Movie Notes: Shadows And Fog

July 5th, 2009

= 2 stars

Starring Mia Farrow, John Cusack, John Malkovich
Directed by Woody Allen

Synopsis

Kleinman (Woody Allen) is drafted by concerned citizens to hunt for a mysterious serial killer. Meanwhile, a traveling circus brings a clown (John Malkovich) and his sword-swallower wife (Mia Farrow) close to mortal danger in the foggy night.

The Good

• Amusing idea; the Allen persona is dropped into a black and white, spooky foreign film reminiscent of Bergman’s The Seventh Seal or Fritz Lang’s M.
• Some amusement in considering characters as symbolic: The mysterious murderer is death. Kleinman bribes both a policeman and priest, represeenting Allen’s disappointment in both institutions. At film’s end, Allen hooks up with a magician who uses illusions in an attempt to trap the murderer. The magician believes people need his illusions like air — surely a fellow filmmaker.
• A few moments of wistful Allen observeration — Farrow and Allen look out upon the fog — she concentrates on its beauty while he focuses on its transience.

The Bad

• Perhaps for the first time, the ensemble of actors seems more ensemble’s sake and not for casting reasons. As in, does John Malkovich make a good clown, Jodie Foster a good whore, and Madonna a trapeeze artist? Based on the results, the answer is no.
• Allen’s themes seem lost and meandering, just like the characters stumbling about in the fog.
• Allen begins to be self-referential, and not in a good way. In a whorehouse scene, the camera circles around to the various women similarly to Hannah And Her Sisters but without the same pogniancy or purpose. The whorehouse in The Purple Rose Of Cairo had more of a point, plot-wise.

Conclusion

While stylistically amusing, the characters, plot, and acting all failed me here. Only recommended for deeper Allen fans.

Next Woody Allen Movie: Husbands And Wives
Previous Woody Allen Movie: Alice