and the pursuit of that in different time periods with two couples taking on paralleling journeys. In the end, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is an incredible film from Karel Reisz.

Karel Reisz Films: (Momma Don’t Allow) – (We Are the Lambeth Boys) – (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning) – (Night Must Fall) – (Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment) – (Isadora) – (The Gambler (1974 film)) – (Who’ll Stop the Rain) – (Sweet Dreams (1985 film)) – (Everybody Wins (1990 film))

© thevoid99 2018

Belle (2013 film)

Directed by Amma Asante and written by Asante and Misan Sagay, Belle is the story of an illegitimate mixed-race girl who is sent by her father to live with her rich relatives as she copes with her identity and what her uncle does while falling for an aspiring lawyer. Inspired by a 1779 painting, the film is a fictionalized story about Dido Elizabeth Belle and the events that she took part in that led to the abolishment of slavery in Britain as she is played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Also starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode, Sam Reid, and James Norton. Belle is an exquisitely rich and ravishing film from Amma Asante.

The film is a fictionalized story about Dido Elizabeth Belle as she is a young woman who is half-black and half-white as her white father asks his relatives to care for her where she would contend with her identity as well as what to do with herself as she falls for an aspiring lawyer. It’s a film that plays into this young woman who has all of the means to advance in upper-class society yet is often confused due to her skin color as well as what her uncle is doing as it relates to a famous trial relating to an incident known as the Zong Massacre. Yet, it’s more about this woman who is trying to understand who she is as she deals with prejudice for who she is as well as cope with what is happening in this trial that is happening.

The film’s screenplay does take a few dramatic liberties as it relates to the trial of Gregson vs. Gilbert yet it is more about Dido’s relationship with her uncle William Murray 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) who would take the young Dido in as he cares for her as well as her status. A status in which Dido would inherit money from her late father (Matthew Goode) as well as be given a much larger inheritance from her uncle and aunts. It’s a status that would help Dido as she would get the attention of many suitors but it would create some problems in her relationship with her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) who is in need to marry someone who has money or else she would be destitute despite Dido wanting to share her inheritance with her. While there’s a chance for Elizabeth to be married into a rich family when Dido gets engaged to Oliver Ashford (James Norton), Dido still has to contend with Oliver’s bigoted older brother James (Tom Felton) and their scheming mother Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson).

It is when Dido meets John Davinier (Sam Reid) where she begins to ask questions about not just herself but also what is happening around her as it becomes a key plot-point for the film. Especially as Davinier is a young man who doesn’t come from a rich family as he aspires to change the world through law as he rouses Dido’s view of the world as she thinks about herself and where would she be if her father hadn’t took her out of the slums and into a life of great wealth and love. Yet, Davinier would prove to be a man who doesn’t just see Dido as more than just a woman with mixed-skin but as a woman where the two fall in love though he’s not the kind of person that her uncle wants her to be with because of her rich status as she also has to think about her own family. Still, Murray’s encounter with Davinier and Dido’s own awareness of who she is would come into play into not just the decision of this court case but in also how he sees Dido as more than just family.

Amma Asante’s direction is truly exquisite as it plays into a drama where a young woman deals with her upbringing as well as the role she is destined to play along with her identity. Most notably in the way she creates a period drama that manages to be so much more as well as play into how things were back in the late 18th Century where it is set during a crucial period in British history when slavery was still prevalent. Asante would maintain something that feels quite contemporary while still giving the film a feel that is set in 18th Century as she would bring in some unique wide and medium shots into the film but also some unique close-ups into the film as it relates to Dido’s relationship with Davinier. There’s also a few hand-held camera shots and some tracking shots to play into some of the drama while Asante’s compositions are very entrancing to the way it plays into a world that is changing as well as being sort of disconnected from what is really happening.

The direction is also very intriguing for the way it explores the Zong Massacre and the Gregson vs. Gilbert which plays into Davinier trying to reveal exactly what is at stake. While Murray is a man that has the power to create change, he’s reluctant as he has a lot on his plate about how it would effect Britain but also his own status and his own family. Asante maintains that sense of tension that is in Murray as he also copes with the future of his own nieces as his wife Lady Elizabeth (Emily Watson) and his sister Lady Mary (Penelope Wilton) are trying to ensure that Dido and Elizabeth will marry to good families. The film does climax with not just the trial itself but also the reveal of the famous painting that features both Dido and Elizabeth as it relates to exactly how Murray sees Dido. Overall, Asante creates a very captivating and evocative film about a young woman dealing with her identity as well as knowing what she wants in her life as well as how she sees the world.

Cinematographer Ben Smithard does brilliant work with the film‘s very lush and colorful cinematography for the look of the gardens and exterior in the daytime scenes to the usage of candlelight and other lights to play into some of its nighttime interior and exterior scenes. Editors Pia Di Ciaula and Victoria Boydell do amazing work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while also having bits of style in a few montages and some dazzling rhythmic cuts. Production designer Sarah Bowles, with set decorator Tina Jones and supervising art director Ben Smith, does phenomenal work with the set pieces from the homes the characters live in as well as the courthouse and the look of the slums where Dido‘s father found her in the film‘s opening sequence. Costume designer Anushia Nieradzik does fantastic work with the design of the dresses from the way it plays to the personality of the women as well as the clothes that the men wear.

Hair/makeup designer Marese Langan does excellent work with the design of the wigs some of the men wore as well as the hairstyle of the men and women. Visual effects supervisor Henry Badgett and Angela Barson do terrific work with the minimal visual effects scenes that is really more set dressing in a few key scenes. Sound editor Lee Herrick and sound designer Robert Ireland do superb work with the sound from the way shoes sound on floors to some of the scenes at the parties that occur in the film. The film’s music by Rachel Portman is wonderful as it is largely a lush orchestral score that adds to the sense of drama while music supervisor Maggie Rodford bring in a soundtrack that is largely classical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

The casting by Toby Whale is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Bethan Mary-Jones as the black maid Mabel, Lauren Julien-Box as the young Dido, Cara Jenkins as the young Elizabeth, Alex Jennings as James and Oliver’s father, and Matthew Goode in a brief but very touching role as Dido’s father Captain John Lindsay who manages to the most of his brief role. James Norton is terrific as Oliver Ashford as the youngest of the two brothers who likes Dido while Tom Felton is superb as Oliver’s more prejudiced older brother James who detests Dido for being black while proving to be very cruel to Elizabeth. Penelope Wilton is wonderful as Dido and Elizabeth’s aunt Lady Mary as someone who tries to keep both women in check while realizing their fate if both women don’t find men to be in love with. Miranda Richardson is brilliant as Lady Ashford as a woman who doesn’t like Dido very much only to agree to Oliver’s engagement to her out of ensuring that her son will have money.

Sarah Gadon is fantastic as Elizabeth as Dido’s cousin who is like a sister to Dido as she copes with the changes in Dido’s life but also her own future as she tries to find a good husband so she wouldn’t be destitute. Emily Watson is excellent as Lady Elizabeth as Murray’s wife who is considered the conscious of the film as she tries to ensure the futures for both Dido and Elizabeth while trying to make sense of the decision that her husband is going to make in this court case. Sam Reid is amazing as John Davinier as a reverend’s son who aspires to be a lawyer and makes change as he has this presence that is very engaging as someone that displays some humility as he is intrigued by Dido where he would eventually fall for her.

Tom Wilkinson is phenomenal as William Murray as a man who reluctantly takes Dido in only to care for her as if she was his daughter as he copes with everything he’s trying to do for her as well as being involved in a case that involves blacks which affects the decision he would make. Finally, there’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw in an absolutely tremendous performance as Dido Elizabeth Belle as this young woman who is coping with her identity and place in the world while realizing the complications of the real world as it relates to her race as well as what is expected from her as a woman as it’s a very radiant and powerful performance.

Belle is a remarkable film Amma Asante that features an incredible performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Along with a strong supporting cast as well as an engaging story that features some insightful historical elements. It’s a film that manages to be more than a period piece and a character study as it is also a film that features characters coping with changes as well as uncertainty in their idyllic and safe environment. In the end, Belle is a sensational film from Amma Asante.

© thevoid99 2015

Shaun of the Dead

Directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg, Shaun of the Dead is the story of a man trying to sort out his life while a zombie apocalypse emerges in London. The film is a humorous take on the zombie film genre where it pays tribute while putting its own spin where a man and his best friend try to fight off zombies with the small number of friends and family around them. Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton. Shaun of the Dead is a witty yet adventurous film from Edgar Wright.

Panic in the streets of London as a zombie apocalypse has taken over where an electronic store employee in a life crisis has to deal with this apocalypse. That’s essentially the premise of the film where it is told in a humorous manner where this man named Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his unemployed slacker friend Ed (Nick Frost) deal with this wave of zombies as Shaun and Ed try to save those they care about including Shaun’s girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), her flat mates David (Dylan Moran) and Diane (Lucy Davis), Shaun’s mother Barbara (Penelope Wilton), and his stepfather Phillip (Bill Nighy) whom he has a tense relationship with. By hiding at the pub they like to hang out at, they try to evade the zombies where lots of trouble ensues involving Queen, a Winchester rifle, and all sorts of crazy shit. It’s a film that sort of pokes fun at the zombie apocalypse but infuse it with some human drama and laughter where a man deals with growing pains about where his life is going as well as the people who are his friends.

The screenplay by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg play into the idea of people trying to survive this zombie apocalypse where there’s a lot at stake that happens where some drastic decisions are to be made in order to survive. Still, there are these issues that involves the protagonist of Shaun who works at a job that doesn’t go anywhere as his best friend Ed is a total slacker. His girlfriend Liz is frustrated by Shaun’s lack of direction as she’s unaware that her flat mate David has feelings for her despite being with Diane. They all come together with Shaun’s family to evade the apocalypse where a lot of silly things happen where Shaun and his party have to pretend to be zombies in order to blend in to make it to a pub that they all go to. Still, they’re far from being safe where Wright and Pegg add this element of suspense and drama to occur where things intensify as does emotions that would involve Shaun’s relationship with his mother and stepfather.

The direction of Edgar Wright is very lively where Wright definitely pays tribute to the zombie film genre. Notably the films of George Romero who is the godfather of the zombie film genre where it has this energy in terms of horror and suspense but also mix it up with some humor. One key example of this moment of humor is a sequence where Shaun and Ed try to kill zombies with their record collection as they figure out what to throw out. Along the way, they realize what they have to do to kill the zombies and save those they care about as Wright doesn’t mind to portray Shaun and Ed as sort of dim-wits but they’re characters that are just too fun to watch. Even in the dramatic moments where Wright does use some effective framing devices to play up some of the tension and stakes that occur where he knows when not to use humor and put in some suspense instead. Overall, Wright crafts a very smart and extremely funny film that pays tribute to the zombie horror films.

Cinematographer David M. Dunlap does excellent work in creating some unique lighting schemes for many of the film‘s nighttime exterior and interior scenes while going for some straightforward though slightly tinted look for many of the daytime exterior and interior scenes. Editor Chris Dickens does fantastic work with the editing from the use of montages, rhythmic cuts, and some methodical cuts to play up the suspense and humor. Production designer Marcus Rowland and art director Karen Wakefield do terrific work with the set pieces from the house that Shaun and Ed live in to the pub that they hang out at. Costume designer Annie Hardinge does nice work with the costumes from the work clothes that Shaun works as well as the mostly casual clothes the characters wear. Makeup designer Jane Walker does amazing work with the look of the zombies.

Visual effects supervisor Jeremy Hattingh does fine work with the film‘s minimal visual effects that involve the scenes involving the zombies. Sound editor Julian Slater does superb work with the sound with the use of sound effects and scenes set in the pub. The film’s music by Pete Woodhead and Daniel Mudford do wonderful work with the film‘s music as it‘s mostly low-key and playful with its mix orchestral-based music and electronic backgrounds while music supervisor Nick Angel brings a fun soundtrack filled with songs by Chicago, the Smiths, Queen, the Specials, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Ash doing a cover of the Buzzcocks’ Everybody’s Happy Nowadays with Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin.

The casting by Jina Jay is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features cameo appearances from Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay, Martin Freeman as a co-worker of Shaun, Rafe Spall as a neighbor, Peter Serafinowicz as Shaun and Ed’s house-mate Pete who dislikes Ed, and Jessica Stevenson in a very funny performance as Shaun’s friend Yvonne who also tries to kill zombies. Bill Nighy is excellent as Shaun’s step-father Phillip who tries to get Shaun to be responsible while Penelope Wilton is wonderful as Shaun’s mother Barbara who tries to deal with the chaos of the zombies with Shaun’s help. Dylan Moran is terrific as Liz’s flat mate David who despises Shaun while dealing with the chaos of the zombies. Lucy Davis is hilarious as David’s girlfriend Diane who is an aspiring actress who tries to get everyone to act like zombies while doing her best to kill them.

Kate Ashfield is excellent as Shaun’s girlfriend Liz who tries to deal with Shaun’s immaturity and his friendship with Ed while helping him fight off the zombies. Nick Frost is brilliant as the slacker Ed who spends his time watching TV, play video games, and drink as he is this very witty man-child that seems to be a burden but is also quite resourceful and sympathetic. Finally, there’s Simon Pegg in a remarkable performance as Shaun as a man at a crossroads in his life where he realizes that he has to be responsible while saving those he cares for in this zombie apocalypse. Pegg’s scene with Frost showcase a great chemistry the two have where they definitely have a good time and create a comedy duo that is just fun to watch.

Shaun of the Dead is a magnificent film from Edgar Wright that features the marvelous performances of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The film is definitely a comedy that sort of spoofs the zombie films but also add some humor, suspense, and drama to make it something much more. Even as it isn’t afraid to get gory or intense while knowing when not to laugh and give the people something to be engaged by. In the end, Shaun of the Dead is a spectacular film from Edgar Wright.

Edgar Wright Films: (A Fistful of Fingers) - Hot Fuzz - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - The World's End - Baby Driver - The Sparks Brothers - Last Night in Soho

© thevoid99 2013

The Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon #3: Match Point

In the third part of Nostra’s Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon here is that next obstruction:

Since I’ve been watching a lot of films by Woody Allen this past summer, I recently revisited one of Allen’s great films in Match Point. I have a review that I wrote back in 2006 where my recent re-watch had me wanting to do another review as I decided to do this other one where I share the same views with various other critics about the film. Here is that review:

Woody Allen’s 2005 film Match Point is considered a return-to-form for the filmmaker after a period of films that were either received poorly or got mixed reviews. Yet, it is this drama about a former tennis pro who marries the daughter of a rich businessman who later engages into an affair with his brother-in-law’s American girlfriend that later gets complicated as it’s a film that mixes romance, drama, and suspense. Conceptually, it covers familiar territory for the romantic drama, but it reaches to be like Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This solid, well-observed and cerebral presentation signifies that Woody is back in full stride after some recent so-so works. Though laden with thematic references to Strindberg's plays, Verdi's opera, modern art and tennis, it overall comes closest in narrative to his Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Allen opens Match Point with the image of a tennis ball hitting the net, and after a lot of casual conversations about the role that luck plays in shaping a life, the movie simplifies in its second half, becoming about one simple question: On which side of the net is that ball going to fall? The image repeats later—this time with a ring that hits a guardrail—and at that point, the movie really could've ended with a hard ironic twist. Yet, Allen is far smarter than that where it plays into the idea of luck and how luck can seal a man’s fate in the decisions he makes including in the most despicable actions such as infidelity and much more.

The lead role of Chris played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is a very interesting character as someone who was once a gifted tennis pro but life after tennis has left him little opportunities. Yet, he still manages to find ways to navigate into places that is foreign to him to see how he can thrive in that world. In fact, as played by Meyers, Chris always is aware of his opportunities and always is playing a kind of mental tennis with people. He may not have a grand design, but he always knows where he is placing the ball and what he hopes to achieve. There, he allows the mentality to get him a job at the club where he meets Tom Hewett, played by Matthew Goode, whose father is a rich businessman.

The handsome Chris is quickly taken into the Hewett family fold. Not as easily absorbed into the posh family's good graces is Nola (Scarlett Johansson), Tom's fiancée. Nola, the daughter of an alcoholic single mother, is heatedly disliked by Tom's controlling mother (Penelope Wilton). When Chris first encounters the sexy Nola, he develops a strong attraction to her but embarks on a relationship with Chloe, Tom's sunny sister (a superb Emily Mortimer). Tom breaks up with Nola and marries someone else. Chris marries Chloe, who enlists the aid of her affable father (Brian Cox) to get Chris a job and help him up the corporate ladder. Still, Chris is entranced by Nola as he wouldn’t see her for months until she shows up at an art gallery where he was supposed to meet Chloe.

Emily Mortimer and Scarlett Johansson show different faces of womankind. Mortimer's Chloe is the nurturing, supportive female: one who takes her husband's denial of an affair at face value and whose primary goal in marriage is to give her parents grandchildren. It's a role that Mortimer slides into without difficulty. Johansson, on the other hand, is simultaneously self-sufficient and needy. It’s the flaws of Nola as well as her background that has Chris feel attracted towards her. What passes between Chris and Nola is not only desire, but also recognition, which makes their connection especially volatile.

Notably in the third act where Nola drops a bombshell that would affect Chris’ family life as he tries to keep things a secret. Rhys-Meyers - an underrated actor - takes time to warm to Woody's ways, but ultimately delivers a subtle, affecting portrait of a man torn between two women and ways of life as he realizes the decision that he has to make. One of which would involve Chris taking on drastic measures that would be extreme. Allen has, however, stuck with his recent nasty streak, and underneath its lovely, icy cinematography, Match Point is a noir supreme; Fritz Lang would have loved it. Yet no matter how dark things get, the characters still behave in a rational, believable way. Unlike most Hollywood films, no one does anything stupid out of sheer stupidity. Here, the missteps occur because of misdirected passion.

It’s a film that is more about the idea of luck and how it can drive a man’s fate. The movie is more about plot and moral vacancy than about characters, and so Allen uses type-casting to quickly establish the characters and set them to their tasks of seduction, deception, lying and worse. It’s one of the reasons why this film is considered one of Allen’s finest though it doesn’t rank with some of the great films of his career like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters, and Crimes & Misdemeanors depending on one’s taste of what someone thinks of Allen’s overall career. Still, Match Point is sexy, mysterious, suspense-driven, eventful and essentially quite unforgettable that shows that Woody Allen still has it.

The quotes in bold are from the following in the exact order:

Dennis Schwartz, Ozu’s World Movie Reviews
Noel Murray, AV Club
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Claudia Puig, USA Today
James Beradinelli, ReelViews
AO Scott, New York Times
Andy Jacobs, BBC
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Gary W. Tooze, DVD Beaver

© thevoid99 2013

Match Point

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/27/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Match Point returns to the dramatic theme of morality and murder that he discussed in 1989's Crimes & Misdemeanors. This time, the setting for Allen's new film is in the upper-class world of London society where an ex-Irish tennis pro found himself climbing up the world of upper-class British society as he meets a client's sister and their family only to be tempted by his client's American fiancee. The film discusses on how luck can do things for a young man as he is forced to choose between a modest lifestyle or a safe, secure lifestyle with all the works. Starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Penelope Wilton, James Nesbitt, Ewen Bremner, and Brian Cox. Match Point is an excellent, return-to-form feat from Woody Allen.

After a period of playing professional tennis, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is searching for a new life after being bored from playing tennis. After taking a job working as a tennis instructor for a posh country club, he meets a young man named Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) who becomes a tennis student. After a conversation about opera, Tom invites Chris to watch an opera with his family including Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer), his father Alec (Brian Cox), and mother Eleanor (Penelope Wilton). After being invited frequently to the Hewett home, Chris becomes attracted to Chloe while being in awe of the hard work Alec has done with his life. During a party, Chris meets Tom's American fiancee Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) as Chris finds himself attracted to Nola's sensuality.

After a series of double dates and dinners, Chris learns of Nola's background as he meets her again when she's up for an audition that fails as she continues to struggle as an actress. While Chris feels happy with Chloe, he's surprised at the generosity he's been getting from Alec who accepts him immediately into the family as is Eleanor who doesn't have the same feelings towards Nola. During a day at the Hewett home, Eleanor's suggestions and criticism about Nola's failed desire to become an actress gets to her as she walks out upset as Chris comes after her where they begin a fling. The affair only becomes brief as Nola wants to move on and after she broke up with Tom, she leaves the U.S. With Tom marrying a woman named Carol (Rose Keegan), Chris marries Chloe but his obsession with Nola troubles him.

The result of his obsession only troubles Chloe's desire to want a child as Chris' new job working in his father-in-law's firm leaves him a bit unfulfilled. Then one day at a museum, Nola appears as he asks her phone number. Immediately, a secretive affair happens as Chris finds his fulfillment with Nola but a secure future with Chloe though their attempts to create a child only troubles them. Then when the affair gets more intense, Nola doesn't want the affair to be secretive anymore. Chris finds himself in a bind as he learns some distressing news from Nola as she demands that he should leave Chloe. Chris turns to an old friend in Henry (Rupert-Penry Jones) about his situation where a life with Nola could be modest but there's no future but with Chloe, he is secure and can get anything. While Chloe becomes suspicious of what's going on, Chris goes to a drastic decision that will haunt him.

While the story of Match Point isn't anything groundbreaking, particularly in the third act which resembles the dramatic situation in Allen's 1989 masterpiece Crimes & Misdemeanors. What is new is where Allen goes to where originally, it was supposed to be in Long Island, New York but due to financial situations, London becomes a new background where everything works. Not only does Allen explore the posh world of London but he uses the city as a new world that he never has been to by delving into Alfred Hitchcock for his script. The story does reference the idea of luck but in a more realistic yet cynical point of view where Allen comes to the conclusion that the world isn't very happy. Particularly when the third act is explored by two detectives in Inspector Dowd (Ewen Bremner) and Detective Banner (James Nesbitt).

While Allen's direction is his most entrancing since Husbands & Wives, it's because he aims for an observant view of how these characters live and how they behave. By the third act, it begins to deconstruct itself from this study of a man trying to work his way into the upper class only to find a way to mess with it. In that third act, not only does Allen rip himself off but also Hitchcock on how he plots things and how he uses elements of mystery where the conclusion overall becomes a bit more cynical and nihilistic. In many ways, this is Allen at his most bleakest. His strength as a director is only topped more in his role as a writer. The script is by far is most inspiring and solid since Crimes & Misdemeanors where in the previous film, he explores the morals and in Match Point, he goes into the idea of trying to get away with it without any moral consent.

Both stories have certain parallels in the way Nola is a bit like Anjelica Huston's character Dolores and Chris is a bit like Martin Landau's Judah Rosenthal. The difference is that the characters in Match Point aren't just younger but are in entirely different situations of sympathy and where their characters stand. What is similar is in the situations they're in terms of where they're at in their lives where both Chris and Judah are living in respected, posh lifestyles and how their affairs would threaten their positions and the people around them. Both men not only could find ways to reason with their lovers but choose crime to deal with it. The only difference is the moral aftermath and the situations that result. The Nola/Dolores characters are both desperate, neurotic, and passionate but only the Dolores character seems to be more in sympathy since she's the one more ridden with guilt while Nola really has nothing to offer. In many ways, this is Woody Allen reaching into old territory and finding something new to say.

Helping Allen in his observant vision is cinematographer Remi Adefarasin who does a wonderful job in capturing the beauty world of posh London with his lighting techniques of the interiors and exteriors in its grey skies. Production designer Jim Clay and set decorator Caroline Smith do a great job in not capturing the locations of the rich world of London but finding every way where this world does feel a sense of comfort as opposed to the more simplistic world of Nola. The costumes by Jill Taylor also reveal the posh world, particularly the suits of Chris and Tom and the dresses for Chloe and Nola. Alisa Lepselter, who has been Allen's editor since 1999's Sweet & Lowdown, does a wonderful job in giving the film a leisurely pace in its near two-hour running time which makes it Allen’s longest film to date.

Then there is the music where in previous films, Allen goes for jazz pieces but in this film he goes for opera. The opera music uses it as a dramatic crutch while bringing the emotional tension and drama where Allen plays the film as if it was an opera where tragedy is to come. His choice of music by Guiseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini, Carlo Gomes, Georges Bizet, Gaetano Donizetti, and Andrew Lloyd Webber definitely creates a wonderful film soundtrack and a nice introduction mix-tape for opera music.

Finally, we have the cast which includes nice, small performances from Rose Keegan, Rupert-Penry Jones, Geoffrey Streatfield as Chris' boss at the firm, and Margaret Tyzack as Nola's neighbor. Ewen Bremner and James Nesbitt are excellent in their roles as detectives with differing views on things where Bremner seems more cynical while Nesbitt is more imaginative in his ideas of how crime is committed. Penelope Wilton is wonderful in his role as Eleanor whose views can be hurtful but is a woman who only wants the best for her children despite her own ideals. Brian Cox is perfect as this generous, warm man who has accomplished everything while wanting to give Chris a shot for his own hard work and providing comfort for everyone around him, including Nola. Matthew Goode is also excellent as the charming Tom who likes to show off while being friendly to Chris while his own actions for Nola on their break-up reveals a flaw about his own reputation in front of his family.

Of the supporting cast, Emily Mortimer is the real star as a naive, scorned woman who may live a posh life but has at least some knowledge of the world outside her. Mortimer displays a sweetness and restraint as a scorned woman who becomes suspicious while feeling she might not be enough for Chris as Mortimer really gives a masterful, truly sympathetic performance as she tries to give everything for her husband. Scarlett Johansson is also excellent in her performance as Nola where she starts off as this fragile, neurotic young woman who has trouble trying to start a career while getting into an affair. By the third act, Johansson makes her character to be very unlikable although it doesn't entirely work since it's more of a caricature of Anjelica Huston's character in Crimes & Misdemeanors where Nola has no motivation for what she can do with her life with Chris.

Finally, there's Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in his best performance to date as Chris Wilton. What Rhys-Meyers did which was a wise decision for a Woody Allen film was being a Woody Allen protagonist but without acting like Allen. Rhys-Meyers definitely brings a performance that is brilliant in terms of trying to protect himself while delving into bad deeds. When it comes to the situation and decisions he's in, Rhys-Meyers shows the morality and anguish his character is in as he plays it perfectly while having great chemistry with both Johansson and Mortimer.

While it's not a groundbreaking film, Match Point is truly a superb effort from Woody Allen who definitely has made his best film since Crimes & Misdemeanors. Thanks to a great cast led by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Brian Cox, Matthew Goode, and Penelope Wilton, Allen has finally got his mojo back. Though it's unclear if he can keep it going, this film does prove in why Woody Allen is one of the best as he delves into some new territory of cynicism and justice. While new fans could find something attractive about the film, old fans will definitely be pleased as Woody Allen scores with Match Point.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011