MATCH POINT
US, 2005, 124 minutes, Colour.
Jonathan Rhys Myers, Scarlett Johansen, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Bryan Cox, Penelope Wilton, Ewan Bremner, James Nesbitt, Rupert Penry- Jones.
Directed by Woody Allen.
London has given Woody Allen a new lease of life. He obviously loves London – with more than enough sights of well-known and unknown locations. He also communicates differently from his New York stories despite similarities in characters and themes through a principally British cast, their different accents, vocabulary and voice inflections. At times, Match Point is more British than British.
We enter the upper class Hewett family with Irish tennis coach, Chris Wilton (a surprisingly effective Jonathan Rhys Myers). While we finds them pompous, he finds them fascinating and soon throws in his lot with them, friendships, opera and the arts, business positions, marriage. Early on we catch him reading Dostoievski, so Allen is giving us the lead for the further plot developments. It is Crime and Punishment and Crimes and Misdemeanours revisited, English-style. Some of his cast have suggested that it is a British kind of Chekhov family and society.
There is an opening light reflection on luck when a tennis ball served balances on the net and could fall either way, win or lose. Allen uses this image with relish in the closing section of the film. He reflects on luck, planning and working. In the meantime, Chris has married Chloe Hewett (Emily Mortimer) and continued an affair with aspiring American actress Nola (Scarlett Johansson).
Matters end badly or well, depending on who won the match point. Allen highlights the patronising banality of the upper classes and the selfish banality of Chris, leaving the audience to provide its own moral anchor for judgments.
1. Woody Allen in Britain? A new world for him? His creation of atmosphere? His British cast? Using the landscapes and importance locations of London? The reconstruction of interiors of the Tait Modern, Covent Garden? A comic-serious work?
2. London as a character, the sights, class, authentic atmosphere? The musical score, the opera excerpts, Donizetti, Bizet and, especially, Verdi?
3. The film as operatic? A film of passion?
4. The Russian influences: Dostoyevsky and the book, the plot of Crime and Punishment, the parallels, the crime? The Chekhov atmosphere with the presentation of the family? A successful combination of the two influences?
5. The opening, the tennis match, the set point, the match point, the ball on the net, the issue of luck and the quotations about luck, control? Working hard? The final use of the image of the net – and the jewel balancing on the edge whether to land or to go into the Thames?
6. The moral perspective of the film? Amoral characters? Audiences’ moral judgments?
7. The re-creation of the British upper class, wealth, hard work? Taking life for granted? Business? Luck, hard work, control? Upper class expectations of their children? An innate snobbery? Yet using wealth for the benefit of the children, the promotion of the arts?
8. The world of the arts, opera, music, film (though Chris and Chloe talked during the film)? Theatre and musical theatre, Lloyd Weber’s The Woman in White?
9. The tennis background, Chris and his career, not having the killer instinct – the irony of this? His talk about going on the circuit? His later meeting Henry and talking about it? His wanting to coach, introduction into a fashionable world at the club, his acceptance?
10. The structure of the film: the point about match point and luck? The audience entering this British upper class world with Chris, his relationships, business success, marriage, passion, the affair, crime, investigation – and no punishment?
11. Chris as the focus, his Irish background, tennis career, his weaknesses of character, ambitions, enjoying the high life? The meeting with the Hewitts and this satisfying him, wanting to be part of the scene, his visits to the home, meals, opera with Tom? At the opera, Chloe’s infatuation, her showing him around the city? Falling in love with him, his weak response? His seeing Nola, passionate with her, the table tennis incident, learning she was Tom’s fiancee? His having a moral compass or not?
12. The Hewitts, their wealth, new aristocrats, success in the business world and the glimpses of how the business world worked, ruthless sackings, protégés? Their support of the arts? Expectations for their children’s marriages? The father, gentle, generous, courteous? Eleanor as blunt, drinking, disapproving of Nola – though upset at her death? Tom, tennis, his friendship with Chris, sharing things? The engagement to Nola – and the story of his sweeping her off her feet? The later information that he had made her have an abortion? His marrying, her pregnancy? The opera, social life? His love for Chloe?
13. Chloe, nice, her devotion to her parents, love for Tom, seeing Chris at the opera, falling in love with him, the guided tour? The hopes for marriage, the ultimate proposal? Happy, the lavish home given by her father? Her work in the art world? Her friends, galleries? Her love for musical theatre? The plans for having a child, her insistence, pressurising Chris? Ultimately being pregnant, the announcement? Her having doubts about Chris, his ability to reassure her? The birth of the baby, the time of the announcement? The happy ending for her – ultimately or not?
14. The contrast with Nola, from Boulder, Colorado, her parents, father leaving, drinking mother, her beautiful sister? Her getting out of Boulder, wanting to act, coming to London? Meeting Tom, falling in love? His gifts? The abortion? Engaged, the ping-pong game with Chris, attracted towards Chris? His following her into the field, the sexual encounter? The audition and his meeting her, meeting her afterwards, the drinking, her talking? Her wanting to break off the affair? The breaking of her engagement after Chris was married? Seeing her at the gallery, his making excuses, Chloe and her friend meeting her? His being able to use this with the police later? The beginning of the affair, its effect on him, his work, its effect on Nola? His making a mess of things? Her pregnancy, the phone calls, his pretending to go overseas, her finding out the truth? The confrontations, his weakness, always saying that he would tell Chloe? His never intending to leave Chloe? His waking up, the plan for Nola’s death? Her coming home from work, her pleasant talk with the boarder, the confrontation and her death? The significance of her ghostly presence? Condemning Chris?
15. The cumulative effect on Chris of the affair, trying to keep business going, his generally successful lifestyle, the effect of marriage, wanting both worlds, the passionate affair, his lies, especially about the trip? Nola’s pregnancy, the dream, his decision? The irony of having met the boarder on his visit? The set-up, killing the old woman, destroying the apartment, taking her jewels? The interrogation by the police, his plea to them? His taking the gun, being able to put it back? His alibi at the Lloyd Weber performance? His being able to explain this to the police?
16. The woman across the hall, allowing Chris in, taking her pills, her death? The neighbour, knocking on her door, Chris in hiding, talking to Nola as he went out? His testimony to the police?
17. The picture of the police, the questions, the nature of the investigation, Chris’s visit, his seeming reasonable, his plea? The inspector and his dream – and the irony of his solving everything, being right? It seeming improbable? Chris and the throwing away of the jewellery, the irony of the drug addict finding it, being shot in the area? Case closed?
18. The Russian influences, Dostoyevsky and Chekhov? Dreams, luck, Chris’s future – assured or not? Another example of crimes and misdemeanours?
