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Hypnotism stirs up some daring crime and crazy love in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a light comedy from Woody Allen. Set in 1940 New York City (where else?), Jade Scorpion stars Allen as a streetwise, wisecracking insurance investigator who becomes a jewel thief under the influence of a hypnotic spell that also inspires a head-over-heels attraction for a feisty and antagonistic coworker (Helen Hunt). This is Allen at his most optimistic, all nervous charm and one-liners; and the buoyant, period-jazz soundtrack bounces to the beats of Duke Ellington, Harry James, and Glenn Miller. Students of Allen's oeuvre will recognize similarities here both to his caper comedies, such as Small Time Crooks and Manhattan Murder Mystery, and to his 1980s magic-realist films, like The Purple Rose of Cairo and Alice. Additionally, the conflict between conscious and unconscious desire that emerges in Jade Scorpion -- we're talking hypnotism, here -- is easily recognizable as one of Allen's perennial themes. That aside, Jade Scorpion is one of Allen's most straightforward efforts, not quite a romp but good, angst-free fun. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Writer and director Woody Allen returns to the Manhattan of the past with this romantic comedy set in 1940, the era of fedora hats and gumshoe detectives. Allen stars as C.W. Briggs, an insurance investigator whose razor-sharp instincts have just led to the successful conclusion of another case, the recovery of a stolen Picasso. While he's a valued employee, Briggs is under fire from efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) for his antiquated attitudes and refusal to accept modern crime-solving techniques such as fingerprinting. C.W. claims he puts himself directly into the criminal mind, a skill that will do him no good when he and Betty Ann are hypnotized at a Rainbow Room gathering one night by the magician Volton (David Ogden Stiers). As a parlor trick to entertain their co-workers, Volton makes C.W. and Betty Ann believe they're a couple that's deeply in love. But the performer secretly keeps up the ruse after the party's over, calling C.W. to whisper a magic code word and ordering the detective to rob wealthy homes with security systems that C.W. himself has designed. With no memory of his thieving activities, a frustrated C.W. can't solve the high-profile jewel burglaries, while he and Betty Ann struggle with their odd new attraction for each other, made more complicated by the fact that Betty Ann is romantically involved with their boss (Dan Aykroyd). Karl Williams

Rolling Stone

1/2
A real charmer from a director who feels that a knockabout romantic farce doesn't have to be mindless - take that, America's Sweethearts. Peter Travers

New York Post

1/2
As snappy as a felt-brim fedora, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" is Woody Allen's most purely entertaining film in years, a romantic comedy set in a lavishly re-imagined Manhattan of 1940.

Product Details

• UPC: 667068926828
• Source: DREAMWORKS VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, monaural
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 6,627

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Woody Allen Four Movie Comedy Collection

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