Blue Jasmine is the 43rd film written and directed by Woody Allen.
Cate Blanchett stars as the titular Jasmine – a well-to-do woman who finds herself broke. Her financial criminal husband, played by Alec Baldwin, is no longer in the picture, so she moves in with her working class sister Ginger, played by Sally Hawkins. And she has to try and find a new life in San Francisco.
Blue Jasmine was a critical success for Allen and in particular Blanchett, who won all the awards. It is also one of Allen’s biggest box office earners. So is it really that good?
Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast, by me, the creator of the Woody Allen Pages website. This week, episode 15, we look at 2013’s Blue Jasmine. How it was conceived, how it was made, and how it lives up to it’s reputation. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film first, then come back.
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2 Comments
Blue Jasmine is another splendid classic from the The Maestro!! I love the way Woody switched it up with the Bay Area filming locations, which reminds me for each of our film vaults we need a Play It Again Sam bluray, and a Crisis and Wild Man Blues bluray to boot. Woody has always written great roles in support of women and Blue Jasmine is no exception. As always Woody and the whole team did a marvelous job.
While sitting in the theater watching Blue Jasmine for the first time, I was certain Blanchett would earn the Oscar. The only other time I felt this way was when I saw Daniel
Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
This is a powerful film of a woman spiraling out of control without any skills to avoid her inevitable downfall. I don’t see Jasmine as struggling with tragedy, but rather her problem comes from her constantly avoiding reality. She has created a fantasy persona that can no longer be sustained. The film begins with her babbling on an airplane and ends with her babbling on the street. She’s a lost soul. Unlike Blanche in Streetcar, there is no institution to take care of her..
I find it interesting to compare Jasmine with Ginny in Wonder Wheel. They both long for a more glamorous & “perfect” life that’s unfortunately beyond their grasp. Also, the phone is key turning point for both. Jasmine calls the authorities to inform on Hal; Ginny hangs up when she could have warned Carolina about the mobsters.
Thanks for the podcast. I look forward to it each week.