Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...
Sleeper (Dir Woody Allen/1973)
The poster of Woody Allen’s Sleeper mocks James Bond. Rather than alluding to the suave-spy, it
would’ve made more sense to note the influence of slapstick-star Charlie
Chaplin. The playful, silent acting, set within a sci-fi context, serves to
support a meeting of like-minded comedians as Woody Allen gets his closest to
non-verbal, physical performance. Musician Miles (Allen) is frozen for 200 years,
inevitably falling for Diane Keaton, as Luna Schlosser. Using actor Douglas
Rain to provide a voice, as he did in 2001:
A Space Odyssey, this is Allen leaning on sci-fi stimuli and using H.G.
Wells and George Orwell as source material. The tone is what established Woody
in his early years, and his disguise as a robot (a plug in his mouth creating a
motionless face akin to Buster Keaton) is amongst the best sequences in his
career. Sleeper is solid, straight-up
comedy without the intellectual chitchat.
Rating: 8/10
I love Woody Allen and even his earlier work ahve something that is true to him. Good write up!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I've nominated you for a Sunshine Blog Award:http://cinephiliaque.blogspot.ca/2013/11/a-sun-that-never-setsalmost.html
Keep up the great work!