Sweet and Lowdown
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Sweet and Lowdown |
| Original title | Sweet and Lowdown |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1999 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Woody Allen |
| script | Woody Allen |
| production | Jean Doumanian |
| music | Dick Hyman |
| camera | Zhao Fei |
| cut | Alisa Lepselter |
| occupation | |
| |
Sweet and Lowdown is a film in the tragicomedy genre . It was produced in the USA in 1999 . Directed by Woody Allen .
action
“Sweet and Lowdown” is Woody Allen's homage to the swing era. It tells the life of the fictional jazz guitarist Emmet Ray, a bully and drinker who shoots rats in the urban garbage dump in his free time. Only when the gifted Emmet Ray picks up the guitar does he melt women's hearts and reconcile the organizers with his antics. It is Django Reinhardt be on idol.
The central theme is Ray's relationship with the mute laundress Hattie. The self-amorous musician uses the girl indifferently to her feelings. Finally he throws it away to turn to the glamorous would-be writer Blanche, who in turn leaves him because of a professional killer. One day his nemesis Django Reinhardt seems to come dangerously close to him (in fact it is a joke), but he escapes by fleeing. Much later, the injured musician looks for Hattie and has to learn that broken hearts sometimes don't heal and that there is not always a second chance in love (see the similar basic constellation in Fellini's La Strada ).
The plot is often interrupted by interviews with witnesses of the jazz era. This documentary style creates a complex and sometimes contradicting image. The interviews confirm the statement that artists as people are sometimes a disappointment that is hard to cope with and that the beauty of art is not necessarily reflected in the artist's character.
In a key scene, Blanche asks Ray what he was thinking about while playing his wonderful music. The guitarist says bluntly that most of the time he thinks about how badly he gets paid for his music. It is not the only irritation that the character of the fictional guitarist leaves on the audience. Nevertheless, everyone manages to keep the tone humorous and casual. Sean Penn gives the macho guitarist as thoroughly honest and completely unreflective people. And the guitarist Howard Alden lends him his "voice".
Reviews
“Woody Allen's homage to swing captivates with its narrative and visual elegance, which combine with the music to create an atmospheric picture of the time. Sean Penn delivers an excellent portrayal of a self-loving bully and womanizer, whose emotional expression beyond music remains extremely limited until he experiences pain and loss on his own body. An extremely enjoyable piece of cinema. "
“I haven't seen a portrayal [like Samantha Morton's] in years. […] The whole film […] a gentle reminder that this era is long over and there is no going back. "
Others
"Sweet and Lowdown" is not the first fictional biography in Woody Allen's work. His mockumentary Woody, the unlucky fellow about the petty criminal Virgil Starkwell, who Allen embodied himself, appeared as early as 1969 .
Zelig (1983) was far more technically complex . Numerous newsreel recordings from archive material were elaborately edited in order to make the fictional Leonard Zelig (again represented by Allen himself) appear as a well-known personality of the 1920s.
Awards
- Academy Awards 2000 (nominations)
- Best Actor: Sean Penn
- Best Supporting Actress: Samantha Morton
- Golden Globes 2000 (nominations)
- Best Actor (Musical / Comedy): Sean Penn
- Best Supporting Actress: Samantha Morton
- Empire Awards 2000 (nomination)
- Best British Actress: Samantha Morton
Web links
- Sweet and Lowdown in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Sweet and Lowdown atRotten Tomatoes(English)
- Sweet and Lowdown at Metacritic (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Sweet and Lowdown in the Lexicon of International Films
- ^ Stephanie Zacharek: "Sweet and Lowdown". In: Salon.com. December 3, 1999, accessed on August 14, 2008 (English): “but British actress Samantha Morton quietly explodes it: Her performance is like nothing I've seen in recent years. [...] The whole movie [...] a gentle reminder that this era is long past, and there's no going back. "