A Few Words About A few words about...™ Cafe Society -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Cafe Society had me perplexed, especially as someone who has been a Woody Allen fan since the '60s.

It's an odd film.

Gorgeously photographed by Vittorio Storraro, in all of the appropriate shades of 1930s Technicolored Hollywood.

But aside from a typically Allen-esqe story, it's difficult to watch. Many of the players almost seem to walk through the film in a dreamlike fashion -- knowing theie lines, as they've read their sides, but never, ever really getting into them, or emoting in any way.

The entire film almost seems as through it's a first walk-through, combined with a second table read.

Without a director.

There's one sequence in which Jeannie Berlin and Ken Stott are have a discussion, with the camera cutting back and forth from one to the other. The feeling of the sequence as played and edited, is that cue cards are being held up for each, and they simply say their lines.

It's a beautiful film, but it has no real cinematic quality, and little soul.

Jus odd for an Allen film.

Image - 5

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass


RAH

 

[Dick]

Well, Allen has always been inconsistent, and how could he not be, getting a new film out virtually every year? I love most of his work, but I am not an Allen completist. I dislike a bunch of his films (INTERIORS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY, SEPTEMBER, the Kenneth Branagh thing). I love beyond words many others (BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, SLEEPER, MANHATTAN, ANNIE HALL, etc.) The rest are in between, and I own them. In fact, I have 29 of his films on Blu-ray (some from Europe) and a few more on DVD that I hope will be upgraded (HUSBANDS AND WIVES, EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS...., BANANAS, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, any of which I believe TT could release, and TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN).

CAFE SOCIETY sounds like it will be a bit like IRRATIONAL MAN or MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT, with their dichotomy of good and bad elements, having typically witty dialog but very erratic performances. The director is an old man now, and it is questionable how many more films he will physically be able to crank out, but I keep hoping for at least one more MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

Give him this, besides his dozen or so true masterpieces: he is a terrific writer of women's roles, and has led several actresses (I still prefer that term, sorry) to Oscar wins.