Monday, July 28, 2008

woody allen kick



I've been watching a lot of Woody Allen movies lately. it's making me crazy. right now I'm 27 and everything is fragile, and all of these Woody Allen movies, from the 80's and early 90's maybe, they all seem to revolve around these central themes, one of them being dissatisfaction in relationships. Although, the dissatisfactions are so vague and typical. These frustrations and painful reflections, identity crisis, that I'm assuming are simply a part of growing together, or growing apart. These characters are pathetic (and by pathetic, I mean accurately human), that is not to say that the problems aren't validated, but it's as if the characters are so quick to give up and so quick to build these problems into something that indirectly supports their egoistic desires. It gives them some reason to hold on to aesthetic ideas of passion, as though it is able to be a burning constant, damn the haunting ghost, the subconscious. I watch these movies pretty close together, one after the other; and obviously, they were released years apart..I think that is affecting my opinion. I love them, but they are all so similar. All the characters are neurotic, or chasing after the greener grass that may hold firm beneath your feet for a short while, but ultimately the greener grass keeps moving, being so cruel as to leave behind glowing blades that fool you into thinking the chimera is something attainable if you just make that leap. Passion can be demonic. Woody Allen is becoming a favorite, I think he maybe dramatizes these normal issues simply for illustration, to comfort people; or maybe his life is defined by the interactions shown in the films, and that is something that would dictate his art, of course. I think these movies can continue being made because there is no generation that these problems favor, and there are no people who can avoid these thoughts and second guesses, the torturous wanderings, there are no discriminations. Similarly, there is no catholicon. I'm watching Hannah and Her Sisters, and this line is in it, "....but it's my fault. For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom', I still can't fathom my own heart." The more I think about it, the more I like the fact that his movies are similar. It kind of reaffirms the truth, that the problem is with the person (to no fault of their own, existence is no picnic, it's all such a thrill), and not conditional, or based on a result of external influences, although, there is the question of familial environment, (for example, this post is a reaction based of the quilt my parents have sewn for me). The problems are a product of the human, flailing, hopeful, in love, lustful,arrogant, naive; a Jackson Pollock painting of influence, psychology, ego, religion, society, culture, etc. How can we not be lost? Generations pass them on to the next, and each generation tries their best to understand them, conquer them, make them into art, to make some sort of truth out of them, and how arrogant! As if new problems are born of this new complex breed, as if a new current of genius creates problems that weren't even possible before. This is not to deny the contributions of each generation, the contributions which come from their own journey into the maze, their own ambition, their own understanding.

4 Comments:

Blogger emily said...

which of his films do i watch? TELL ME!

9:14 AM

 
Blogger David said...

manhattan, annie hall, hannah and her sisters, mighty aphrodite, husbands and wives,

10:31 AM

 
Blogger rachel said...

i wish i got stuff like this out of things i saw.



we each have to learn for ourselves. and that makes human progress like one big album on repeat.

10:53 PM

 
Blogger Melanie said...

"....but it's my fault. For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom', I still can't fathom my own heart."

Too true.


And I agree with this:
"we each have to learn for ourselves. and that makes human progress like one big album on repeat."

Sometimes I just wish I didn't always have to learn things the hard way. :)

But for some reason this made me think of Eccliastes. There is nothing new under the sun. We always seem to think there is.

And for some reason, I can see you getting something from Eccliastes, Zach. :)

--Melanie

11:59 AM

 

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