Sweet and Lowdownis a 1999 Americancomedy-dramamockumentarywritten and directed byWoody Allen.Loosely based onFederico Fellini's filmLa Strada,[1]the film tells the story of jazz guitarist Emmet Ray (played bySean Penn) who falls in love withmutelaundress Hattie (Samantha Morton). Like several of Allen's other films (e.g.,Zelig), the film is occasionally interrupted by interviews with critics and biographers like Allen,Nat Hentoff,Daniel Okrent,andDouglas McGrath,who comment on the film's plot as if the characters were real-life people.

Sweet and Lowdown
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWoody Allen
Written byWoody Allen
Produced byJean Doumanian
Starring
CinematographyZhao Fei
Edited byAlisa Lepselter
Production
company
Sweetland Films
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release date
  • September 3, 1999(1999-09-03)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,197,015

The film received generally positive reviews upon release,[2]with Penn and Morton receiving Oscar nominations forBest ActorandBest Supporting Actress,respectively.

Plot

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Emmet Ray is a jazz guitarist who achieved some acclaim in the 1930s with a handful of recordings forRCA Victor,but faded from public view under mysterious circumstances. Although he is a talented musician, Ray's personal life fell into shambles after his disappearance from public view. He's often late in or even absent from performances with his quintet due to heavy drinking. He spends extravagantly, and is a womanizer and apimp.When he's not playing music or pursuing women, he shoots rats at garbage dumps and watches passing trains.

Ray idolizes famed guitaristDjango Reinhardt,so much that he's said to have fled a nightclub performance with severestage frightupon hearing a false rumor that Reinhardt was in the audience.

On a double date with his drummer, Ray meets Hattie, a shy, mute laundress. After overcoming initial frustration due to communication difficulties, Ray and Hattie form an affectionate and close relationship. However, Ray is convinced that a musician of his stature should never settle down with one woman. Because of this, Ray marries socialite Blanche Williams. But Williams sees Ray as a colorful example of lower-class life and a source of inspiration for her literary writing. During their marriage, Ray is tormented by nightmares and shouts out Hattie's name in his sleep.

When Williams cheats on Ray with mobster Al Torrio, Ray leaves her and finds Hattie. He assumes that she will take him back, but discovers that she is happily married and raising a family. Ray is despondent, and laments that leaving Hattie was a mistake. Woody Allen and the rest of the documentary experts remark that Ray's final compositions were legendary, finally reaching the quality of Reinhardt's.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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After his 1969 directing debutTake the Money and Run,Allen signed a contract to direct a series of films withUnited Artists.Told to "write what you want to write," Allen, a clarinetist and avid jazz enthusiast, wroteThe Jazz Baby,a drama screenplay about a jazz musician set in the 1930s. Allen said later that the United Artists executives were "stunned... because they had expected a comedy. [They] were very worried and told me, 'We realize that we signed a contract with you and you can do anything you want. But we want to tell you that we really don't like this.'"[3]Allen went along with United Artists, writing and directingBananasinstead. In 1995, he dismissedThe Jazz Babyas having been "probably too ambitious."[3]

In 1998, Allen returned to the project, rewriting the script and changing its name toSweet and Lowdown.Allen had originally planned to play Ray himself, but eventually castSean Penn.Allen also consideredJohnny Depp,but Depp was busy at the time.[4]Penn had a reputation for being difficult to work with, but Allen later said, "I had no problem with him whatsoever... He gave it his all and took direction and made contributions himself... a tremendous actor."[4]

Allen, in a retrospective, said that he told Samantha Morton to "play [her] part likeHarpo Marx.And she said, 'Who is Harpo Marx?' and I realized how young she was. Then I told her about him [and] she went back and saw the films. "[4]

Filming

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Sweet and Lowdownwas filmed entirely inNew YorkandNew Jersey[5]but is set in the Chicago area and California.[vague][4]

The film was the first of Allen's that was edited byAlisa Lepselter,who has edited all of Allen's films since. Lepselter succeededSusan E. Morse,who edited Allen's films for the previous twenty years.

It was also the first of three films where Allen collaborated with ChinesecinematographerZhao Fei.Allen had first noticed Zhao with his award-winning work onRaise the Red Lantern,some years earlier.

Music

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The music for the film was arranged and conducted byDick Hyman.All of the guitar solos are played by guitaristHoward Alden.

Additional rhythm guitarists wereBucky PizzarelliandJames Chirillo.Chirillo played rhythm guitar on the track "Sweet Georgia Brown."Pizzarelli created all other rhythm tracks.

Soundtrack

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Reception

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The film received generally positive reviews. OnRotten Tomatoesit has 77% rating based on reviews from 61 critics. The site's consensus is: "Critics praise Woody Allen'sSweet and Lowdownfor its charming, light-hearted comedy and quality acting. "[2]OnMetacriticthe film has a score of 70% based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

Morton's performance was met with critical acclaim.SaloncriticStephanie Zachareksaying that she "quietly explodes [the film]... Her performance is like nothing I've seen in recent years."[8]

Accolades

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Sweet and Lowdownwas nominated for theAcademy AwardsforBest Actor in a Leading Role(Penn) andBest Actress in a Supporting Role(Morton).[9]The pair were also nominated forGolden Globe Awardsin the acting categories for Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.[10]The film received three nominations from theChlotrudis Society for Independent Filmsfor Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay.[11]

In addition, Morton was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in theChicago Film Critics Association Awards,[12]theLos Angeles Film Critics Association Awards,[13]theNational Society of Film Critics Awards,and for anEmpire AwardforBest British Actress.[14]At theLondon Film Critics Circle Awards,Morton wonBritish Supporting Actress of the Year.[15]

References

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  1. ^"Allusions of Grandeur: Sweet and Lowdown".11 March 2000.
  2. ^abSweet and LowdownatRotten Tomatoes
  3. ^abBjorkman 2005,p. 36-37.
  4. ^abcdBjorkman 2005,p. 347-356.
  5. ^Davis, Tom (January 2, 2002)."A Place For Troops, Troupes, Hoops: Teaneck Armory Still Vital".The Record.Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2012.RetrievedJune 6,2007.
  6. ^Harvey, Adam (2007).The Soundtracks of Woody Allen.US: Macfarland & Company, Inc. p. 138.ISBN9780786429684.
  7. ^Sweet and LowdownatMetacritic
  8. ^Zacharek, Stephanie (3 December 1999).""Sweet and Lowdown"".Salon.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 2024.Retrieved3 August2024.
  9. ^"2000 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".oscars.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-04-17.Retrieved2022-10-13.
  10. ^"Winners & Nominees 2000".goldenglobes.Retrieved2022-10-13.
  11. ^"2001, 7th Annual Awards".Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-10-08.Retrieved2022-10-13.
  12. ^""American Beauty" tops Chicago critics' nominees ".Chicago Tribune.January 24, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2020.RetrievedOctober 13,2022.
  13. ^"Los Angeles Film Critics Awards 1999".FilmAffinity.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-10-08.Retrieved2022-10-13.
  14. ^"Best British Actress".Empire Awards.Archived fromthe originalon June 20, 2002.RetrievedOctober 13,2022.
  15. ^"Awards flow for Billy Elliot".2001-02-15.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-03.Retrieved2022-10-13.

Bibliography

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  • Bjorkman, Stig, ed. (2005).Woody Allen on Woody Allen.London: Faber and Faber.ISBN978-0802142030.
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