Tuesday 18 August 2015

Cassandra's Dream (2007 Woody Allen & scr)

In Greek myth, Cassandra had the gift of prophesy but was cursed by Apollo that no one would believe her. How that fits in, I'm not quite sure.

Not having seen or read a Greek tragedy (actually referenced in garden party scene - maybe a clue) I have no idea if this is like one, but it feels like it is in inexorable series of events which cause Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor to become murderers for uncle Tom Wilkinson (all fabulous, with Farrell perhaps the stand-out). You wouldn't know it was a Woody Allen, neither does it bear the marks of a Hitch or Chabrol - it's its own thing, with Philip Glass's composed score lending it a very different feel (and not a gag - though the ironies are fantastic, in particular the one you realise after the film's ended - that Wilkinson has got away with everything).

Tense. References to Bonnie and Clyde don't help!

With the fabulous Sally Hawkins, who Woody loved enough to cast her as a lead in Blue Jasmine, and Hayley Atwell. Some of the dialogue scenes between supporting characters like John Benfield and Clare Higgins feel a little stilted, like Woody was too keen to rush off and watch the Knicks. Also with Phil Davis, Jim Carter, Ashley Madekwe.

Funny to think of the London crew being run by septuagenarians Allen and Vilmos Zsigmond, who catch bits of the City in unfamiliar ways.

It's quite a mystery that Match Point did so well, and this didn't. It's a film that "for a number of reasons went directly into the Witness Protection Program" laughs Woody in the Eric Lax book.

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