Sweet and Lowdown
original movie poster
Directed by	Woody Allen
Produced by	Jean Doumanian
Written by	Woody Allen
Starring	Sean Penn Samantha Morton Anthony LaPaglia Uma Thurman
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release date(s)	4 September 1999
Running time	95 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Sweet and Lowdown is a 1999 film written and directed by Woody Allen which tells the story of a (fictional) arrogant, obnoxious, alcoholic jazz guitarist named Emmett Ray (played by Sean Penn) who may be the best guitarist in the world. (Or second, if you count his idol, Django Reinhardt.) The film also stars Uma Thurman and, as Hattie, a lovable young mute girl, Samantha Morton. Allen appears briefly as himself, being interviewed about Ray's music. The film, loosely based on Federico Fellini's masterpiece La strada, was one of Allen's most well-received dramatic films.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Jean Doumanian (born c. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Anthony LaPaglia (born 31 January 1959) (pronounced ) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, a role which won him a Golden Globe Award. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Sony Pictures Classics is the specialty films division of Sony Pictures. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... The year 1999 in film involved some significant events. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jean Django Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Sinto Gypsy jazz guitarist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... La Strada is a 1954 Italian motion picture produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti and directed by Federico Fellini. ...

Production history

Hot off his 1969 directing debut Take the Money and Run, Allen signed a contract to direct a series of films with United Artists. Told to "write what you want to write," Allen wrote The Jazz Baby, a dramatic screenplay about a jazz musician set in the thirties. Allen said later that the United Artists executives were "stunned....because they had expected a comedy. [They] were very worried and told me, 'We realize that we signed a contract with you and you can do anything you want. But we want to tell you that we really don't like this.'"^[2] Allen went along with United Artists, writing and directing Bananas instead. In 1995, he dismissed The Jazz Baby as having been "probably too ambitious."^[2] Take the Money and Run is a 1969 comedy film co-written by, directed by and starring Woody Allen. ... The current United Artists logo (a variant was used during the 1980s). ... Bananas is a film written and directed by Woody Allen in 1971 and starring him and Louise Lasser. ...

In 1998, Allen returned to the project, rewriting the script and dubbing it Sweet and Lowdown. In the role of Emmet Ray, a jazz guitarist whom Allen had originally planned to play himself, the director cast Sean Penn. (Allen also considered Johnny Depp, but the actor was busy at the time.)^[3] Though Allen was initially wary of working with Penn, having heard that he was difficult, he later said that "I had no problem with him whatsoever....He gave it his all and took direction and made contributions himself... a tremendous actor."^[3] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II[2] on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an Academy Award-nominated and SAG Awards-winning American actor and for his performances in the films Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Whats Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Ed Wood (1994...

Allen's use of Penn (and Morton) paid off when Sweet and Lowdown was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Samantha Morton). Morton's nomination was especially notable, considering the fact that she doesn't utter a single word of dialogue in the film. Allen has said that he told Morton to "play the part like Harpo Marx. And she said, 'Who is Harpo Marx?' and I realized how young she was. Then I told her about him [and] she went back and saw the films."^[3] In addition to her Oscar nomination, Morton's performance was met with critical acclaim, with Salon.com critic Stephanie Zacharek saying that she "quietly explodes [the movie]....Her performance is like nothing I've seen in recent years."^[1] Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... This article is about Harpo Marx, brother of Groucho et al. ... This article is about Harpo Marx, brother of Groucho et al. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Salon. ...

Trivia

• All the guitar solos are played by guitarist Howard Alden. Alden also coached Sean Penn on playing the guitar for his role in the film.
• In a contrast with many films, which are filmed in Hollywood or Vancouver but set elsewhere, Sweet and Lowdown was filmed entirely in New York (despite the fact that the film is set in and around Chicago and California.)^[3]

Howard Alden Howard Alden (born October 17, 1958) in Newport Beach, California) is a professional jazz guitarist, who has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ... NY redirects here. ...

External link

• Sweet and Lowdown at the Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

References