Search - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 01/29/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 42 mins Studio: DreamWorks Total Copies: 2 Genres: Comedy, Screwball Comedy, Detective Film, Workplace Comedy

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, All Movie Guide

Woody Allen - CW Briggs
Dan Aykroyd - Chris Magruder
Helen Hunt - Betty Ann Fitzgerald
Elizabeth Berkley - Jill
John Schuck - Mize

Woody Allen wrote, directed, and starred in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a homage to hypnosis in the 1940s. Dreamworks has done a nice job on this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. A small amount of edge enhancement shows up in a few key scenes, otherwise the colors look vibrant and crisp. The black levels are all spot-on even with the flesh tones evenly rendered. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono (Woody apparently doesn't like complex 5.1 sound mixes) in English, French, and Spanish. Not surprisingly, this mono track shows a lack of fidelity or depth throughout the entire film. While the dialogue, music, and effects are generally clear of distortion, a Dolby 5.1 mix would have been greatly appreciated. Also included on this disc are English subtitles. Much like every other Woody Allen film released on DVD, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion only includes a scant few extra features. There are some short production notes, some information on the primary cast and crew, plus a theatrical trailer presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Hopefully, someday down the road, this prolific director will embrace DVD technology -- but don't hold your breath. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide