英國獨立報一篇落落長的文章, 討論Woody Allen現在的問題
http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/features/article2921889.ece
個人認為寫得還不錯, 比Hollywood Reporter那篇有深度一點
Why 'Cassandra's Dream' is turning out to be Woody Allen's nightmare
In his latest film, premiered at the Venice Film Festival yesterday, the
veteran American director abandons his native New York for the unfamiliar
streets – and accents – of London. Geoffrey Macnab wonders whether
something got lost in translation
Published: 03 September 2007
Woody Allen's new feature Cassandra's Dream premiered in Venice yesterday.
To many critics, it seemed feeble and dispiriting fare – the work of an old
master in decline.
(......)
In Italy, as in France, Allen is still adored. He is still the "maestro,"
even if his films are increasingly lacking in the comic zest and ingenuity
that once characterised them.
The response he was given in Venice yesterday was gentle and solicitous. It
was as if a beloved elderly relative had come to town. Sure enough, there was
at least one Italian journalist ready to stand up and congratulate him on his
latest "masterpiece," seemingly oblivious to the fact that this is surely one
of his weakest films. No curve balls were thrown in his direction.
No one picked up on the slack tempo of Cassandra's Dream, its bizarrely
genteel portrayal of London, (at times, the film resembles an episode of
EastEnders) or its dramatic lacunae.
No one joked about Farrell and McGregor's Dick Van Dyke-like London accents
or the way they behave like London's answer to Biff and Happy Loman in Arthur
Miller's classic play, Death Of A Salesman.
(......)
In some ways, even if it is short on humour and is set in London, Cassandra's
Dream is a typical Allen movie. As in Crimes And Misdemeanours, it is a story
about death and guilt.
Hayley Attwell's precocious and siren-like young actress Angela is yet
another of those beautiful ingenues who fill his work.
The close-knit London family isn't so different from the equally close-knit
New York families he has portrayed in earlier, autobiographical films like
Radio Days. As played by Tom Wilkinson, the mysterious and wealthy Uncle
Howard could almost be mistaken for one of those supercilious New Yorkers
Tony Roberts used to play in his films.
On one hand, Allen is revisiting his past in Cassandra's Dream. On the other,
he is clearly keen to escape it. His is a familiar tale of the clown
determined to be taken seriously.
(.......)
Allen loves London but there is little sign that he understands the rhythm or
subcultures of the city in the same way that he does those of New York.
Yesterday, he was fulsome in his praise of the city and expressed the desire
to work there yet again.
"I certainly would love to make another film in London. It is a truly
seductive place in which to work because it is a very nice place to live for
the long period of time it takes to make the film."
Allen even likes London's weather, which is cooler than in New York and
provides plenty of the grey, cloud-filled skies that he likes to photograph.
It's questionable, though, whether London (or Europe) is good for his work.
(.......)
McGregor and Farrell both praised Allen fulsomely, but their accounts of
working with him hint at why, perhaps, Cassandra's Dream seemed so
under-realised. To put it bluntly, Allen may have made the film too quickly
and too easily.
"Most of the scenes play out in a single frame," McGregor explained. "There
is a lot of dialogue. There are not many takes – it's wonderful. You get
home at 4.30pm in the afternoon. You can have a life."
So what now for Allen? There is no sign that he is going to re-think his work
methods. For as long as he is able, he seems determined to continue churning
out a film a year. If inspiration is running dry, there are always offshoots
from older projects that he can customise and make new film scripts from.
(........)
Hmm.... 我不是伍迪的影迷, 不過個人認為媒體/影評隊伍迪老爺爺太嚴苛了點
雖然他的作品不如當年是不爭的事實(咳)
但一個人活到七十幾歲, 創作了三四十年, 還在持續創作, 光這點精神就可嘉
伍爺爺自己也說, 創作本來就是有好有壞, 重點是他還要繼續創作下去....
卡珊卓的一大問題看來是, 不夠道地
因為它描寫倫敦中下階級的人物, 但伍爺爺既不是倫敦人, 也不是中下階級....
本文作者還質疑現在伍迪跑到歐洲創作, 對他(的作品)究竟有無好處
不過就是美國人對他嚴苛, 他才跑到歐洲尋求支持的吧....呵呵
現在就等著看票房如何吧, 基本上就算伍迪拿自己以前的劇本出來隨便改編重寫
也還是比現在好萊塢許多電影的劇本強 XD
IMDB上還是有很多死忠擁護者....(and they love Ewan too)
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