BLOOD SIMPLE
The feature debut for the writing-directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen is a drenched-in-sweat, swarming-with-shadows thriller set deep in the heart of Texas. When a sleazy bar owner (Hedaya) recruits a private detective (Walsh) to catch his young wife (McDormand) with her lover (John Getz), the stage is set for a series of violent double-crosses. Working with cinematographer Barry Sonnefeld, the Coens and the colorful cast go beyond film noir with their stylish storytelling. “The characteristic Coen awareness, a sly recognition of letting the audience share their power over our access to the story world, is everywhere in evidence” (David Bordwell). The screening of a 35mm print, courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research, dwill be followed by David Bordwell’s video essay discussing point-of-view in Blood Simple (2021, 15 min.)
When Fanny (de Laâge) unexpectedly reunites with an old acquaintance (Schneider), he unveils a long-held crush, initiating a clandestine series of meetings over drinks and lunches. Meanwhile, Fanny navigates the delicate art of concealing these encounters from her possessive, affluent husband (Poupaud). For his 50th theatrical feature, writer-director Woody Allen has returned to themes of crime and punishment that he previously explored in Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point. A compelling tale of fate and murder with a sardonic sense of humor, Coup de Chance “looks and plays like many of [Allen’s] recent movies, only better; it sounds like them, too, except that it’s in French” (Manohla Dargis, The New York Times).
The feature debut for the writing-directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen is a drenched-in-sweat, swarming-with-shadows thriller set deep in the heart of Texas. When a sleazy bar owner (Hedaya) recruits a private detective (Walsh) to catch his young wife (McDormand) with her lover (John Getz), the stage is set for a series of violent double-crosses. Working with cinematographer Barry Sonnefeld, the Coens and the colorful cast go beyond film noir with their stylish storytelling. “The characteristic Coen awareness, a sly recognition of letting the audience share their power over our access to the story world, is everywhere in evidence” (David Bordwell). The screening of a 35mm print, courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research, dwill be followed by David Bordwell’s video essay discussing point-of-view in Blood Simple (2021, 15 min.)