Day 17: Stardust Memories

"I don't know much about classic music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg tried on their wedding night."

At one point in the film, Woody Allen's character is asked if he has ever studied philosophy. Much like in Federico Fellini's film, 8 1/2, the main character is a world renowned and respected film director whose films have apparently struck critics as very moving and philosophical even though his films have been comedic. Acknowledging that, one can only assume that the reporter in this film asks Allen's character this question to engage in what would be an academic discussion. But Allen—in his now famous collection of hand gestures, pauses between words, and a neurotic stumbling over words—answers in his usual high class comedic style. Has he studied philosophy?

"Uh, no...I did take...one course in existential philosophy at New York University, and on the final they gave me ten questions, and, I couldn't answer a single one of 'em. You know? I left 'em all blank...I got a hundred."

Existentialist philosophy apparently asks questions but requires no answers, according to Allen. One can say that that describes, almost entirely, the films of Woody Allen. His films never really end with answers to the problems of the main characters. Things are rarely resolved. Such is the case with life itself.

For example,

[Spoilers]

[Text in blue means you can skip due to spoilers that are not limited to this film.]

By the end of "Annie Hall" we still don't know why Annie and Alvy broke up. We just know that "we need the eggs." The eggs, in this case, are relationships. According to Alvy Singer, they are ridiculous, impractical, and illogical entanglements between human beings that serve absolulely no purpose whatsoever. We love them! In Manhattan, Woody dates a young girl named Tracy who is not up to his intellectual capacity. After coming to the conclusion that she is much too young for him he leaves her for the Diane Keaton-character who is more cultured but has an air of intellectual snobbery. (Faithful audiences will remember that Allen HATES intllectual snobbery. Anyone remember the Pontification Scene of Annie Hall?) By the end of that film, Diane leaves him for his best friend. He tries to get back with Tracy but she's got to leave for London. She says she'll come back but by that time, he says, she'll be corrupted. More problems! When Tracy does offer a solution—one that requires having more faith in humanity—Woody gives us his infamous smirk. Like, "you can't be fucking kidding me right now. Have faith in man?" And like that, the film ends. No resolutions.

[end of Spoilers]

Of the Allen films that do have concrete resolutions tend to be his more recent films but even those have resolutions that rely on instability, and these films don't favor well with audiences. In "Whatever Works" the philosophy of the main character by the end of the film is that true happiness will come from just taking things as they come. Whatever works! Almost apathetic. In "Match Point" the resolution comes from luck. Luck is a big theme in the film and ends up determining the outcome of the ending, which I won't give away. (Match Point did well critically, and at the box office. Whatever Works, not so much.)

But "Stardust Memories" is much different. It's typical Woody Allen, but obviously with a different touch. By making the film about a director with writer's block he's obviously attempted to remake 8 1/2, but with a comedic touch. In interviews he claims the film is not autobiographical but no one in their right mind can accept that. Allen's character is frustrated that no one will accept is foray into drama because they instead prefer his older and funnier films. This is Woody Allen written all over it! Like 8 1/2 makes it a joy to have no solutions. Like 8 1/2 it's about nothing, but is simply a collection of episodes that go from the past to the present. Reading what the critics have to say about them, namely the great Ebert, further illustrates how subjective and divisive the responses may be.

He may make fun of existentialism as many have and as many should, but this film is probably his most existential. Most people probably wouldn't characterize Allen as the existential filmmaker, but I think he may be. It's not a film for everyone, clearly. His performance is just as good as any of his other ones and the B&W look gives the best cinematography he's had besides "Husbands and Wives" which had a number of handheld camera angles. Allen doesn't tend to use a lot of cuts in his films. Dialog can occur off screen for a considerable amount of time and as a director, he seems to be comfortable with it.

"Stardust Memories" may be out of reach for some. But all of Allen's films are like that. "Match Point" included conversations about Dosteovsky, but it still doesn't take away from the viewing.

But back to the first paragraph and Woody Allen's connection to existentialism. One definition from Princeton's web site describes the existentialist as "a philosopher who emphasizes freedom of choice and personal responsibility but who regards human existence in a hostile universe as unexplainable." This describes "Stardust Memories" rather well and probably the entire Woody Allen filmography. Lots of problems, plenty questions...but no answers.

[Note] To appreciate what he's parodying it may help to first view 8 1/2. I saw "Stardust Memories" before viewing it however and it didn't hurt my viewing but it may have helped had I caught 8 1/2 first.