In the 1930s, fictional jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Writer/Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Woody Allen.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158371/
Watched online, ok print.
34 songs in the Soundtracks. SP's guitar playing Performed by Howard Alden. (I didn't try to watch the hands, which were clearly attached to SP.)
"Interviews" with jazz journalists frame the "docu"drama telling the guitarist's tale.
The guitar playing is good, although so stylized that I barely recognized one of my favorite songs (Limehouse Blues).
SP is not a favorite of mine, so it took me a long time to warm up to this. When I was convinced it was intended as comedy, I relaxed. He did get a little violent with 1 woman, pushing her to the ground.
I was surprised to see Uma Thurman's name on the poster. She played Blanche, a significant character in part of the film. Maybe the print wasn't very good. Or maybe I was using ears more than eyes.
Rated 7.3 (30,121)
distr. Columbia, dir. Allen; 6
