Blue Jasmine @10: Confessions of a Blanchett Agnostic

by Cláudio Alves

It's been ten years this week since Blue Jasmine arrived in theaters, kickstarting one of the most unwavering award sweeps in living memory. After a period where she dedicated most of her attention to the theater, Cate Blanchett returned to big screen leading lady status with Woody Allen's San Francisco-set Madoff-inspired spin on A Streetcar Named Desire. Her Jasmine is a modern Blanche Dubois bedecked in Chanel, a showcase for thespian pyrotechnics so immense nobody can be left indifferent. No wonder so many count the performance as Blanchett's best and one of the top Best Actress winners of the 21st century. I understand and even grasp the grandeur that enchanted Oscar voters, critics, cinephiles everywhere.

And yet, I can't deny a certain skepticism when faced with the achievement itself, finding it highlights many of the issues I often have with Blanchett on screen. Maybe I am a Blanchett agnostic…

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Through Her Lens: 2013 (The 86th Oscars)

A series by Juan Carlos Ojano. Introduction / Explanation

Steve McQueen became the first Black director to helm a Best Picture winner for 12 Years a Slave (2013), telling the harrowing story of African-American freeman Solomon Northup who was kidnapped in 1841 and was sold to slavery. McQueen also became the first Black producer to receive a Best Picture award. Meanwhile, the film’s biggest competition was Gravity, a science fiction-thriller film set in space. Winning seven Oscars, the film was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, becoming the first Latin American to win the Best Director Oscar.

While having these two films as frontrunners is a win for representation at the Oscars,  female directors were still left out of the conversation for majority of the awards season.  Out of the 289 films included in the Reminder List of Eligible Films in 2013 (86th Academy Awards), only 32* (11.1%) were directed/co-directed by women...

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Showbiz History: King Kong, Sound of Music, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jones

4 random things that happened on this day, March 2nd, in showbiz history...

1933 King Kong opened in NYC, where the film begins and ends, on this day. It played in two gigantic theaters (one of which is still standing, Radio City Music Hall) and was preceded by a stage show calld "Jungle Rhythms". The highest ticket price was 75¢ or $14 in today's prices -- imagine getting a stage performance + movie for that price today...

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A 'Blue Jasmine' Bonanza

by Murtada Elfadl

Over at Sundays With Cate, my podcast series about the films of Cate Blanchett, I just finished a three part miniseries about her Oscar winning performance in Blue Jasmine (2013). Something I thought The Film Experience readers might enjoy so I’m sharing with you. Here are some details about the miniseries:

Actor as Auteur

In part one we discuss Cate Blanchett as the real auteur of Blue Jasmine, and the many ways her performance makes her the author of the film.

The “Streetcar” Allusions

In part two, we talk about the similarities to Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the character of Blanche Dubois clearly is the blueprint for Jasmine. The many actresses who played Blanche - including Blanchett herself in a production of Streetcar directed by Liv Ullman - or were inspired by her. From the women in Pedro Almodovar’s movies to Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) to most recently Carey Mulligan in Wildlife (2018).

Jasmine and Her Sisters

And in the final part we discuss Jasmine and her sisters within the Woody Allen oeuvre. Annie Hall, Helen St Clair in Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Cecilia in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), among others.

Those episodes are now available wherever you listen to podcasts or at Sundays with Cate. Let me know what you think?

Near Misses: Emma Thompson in "Saving Mr. Banks"

by Cláudio Alves

As we know, the precursors don't always matter. Many an actor was Oscar-nominated without a SAG, Golden Globe or BAFTA nod to recommend them. Of course, for every surprise inclusion, there's a shocking snub to contend with. There are those performers that seemed like near locks up until nomination morning. When they failed to stick the landing, predictors were surprised and fans thrown into paroxysms of outrage. These near misses can be precious jewels of acting that were unforgivably shortchanged, while, other times, we can count ourselves spared a nomination for mediocre work.

In 2013, Emma Thompson was nominated for the SAG, the Globes, the BAFTA, the Critics Choice Award and even won the National Board of Review prize for her performance as P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks. The Academy, however, ignored her. Compared to some of the actual Oscar nominees, Thompson's work is, at the very least, an impressive achievement and deserving of recognition…

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