- Actors: Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Greg Mottola, Jeff Mazzola
- Directors: Woody Allen
- Writers: Woody Allen
- Producers: Charles H. Joffe, J.E. Beaucaire, Jack Rollins, Jean Doumanian, Letty Aronson
- Format: PAL
- Language English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Disney
- DVD Release Date: 4 Feb 2002
- Run Time: 113 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005U1XN
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 15,693 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details |
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Woody Allen's Celebrity--a portrait of the celebrity life as seen through the eyes of a newly divorced couple--is a black-and-white, New York-style La Dolce Vita that's a chillier flip side to Allen's earlier New York valentine, Manhattan. Despite a few missteps, though, it's an admirable (if dark) and worthy addition to the Allen pantheon. Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis (both boasting American accents) star as the ex-couple, each struggling to build new, separate lives in a media-saturated, celebrity-driven world. Branagh tries his hand at celebrity profiles (while peddling a screenplay to any star that will listen) and falls into the lap of a bosomy starlet (Melanie Griffith), the first in a long line of briefly attainable women. Davis runs into a producer (Joe Mantegna) who offers her a job as a TV personality as well as a loving relationship. This seemingly simple double plot is punctuated with twists and turns in the form of flashbacks and innumerable side trips, all ravishingly photographed in black and white by the legendary Sven Nykvist, and populated by one of Allen's largest casts ever; if you blink you'll miss countless cameos by Isaac Mizrahi, Donald Trump, Hank Azaria, Leonardo DiCaprio and a host of others.
While Davis is splendid as usual (aside from the requisite nervous breakdown scene she's done one too many times), somebody should have told Branagh to put a kibosh on his Woody Allen imitation. His failure in the role, however, isn't entirely his fault, as it's another in a long line of unlikable male protagonists which Allen has created, as if daring audiences to hate his main characters after loving them in such movies as Manhattan and Annie Hall. Far more enjoyable misadventures with Branagh include Charlise Theron in the film's best performance as a libidinous supermodel with a penchant for Echinacea; a stunning Famke Janssen as a successful book editor; and Winona Ryder, acting like an adult for the first time, as an aspiring actress. But they all manage to slip through Branagh's fingers by the end of the film. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 5
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Dolby Digital 2.0
English
DVD 5
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Kenneth Branagh plays the character Allen so brilliantly invented through his madcap comedies in the past. Branagh inherited this role, I think, because Allen's age prevented him playing it in this film. Allen directs his protege masterfully in this exploration of the nature of celebrity and status. He brings to it comedy, romance, tragedy, politics, absurdity and great emotion, with Allen out of depth in none of these seas. Lovers of Allen's madcap comedies will be less enthralled by this film than those who admire his direction and general approach. There's plenty of irony to spare: the exploration of celebrity is itself celebrated by many famous faces contributing, whether in main or cameo roles: Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melanie Griffith, Winona Ryder, and Charlize Theron all make an appearance.
Overall: Well worth the money. If you've never seen a Woody Allen film then hold on before you buy this; watch Bananas or Take The Money And Run for a comedy classic, something like Annie Hall for a bit of romantic comedy brilliance, and perhaps something like Crimes & Misdemeanours for a holistic Allen experience. Films like September or Interiors aren't for the novice.
Overall: Well worth the money. If you've never seen a Woody Allen film then hold on before you buy this; watch Bananas or Take The Money And Run for a comedy classic, something like Annie Hall for a bit of romantic comedy brilliance, and perhaps something like Crimes & Misdemeanours for a holistic Allen experience. Films like September or Interiors aren't for the novice.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
One of Woody's blander offerings.
The point of the film is masked by Branagh's near perfect imitation of Woody Allen, which is at first surprising, then interesting, but after a while, irritating.
While attempting to give a view of lust and marriage (as ever) from the experience of Branagh's character, who gives up his flavourless and tedious marriage to find the woman of his dreams, this falls short of the mark.
Allen may have been too old to play the role himself, but Branagh is scarcely a good substitute and whether it was the former or the latter's decision to emulate Woody so precisely, it was slightly misjudged. The impersonation becomes at times the focus for the viewer, leaving one to wonder why he didn't shave his pate and wear geek-specs to finish the effect.
Plenty of celeb's popping up throughout, though none of them add any depth or insight into the thin plot. In addition, the film suffers from the style in which many of Allen's later films have been made, that of having numerous people talking around a table at the same time, for long periods. He seems to have developed too strong a taste for trying to portray realistic conversation, particularly among 'arty' types.
Shallow plot, shallow characters and a tad self-indulgent. The attention wavers about 20 mins before the end and the lack of engagement with the main character gives one a feeling of having been to a party full of strangers and not having been spoken to all evening.
DVD quality is good - but no extras, of course, from Mr Allen.
.
Format:DVD
The 90`s were a good decade for Woody and here`s another gem.Great acting all round & i love Branagh in this,i mean let`s not forget he`s playing a character who i believe is written to be irritating & pretentious,he also has some really hilarious scenes.Although as i write this i`ve not yet seen Woody`s latest(apparently yet another return to form-Midnight in Paris),Celebrity is one of his last must see films but that`s just my opinion.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Branagh's irritating one and a half hour impression of Woody
This film is ok, not brilliant.
The story skips around very quickly from character to character in a rush, but still its ok. Read more
The story skips around very quickly from character to character in a rush, but still its ok. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Richard Bristol
Celebrity in black and white
Woody Allen in black and white, after "Shadows and Fog" (1992) to tell the stories behind celebrity. Read more
Published on 22 Jun 2003
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
