Monday, January 09, 2006
Match Point, a Dreiserian movie with added twists by Woody Allen
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Seeing Match Point, Woody Allen’s DreamWorks/BBC production, fresh after the An American Tragedy operatic experience is quite an emotional charge.
Woody Allen, in his best serious nihilistic excercize in many yeards, goes through the Theodore Dreiser New York setting, transplanted to London. A young serious arriviste tennis pro with a love for opera (Chris Wilton, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) training a wealthy playboy (Tom Hewett, played by Matthew Goode), is adopted into his wealthy London family (the scenics are outstanding) as the husband of his sister Chloe. He falls for Tom’s seductive fiancé, an aspiring actress from Colorado, Nola Rice (Scarlet Johanssen) , who becomes the problem, pure Dreiser, but with a final twist that is pure nihilistic Woody.
The whole movie with its predictable outcome is as thightly constructed as a Strindbergh play, no throwaway scenes. You know where it is going, not distracted by the Henry Jamesian social banter, the luscious scenics and Tate Modern art decor. The clues are in the recurring backgroung music, the melancholy catchy theme of Una Furtiva Lacrima from Garetano Donizetti’s (1797-1848) L’Elisir d’ Amour, as sung (allegedly) by Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) presumably electronically improved, with La Traviata and Rigoletto arias (for the high drama scenes) interspersed.
There might be a little jarring politics added to the literay content (“The innocent are slain to make way for grander schemes. You were collateral damage.”) that interfere with the high-minded theme of the factor of luck, announced in the innocent opening tennis sequence. Allen succeeds in keeping our attention, although in a depressingly pointed way. It is not surprising that viewers exit laughing ofter suffering gut-wrenching pain, inappropriate but indicative of post-operative relief.
Seeing Match Point, Woody Allen’s DreamWorks/BBC production, fresh after the An American Tragedy operatic experience is quite an emotional charge.
Woody Allen, in his best serious nihilistic excercize in many yeards, goes through the Theodore Dreiser New York setting, transplanted to London. A young serious arriviste tennis pro with a love for opera (Chris Wilton, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) training a wealthy playboy (Tom Hewett, played by Matthew Goode), is adopted into his wealthy London family (the scenics are outstanding) as the husband of his sister Chloe. He falls for Tom’s seductive fiancé, an aspiring actress from Colorado, Nola Rice (Scarlet Johanssen) , who becomes the problem, pure Dreiser, but with a final twist that is pure nihilistic Woody.
The whole movie with its predictable outcome is as thightly constructed as a Strindbergh play, no throwaway scenes. You know where it is going, not distracted by the Henry Jamesian social banter, the luscious scenics and Tate Modern art decor. The clues are in the recurring backgroung music, the melancholy catchy theme of Una Furtiva Lacrima from Garetano Donizetti’s (1797-1848) L’Elisir d’ Amour, as sung (allegedly) by Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) presumably electronically improved, with La Traviata and Rigoletto arias (for the high drama scenes) interspersed.
There might be a little jarring politics added to the literay content (“The innocent are slain to make way for grander schemes. You were collateral damage.”) that interfere with the high-minded theme of the factor of luck, announced in the innocent opening tennis sequence. Allen succeeds in keeping our attention, although in a depressingly pointed way. It is not surprising that viewers exit laughing ofter suffering gut-wrenching pain, inappropriate but indicative of post-operative relief.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 8:59 PM 
