Cassandra's Dream (Woody Allen, 2008)

[sevenarts]

I'm very unsure how I feel about this film, as a whole. In a lot of ways, it felt like a predictable retread of Match Point, and Woody's ventures in this direction are becoming a bit played-out. Even so, it did improve upon its antecedents in at least a few important respects, most notably the fact that it's possibly the first time in Woody's whole oeuvre that he's presented a credible vision of class struggle and the desperation of poverty. This is a director who is usually thoroughly insulated by the upper class, even when, as in Match Point or Scoop, his main character is a poor interloper in the upper strata. But in this case, McGregor and Farrell are wholly believable in their desperate desire to improve their lives and find some comfort and success in any way possible -- I felt their pain and ambition in a way that I just never did with the chilly Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Match Point, even though his character ostensibly has the same basic motivation.

I also quite liked the mysterious ending, which systematically draws back from the impending drama with an abrupt return to stasis and ordinary life. The intercut shots of the two girls shopping joltingly throws the film back into the everyday, indicating that the fabric of this mundane working-class life goes on in its plodding way, even after the tragic burnout of the two brothers who strive to escape this ordinary existence. The brothers were outside the ordinary, and as a result they briefly flirted with great success as well as great risks. The film is a steady progression from ordinary life, meticulously documented in the slow-moving and lowkey first half of the film, into the dangerous and the emotionally exhausting. These final few shots signal that this interlude is over, that normality is already settling in once more -- as well as, on a more emotional plane, giving a sense of the great loss felt by the brothers' sudden absence. Their deaths leave a hole in the film and the abrupt ending is the giant sucking void of this hole.

Obviously, I found a lot to like here, and it's definitely a worthwhile film. At the same time, I couldn't escape the inevitable feeling that Woody is treading in all too familiar waters, and that he really needs to move beyond this Crimes and Misdemeanors/Match Point territory for his next film.

[Antoine Doinel]

How Cassandra's Dream just missed being rated R for - *gasp* - smoking.

[montgomery]

The rules are ridiculous, but what's with the quality of writing in that article?

"The cast of “Cassandra’s Dream” burns through so many cigarettes on screen that some patrons have exited theaters feeling like they just paid $12 to sit in the ashtray of an 18-wheeler."

What's with the hyperbole here? Are we really to believe that anybody who saw that film came out feeling woozy--or even cheated, or offended--by the smoking in that film? (I personally didn't even notice it).

[Magic Hate Ball]

I'd forgotten that suddenly smoking was offensive.

[tavernier]

Suddenly?

[Magic Hate Ball]

Suddenly?

On-screen, I mean.

[domino harvey]

On DVD May 27

[Lemmy Caution]

Liked the film a good deal.
I'm somewhere between dylan and sevenarts in my appreciation, but would call Cassandra's Dream easily the best Woody Allen of the century.

Very solid, unflashy direction. Good acting and genuine characters. Somewhat of a rehash of Match Point, but much more involving and satisfying.

I thought there was one weak scene (which could have used a re-take) and one weak plot point, both involving the rich uncle. So it's interesting to note earlier in this thread that originally the girl was supposed to lead to the brothers' downfall, and at some later point this was shifted to the uncle. Not sure when this was altered, but might account for the bumpiness around that character. Still Tom Wilkinson does a good as the uncle who is both more and less than he appears.

[Dylan]

So it's interesting to note earlier in this thread that originally the girl was supposed to lead to the brothers' downfall, and at some later point this was shifted to the uncle.

We should keep in mind that when a Woody Allen film is in production, journalists struggle to piece together the plot from the few details that are available, as his productions tend to be elusive until the festival reports (i.e. at the moment nobody's entirely sure what Vicky Cristina Barcelona is about other than vague reports that it in part deals with two female tourists in Barcelona and their intersecting sexual and romantic relationships with an artist and his ex, and this is probably because those who know more about it don't have the liberties to discuss it yet*). More than likely the early vague reports were incorrect about Atwood's role in the film. I remember when Match Point was being filmed and was in post, and for the longest time Woody Allen himself was listed among the cast members, which was finally changed by the time Ebert (and others) reviewed the film the summer it premiered at Cannes.

*Woody Allen is still one of the few directors who can (reasonably) successfully control what is said about his films when they are in pre and post production.

Meanwhile, I'm really looking forward to seeing this again on DVD. It's a shame that it was the worst-distributed film in Allen's career since September (which was actually released on fewer screens than Cassandra's Dream), as it's a very, very good film that most definitely deserves to be seen and discussed.

[Jeff]

On DVD May 27

art

[jorencain]

I never thought I'd see the name "Woody Allen" on a DVD cover that looked like that.

I can't wait to see it though.

[pianocrash]

Stakes is high, Mr. Allen.

The film's engagement was less than a week around these parts, since Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins needed another screen for its first week opening. I guess I should blame all that risqué smoking.

[ugobo]

For the first time in years,i'll have to wait until the DVD release to see the new Woody. Cassandra's Dream was'nt distributed here in Montreal. There was about four different release slots announced from november but were always cancelled.
I was used to attend the very first screening each time a new Woody film was released. But now i seriously wondering if those times are over...

What a shame...

[Antoine Doinel]

I'm still holding out for a theatrical release here in Montreal. I saw the preview for the film just last week in front of The Diving Bell & The Butterfly. I believe Christal Films is handling distribution in Quebec so I'm still hoping they'll get it on some screens before the DVD release.

[Dylan]

Revised cover art

[Antoine Doinel]

Both covers are pretty bad, but I think I've seen the revised cover before:

[Dylan]

Not to mention this:



I don't mind the new DVD art, frankly, but the US poster art (unremarkable as it is) remains the best Cassandra's Dream graphic out there.

[AWA]

US poster art should be the only image for this film.

And while the new cover is better, both of them are intensely misleading as there are no real "guns" like that in the entire film (anyone who's seen the film here will know what I'm talking about). Completely misleading cover art... and I use the term "art" very lightly here.

[broadwayrock]

Add another one to the list:



This cover design must be designed by the same person.

[Dylan]

At least the Before the Devil Knows You're Dead art has the cool Saul Bass-style logo.

[Dylan]

The Beaver posted their review a couple weeks ago. The second capture is a good (but not great) example of Zsigmond's gorgeous outdoor lighting in this film, but wait until you see the first scene with Atwell - she glows in his light.

I love this film more everytime I think about it, and I look forward to my revisit (hopefully very soon). But in the meantime, I look forward to everybody on here who missed it finally checking it out and giving their opinions.

[MadJack]

I've been meaning to post some thoughts on this film, as it's one of my favourite of Woody's films, but to be honest, I'm not really sure what to say about it, apart from the obvious: good/great acting, well shot/cut, interesting score. It's just really good.

In a year when endings of films created such strong talking points (Atonement, No Country, There Will Be Blood), I think that the most...difficult one was Cassandra's. That the key act that brought about the film's conclusion was omitted, and then that intriguing cut away to the women shopping - I still don't know what to make of that, but it's brilliant.

I guess there were negative points - some of the dialogue, perhaps, but nothing major. But the positives were so overwhelmingly great - Wilkinson and McGregor and Farrell in the park, discussing Wilkinson's proposition; the scene in the club where they meet Martin Burns, and then the chase and it's conclusion.

It was, for me, one of the top two or three films of the past year, and I cannot understand why it has recieved such almost-universally bad reviews.

[MichaelB]

It was, for me, one of the top two or three films of the past year, and I cannot understand why it has recieved such almost-universally bad reviews.

Well, here are some of the longer British reviews, generally written by people who considered themselves Woody Allen fans once upon a time.

Nicholas Barber, Independent on Sunday
Philip French, Observer
Anthony Quinn, Independent
Steve Rose, Guardian
Catherine Shoard, Daily Telegraph
plus, to be fair, a positive take (though a long way from "one of the top two or three films of the year") from Charlotte O'Sullivan, Evening Standard

Note the ending of Philip French's piece, especially in the light of Fielding's "bitchy" comment above. The most common complaints seem to be that it's clunkily written, dreadfully acted (Ewan McGregor coming in for the most flak), flatly shot and scored (Vilmos Zsigmond and Philip Glass notwithstanding) and too many scenes would have benefited from at least another take.

That said, there are two specific reasons for the British reception to have been particularly negative: one, the fact that it's set in London and Allen doesn't seem any more in tune with the milieu than he did before, and two, the fact that it's being released very shortly after Martin McDonagh's surprise critical hit In Bruges, which also features Colin Farrell as a hitman and whose script is by all accounts sensationally good. I haven't seen either, but I have to say that McDonagh's film appeals considerably more to me than does Cassandra's Dream.

But to end on an upbeat note, the reception of Vicky Cristina Barcelona by British critics in Cannes seems to have been altogether more positive, and the mere mention of a Woody Allen/Larry David collaboration seems to have even the London-set films' naysayers salivating at the prospect. So he still seems to have plenty of goodwill in the bank.

[AWA]

I've been meaning to post some thoughts on this film, as it's one of my favourite of Woody's films, but to be honest, I'm not really sure what to say about it, apart from the obvious: good/great acting, well shot/cut, interesting score. It's just really good.

In a year when endings of films created such strong talking points (Atonement, No Country, There Will Be Blood), I think that the most...difficult one was Cassandra's. That the key act that brought about the film's conclusion was omitted, and then that intriguing cut away to the women shopping - I still don't know what to make of that, but it's brilliant.

I guess there were negative points - some of the dialogue, perhaps, but nothing major. But the positives were so overwhelmingly great - Wilkinson and McGregor and Farrell in the park, discussing Wilkinson's proposition; the scene in the club where they meet Martin Burns, and then the chase and it's conclusion.

It was, for me, one of the top two or three films of the past year, and I cannot understand why it has recieved such almost-universally bad reviews.

Have to disagree here and say one of the weaker points of the film is the score. While the music is nice and beautiful from Mr Glass, it is pretty clear Woody is inexperienced in commissioning and overseeing original music to be made for a film and it's many different sequences. The ominous tone of the score never leaves the ending of the film in doubt and thus works against helping to create drama with the plot, acting, cinematography, etc. The music just shades everything an even tone of predictable.

Should be interested to see how Woody handles that in his next film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which uses some new material (though not all of it written for the film) from a local folk band in Barcelona (as heard in the teaser trailer posted in that thread before).

[domino harvey]

Well I finally saw this and WOW. It is Allen's finest film since Husbands and Wives, a final masterpiece reflection on Allen's recent themes of guilt and luck. To think that a piece of shit like Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which fails almost every level that this film succeeds, garnered praise and this film was ignored is criminal. I didn't go in expecting much but this is one of Allen's best films.