Under the spell of the Jade Scorpio
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Under the spell of the Jade Scorpio |
| Original title | The Curse of the Jade Scorpion |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2001 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Woody Allen |
| script | Woody Allen |
| production | Letty Aronson |
| camera | Zhao Fei |
| cut | Alisa Lepselter |
| occupation | |
| |
Under the Spell of Jade Scorpio is a 2001 film by Woody Allen . It is a 1940 gangster comedy based on Raymond Chandler's Marlowe novels.
action
The maxim of the successful insurance detective for stolen jewelry and works of art, CW Briggs ( Woody Allen ) is, "You have to be a thief yourself to be able to catch a thief". The effectiveness expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald ( Helen Hunt ), who had been hired recently, is to renew the filing system of the insurance company. Briggs does not want to get used to this innovation, however, as he has so far been quite successful with his tried and tested system. Betty Ann has a relationship with her mutual boss, Chris Magruder ( Dan Aykroyd ). Briggs and Fitzgerald share their mutual dislike in sharp-tongued verbal battles in an open exchange of blows.
At an evening birthday party of her colleague George Bond ( Wallace Shawn ), which takes place in the vaudeville of the magician Voltan Polgar ( David Ogden Stiers ), the two fighters are supposed to be hypnotized by a jade scorpion pendulum. First Briggs is put into a trance by the keyword "Constantinople", then Betty Ann by the word "Madagascar". Voltan Polgar tells them that - much to the delight of their colleagues - they should behave like lovers.
When Voltan calls Polgar Briggs after his introduction and mentions the key word “Constantinople”, he, as an externally controlled medium, is committing a jewel theft; the recurring musical motif for this is Wilbur de Paris ' trumpet from the jazz classic "In a Persian Market". The following night he steals a second jewel in the same way. He cannot remember any of the thefts and is even given the task of solving them himself. Through a tip from one of his dubious informants, he suspects Betty Ann ("Cherchez la femme", French: "there is a woman behind it") of having committed the theft, although the evidence speaks for himself as the perpetrator.
When the jewels are finally found on him, he is arrested, but is able to escape the police and finds a safe hiding place at Betty Ann, whose apartment he regards as harmless because of her feud. She grudgingly gives him shelter, but basically believes in his innocence, because she does not trust him to do such a bold act. While Briggs fell asleep on her sofa from exhaustion, Betty Ann is now hypnotized by Voltan during the night with her keyword "Madagascar" and also used for a jewel theft. She returns to her apartment after her raid. In the ongoing trance she shows herself, much to the delight of Briggs just awakened, towards him in the same state of infatuation as in Voltan Polgar's imagination. When Briggs goes to his insurance office for research purposes, his colleague George, who is himself a hobby hypnotist, uncovered Voltan's whole hypnosis trick, because by accidentally mentioning Briggs' key word he put it back into a trance and he was unconsciously remember the thefts committed. With this knowledge, Briggs, who is now also de-hypnotized, can convict Voltan Polgar and his assistant.
CW Briggs decides to hand over his resignation to his boss, Chris Magruder. He and Betty Ann are currently making final preparations for their trip to Paris. On the advice of his colleague Alvin "Al" ( Brian Markinson ) Briggs decides to confess his love to her, which she rejects as downright ridiculous. Only when he mentions her key word "Madagascar" does Betty Ann return his love and leave Magruder. Al finds it remarkable that you can use hypnosis to get people to do things that you would never do in a normal state - by which he means Betty Ann's apparently hypnotized return of love. George countered his assumption that no one would act against his will, not even under hypnosis. But at least, Al continued, George fortunately forgot to “deprogram” Betty Ann, and Briggs would just have to use her keyword “Madagascar” every morning to keep her in love. George replies that he just "deprogrammed" her last night. While Betty Ann and Briggs want to leave the office together, Briggs tells Betty Ann that she is still in a trance-like state that at some point he would get her to make her love a reality. Unimpressed, she replies that, on the contrary, she even made him love her without having to use the word “Constantinople”. In the last scene, Betty Ann strolls down the office corridor with her arm nonchalantly around the visibly confused Briggs. The scene is underlaid with Duke Ellington's jazz serenade “ Sophisticated Lady ”.
Reviews
"A stylishly equipped crook comedy that convinces with routine self- irony , witty wit and an elegant musical dramaturgy." ( Film-dienst )
“The film is laid out like a boulevard piece over long stretches : with characters who live between the door and hinge, penetrate other people's apartments and burst into the action at the wrong or exactly at the right moment.” ( Der Spiegel , 49/2001)
The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating “particularly valuable”.
Awards
- 2001: Best film in the Gran Angular section at the Sitges Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya
Web links
- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Under the Spell of Jade Scorpio . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 89050 / V).