Post by StevePulaski on May 28, 2017 1:02:43 GMT -5
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Directed by: Woody Allen
Directed by: Woody Allen
Woody Allen and Helen Hunt.
Rating: ★★★
To ignore the gender-politics in Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is to sweep an important and somewhat troublesome detail under the rug that prevents me from labeling the film "great." Given the context of Allen's image and history - and recently in the public eye - it's hard to bury the details of a film that's fundamental plotpoint revolves around the control and submission of people, particularly women. In the film, Allen plays a womanizing, quietly misogynistic cad of the 1940s, and era-specific hallmarks aside, it takes on a sort of ickiness that can't be ignored - especially in the ambiguous ending.
But The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is at least a little self-aware about its problematic undertones, which is why I see it playing a bit defensively by focusing on intrigue. As a result, its attention to visual-detail and performances make for a surprisingly competent and thoroughly engaging little mystery, owing a lot to the days of film noir and, paradoxically, the convincing and empowering aspects of dames placed in powerful roles. For a film considered by Allen to be among one of his worst films - if not his biggest failure, few failures have been this intriguing or this likable on an aesthetic and narrative level.
The focus of the film rests on Allen's C.W. Briggs, an insurance investigator in New York City who takes the job of running his division and public office very seriously. This explains why he becomes considerably unhinged upon the arrival of "efficiency expert" Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), a fiery woman who is torn between drastically overhauling his operations or entirely transferring the division's responsibilities to a preexisting entity. Miss Fitzgerald - how she's often billed - sees right through C.W.'s friendly quips to women and playful buttocks-pinching to see a man the equivalent of a roach and a masher.
The two, however, get a little closer to one another at a company dinner when a magician named Voltan (David Ogden Stiers) puts them under heavy hypnosis during one of his acts. By dangling a jade scorpion before their eyes, he puts them into a deep trance and under the ability to be controlled following a magic word being uttered. C.W.'s trigger-word is "Constantinople," Miss Fitzgerald's is "Madagascar." Voltan makes the two act as if they are lovers on a honeymoon shortly after having them confess their hatred and hostility towards one another, but once he snaps his fingers, all of those feelings vanish and the two act as if nothing had just taken place at all.
Later that day, C.W. receives a phone-call from Voltan, who uses his trigger-word in order to have C.W. sneak into a vault and steal a plethora of rare, expensive jewels for him. Once C.W. is woken up, he has no memory of committing these crimes whatsoever, and just has the knowledge that the jewels have been stolen by an unknown perpetrator. He assumes Miss Fitzgerald is the culprit as her relationship with her boss, Chris Magruder (Dan Aykroyd), gets even shadier as time goes on, but enlists in the help of his coworkers/assistants George (Wallace Shawn) and Al (Brian Markinson) to try and crack the intricacies of his hypnosis.
Brewing throughout the film, however, is sexual tension between C.W. and Miss Fitzgerald. The two bicker and prod one another to no end, both exercising the deliciously verbose insults that only Allen could pen amidst one-liners and jokes only Allen could conceive. Allen's insatiable sexual appetite for women significantly younger than him is a big point of contention with Miss Fitzgerald, who sees him as nothing more than a sleaze, at least until her trigger-word is uttered and she becomes consumed by his attractiveness and gentlemanly ways.
Helen Hunt gives a wonderful performance as a dame not so far removed from those found in classic film noirs, such as The Maltese Falcon. She's powerful and intimidating, as well as fiercely watchable, contrasting Allen's mostly muted neurosis and his character's rare competence as a person with an even more assured level of confidence. True moments of range and accomplishment emerge from Hunt as Miss Fitzgerald begins to fall off the deep-end, resorting to chugging hard liquor and bottles of wine in a fury of rage and depression. C.W. winds up becoming gravely concerned about Miss Fitzgerald's health and well-being, resorting to spend the night with her at her apartment after she blacks out. What unfolds upon her waking up, rather than an emotional heart-to-heart, is a rant between the two about C.W.'s clingy nature on top of Miss Fitzgerald's incessant snoring and unconscious musings.
The lengthy roster of strong female performances not only from Hunt, but also Charlize Theron in an arresting role and Elizabeth Berkley (Showgirls) also give rise to an upper-hand that lies beyond Allen's frequent grip on his most intimate projects, particularly those in which he also stars.
Allen finds a way to avoid most things you've come to expect from his films, specifically the difficult-to-define ones from the early 2000s. Even he, himself, isn't as brazenly nervous or bumbling as you'd expect him to be; he's not a foolish nor timid soul, but one caught in a serious predicament that he cannot come to solve. The way he writes C.W. is interesting but the way he plays him off by being entirely different from any role I've seen him hone in the many films I've seen from him - is commendable.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is also visually dazzling, appearing almost as if it is a film noir or a 1940s studio picture rendered in color, but not the usual color associated with the period. Rather than the Technicolor films of the era, which sometimes appeared as if scenes were forcibly colored in by a heavy-hand armed with a Crayola crayon, Allen's mystery has a visual palette that looks humble and burnt. Yellows carry a mustard-like hue, ordinarily noticeable colors like blue and green take on an indigo or jade quality respectively, and the entire film gives the impression of appearing beyond its years. I was also shocked to learn that the film was released in 2001; it has much more in common with the screwball films Allen used to make in the 1970s and 1980s, in addition to the visual style, which feels naturally erected rather than carefully constructed.
As stated, Allen considers The Curse of the Jade Scorpion to be his worst film for several reasons: he feels casting himself as the lead was a huge mistake, shots and certain moments fall flat, and reshoots - something vital to the Allen process - were impossible given how expensive the costume and set design of the film was (over $30 million, Allen's heftiest pricetag for a film to date). Despite the aforementioned problematic undertones of the film's subject matter, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion winds up being fun and pulpy, great to look at and impressively conceived on all fronts. Allen honestly works well in the titular role, even if he might be one-upped by the involved Helen Hunt, who makes a die-hard Allen fan wish he utilized her more in his more recent works, and the film carries that detailed and commercial look of Allen's 2000s pictures, such as Anything Else and Hollywood Ending in a way that goes for a broader attempt at captivating the mainstream while remaining true to long-held constants. The film is impressive, vibrant, and well-acted, effectively serving as homage and a rousing work that subtly showcases growth of Allen's screenwriting abilities.
Starring: Woody Allen, Helen Hunt, Dan Aykroyd, David Ogden Stiers, Charlize Theron, Elizabeth Berkley, Wallace Shawn, and Brian Markinson. Directed by: Woody Allen.