In the 3rd and final part of the Blue Jasmine miniseries, we discuss Jasmine and her sisters. Annie Hall, Helen St Clair in Bullets Over Broadway, Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Cecilia in The Purple Rose of Cairo, among others. Hosted by Murtada Elfadl with returning guest journalist and theater critic Jose Solís, host of Token Theater Friends podcast.
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Follow along, the film is streaming at Amazon.
What is the film about?
From IMDB: A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn’t bringing money, peace, or love…
What year did it come out?
July 2013
Who does Cate play?
Jasmine of course. One of her many titular characters.
How is Cate introduced?
Immediately and memorably. Jabbering away about her life and marriage to a stranger on a plane, sets the tone for how unstable the character is.
Box Office: Domestic = $33MM Int’l = $66MM
Topics discussed:
- Woody Allen is a well known terrible person. Though the films are great and influential. Art vs. Artist. How do you reconcile your feelings about him and his art that we have loved for many years?
- Blue Jasmine is a performance driven film. Blanchett just holds the screen. What other examples of this are in Allen’s canon?
- Annie Hall (1977) – unique character inspired by the actress playing her, Diane Keaton.
- Bullets Over Broadway (1994)- comedy genius performance from Dianne Weist.
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) – another comic “genius” in Penelope Cruz.
- Interiors (1978) – is it the closest to Jasmine of Woody’s women? Certainly the tragic ends of both Eve and Jasmine are similar.
- Or is it Judy Davis in Husbands and Wives (1992), an actress who’s closest in temperament to Blanchett?
- Mia Farrow’s sublime performance in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985).
- Emma Stone as the Woody stand-in Irrational Man (2015).
- Allen’s reputation for many years as “women’s writer director” can’t be denied despite some misogynistic roles e.g Hemingway in Manhattan.
- The work of the costume designer and the makeup artist in helping Cate craft this performance
- Charting the effects of the economic crisis on one person.
- This is a lauded performance with critics, awards bodies and audiences – where does this stand among the best performances of the 2010s?
References:
“I think Woody Allen is a criminal, but I still think about (& might watch) his old films. I think The Cosby Show should still be aired.” Emily Nussbaum to Terry Gross on NPR.
Promotional Work:
More on Blue Jasmine:
- Part 1 Actor as Auteur
- Part 2 The Streetcar Allusions
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SUNDAYS WITH CATE 
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