Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" deserves a second look not only for its frightening depiction of an otherwise "normal" killer, but also for how it masks an equally frightening comedy with dark humor. For example, Dolores (Anjelica Huston) is both a murder victim as well as a villain. Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) has noble aspirations but little talent. And Mia Farrow's character is gentle and kind, yet also a social climber who is willing to look past serious faults to grow her career.
In ArtiFact #73, the world's leading Woody Allen critic, Alex Sheremet, is joined by Belgian-Kazakh critic Ruslan Gallopyn and Pakistan's Waqas Jani to analyzes the film's characters and themes. Is the blind rabbi, Ben (Sam Waterston), as blind as he seems? Is Judah Rosenthal even worse than his gangster brother? And what can be said about the relationship between comedy and drama not only in "Crimes and Misdemeanors," but Woody Allen's filmography as a whole?
You can watch this discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xybyMEzWLv4
Read Alex Sheremet's essay on "Crimes and Misdemeanors": https://www.automachination.com/art-review-woody-allen-crimes-and-misdemeanors/
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Bonus show topics: Louis Levy seems like a trite philosopher without much to offer; the symbolism of Ben dancing with his daughter; on Ben's blindness; Ben vs. Flynn ("Interiors"); does "Crimes and Misdemeanors" suffer from a major cliche?; the contradictions of Dolores (Anjelica Huston); is Dolores a projection of the young women Woody Allen dated; Judah vs. other cinematic killers; the comedy side seems just as frightening as the film's drama; self-knowledge in relationships; Alex's nightmare-girlfriend; Waqas reveals EVERYTHING; Indians vs. West Indians; teaching in Pakistan, Belgium, and the United States
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Timestamps:
0:00 -- Martin Landau pretends he isn't a murderer
0:45 -- why the film's final speech is so frightening; Judah's false nervous breakdown
3:38 -- Ruslan Gallopyn on the WEAK ending of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment"; is perpetual guilt realistic; Judah as psychopath; he is compromised even before committing murder
8:15 -- social murder vs. war; killing by the push of a button or a signature
10:00 -- the world's top expert on Woody Allen explains why the director is universally loved
11:38 -- Waqas on why a man from rural Pakistan loves Woody Allen films; Woody Allen as Hollywood anti-Hollywood
15:04 -- how young men fall into the Woody Trap; Woody Allen & Europe; Alex credits Woody Allen for clarity on human relationships; comedy vs. drama in Crimes and Misdemeanors; the film packs so much in the first five minutes
21:37 -- are the eyes of God really upon us; an objective observer exists even without God; Ruslan: Judah's "eyes of God" is nothing more than his social status; ironically, Judah gets accountability through art; how image and sound cross-connect scenes
28:49 -- Clifford is a coward; Lester (Alan Alda) and Clifford are actually quite similar; Clifford as a do-nothing creep; Woody Allen's virtue signals
42:03 -- absurdity of plagiarizing James Joyce letters; the viewer begins to empathize with Clifford's bad wife; Hailey (Mia Farrow) is also a fraught character with Clifford's problems
49:04 -- Alex's dating advice to young and dumb; everyone is committing at least a misdemeanor; Woody Allen's most iconic scene; Judah's mass manipulations; Jack, Judah, and Dolores; "reason" as a euphemism
Tags: #CrimesAndMisdemeanors #WoodyAllen #FilmAnalysis #MovieReview #FilmPodcast #Existentialism #MoralAmbiguity #MoralPhilosophy #PhilosophicalFilm #DarkComedy #ClassicCinema #CinemaDiscussion #WoodyAllenFilm #PodcastEpisode #GuiltAndJustice
