Sweet and Lowdown
Director and writer / screenplayer: Woody Allen
Country of origin: The United States
Release Date: December 3, 1999 (NY)
Running Time: 95 min
Genre: Period Comedy / (pseudo biographical) mockumentary
Language: English / Filming Locations: New York, New York, USA
Director of Photography: Zhao Fei
Cast and Crew:
Sean Penn (Emmet Ray)
Samantha Morton (Hattie)
Uma Thurman (Blanche)
Brian Markinson (Bill Shields)
Anthony LaPaglia (Al Torrio)
Douglas MacGrath (himself)
Musicians:
Solo Guitar: Howard Alden
Rhythm Guitar: Bucky Pizzarelli
Clarinet: Ken Peplowski
Bass: Kelly Friesen
Drums: Ted Sommer
Summary
Woody Allen and other jazz experts are telling a few anecdotes about the life of Emmet Ray, a guitar player from the 20s-30s who regards himself as the greatest in the world… after Django Reinhardt. Ray’s pastimes include shooting rats, watching trains go by or gambling and boozing. He is also portrayed as a compulsive thief and spender, an unfaithful lover unable to commit himself: Ray ends his relationship with Hattie, a mute laundress from New Jersey who was in love with him and his music. He walks away from his marriage with an urbane would-be writer who cheated on him. He realizes his mistake when Hattie, whom he has come to miss, informs him she is married and has children. He eventually gives vent to his feelings and plays his best tunes.
References
Woody Allen’s twenty eighth film combines his two passions: Jazz and film-making. The title Sweet and Lowdown hints at an old George Gershwin song but also matches the characters of Hattie and Ray.
Sweet and Lowdown is Allen’s third mockumentary, after his first movie as a director, Take the Money and Run (1969), and his masterpiece Zelig (1983). His blurring art and reality fooled many viewers.
This movie features two Academy Award nominated performances, for Sean Penn (Actor in a Leading Role) and Samantha Morton (Actress in a Supporting Role).
The plot pays tribute to Federico Fellini's masterpiece La Strada, with the mute laundress Hattie as the mirror-image of Gelsomina.
Sean Justin Penn is an American film actor and director who has starred in over 40 movies. He was first nominated for his outstanding performance as a death row inmate in Dead Man Walking, then twice again for his impersonations in Sweet and Lowdown and I Am Sam before being awarded an Oscar for Best Actor for Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River.
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American model and Oscar-nominated film actress. She performs in a variety of films ranging from dramas and romantic comedies to action thrillers. She is best known for her parts in the films directed by Quentin Tarantino. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997), and the two Kill Bill movies (2003–04).
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