I remember liking this movie a lot when I saw it in the theater. I
recently caught it again on HBO and was struck by the deeper
thematic resonance that you might not pick up on first viewing.
The character of Flender speaks the film's theme for his own
shallow reasons. He says, "True artists create their own moral
universe." Flender uses this mantra to rationalize boinking his
friend's girlfriend. But it is true nonetheless. Artists believe that
great art transcends human life, because it perserveres through
generations and it enriches the lives of countless people. On one
side this is a beautiful notion. But the flip side of the notion is
violent.
The artistic ideal is unforgiving: it demands everything from its
devotees. That's why many a great artist (Picasso, Pollack,
Hemingway) has broken hearts and even killed rather than
compromise.
Most people in the world don't live that way. They follow the golden
rule. This moral integrity allows them to feel at one with humanity,
and it gives them a sense of peace and self-worth.
For artists (like gangsters), civility is a luxury. If they want to
achieve greatness, they have to be willing to push mediocrity, and
mediocre people, aside.
Chazz Palmentieri (not Joe Mantegna, as some have incorrectly
stated) plays Cheech, a gangster who discovers he has a passion
for writing. He's willing to kill and die for his work, and that's what
makes him an artist. John Cusack plays David, a playwright who
has great ambition and even great good fortune, but who realizes,
through his association with Cheech, that he is not willing to
sacrifice his common humanity, and therefor, he is not an artist.
I think this is one of Woody Allen's best films (in the top three or
four). But I have to believe that Douglas McGrath had a great deal
to do with the script, since Woody's other recent efforts are far
inferior to this. So I applaud Doug McGrath, from one artist to
another.
recently caught it again on HBO and was struck by the deeper
thematic resonance that you might not pick up on first viewing.
The character of Flender speaks the film's theme for his own
shallow reasons. He says, "True artists create their own moral
universe." Flender uses this mantra to rationalize boinking his
friend's girlfriend. But it is true nonetheless. Artists believe that
great art transcends human life, because it perserveres through
generations and it enriches the lives of countless people. On one
side this is a beautiful notion. But the flip side of the notion is
violent.
The artistic ideal is unforgiving: it demands everything from its
devotees. That's why many a great artist (Picasso, Pollack,
Hemingway) has broken hearts and even killed rather than
compromise.
Most people in the world don't live that way. They follow the golden
rule. This moral integrity allows them to feel at one with humanity,
and it gives them a sense of peace and self-worth.
For artists (like gangsters), civility is a luxury. If they want to
achieve greatness, they have to be willing to push mediocrity, and
mediocre people, aside.
Chazz Palmentieri (not Joe Mantegna, as some have incorrectly
stated) plays Cheech, a gangster who discovers he has a passion
for writing. He's willing to kill and die for his work, and that's what
makes him an artist. John Cusack plays David, a playwright who
has great ambition and even great good fortune, but who realizes,
through his association with Cheech, that he is not willing to
sacrifice his common humanity, and therefor, he is not an artist.
I think this is one of Woody Allen's best films (in the top three or
four). But I have to believe that Douglas McGrath had a great deal
to do with the script, since Woody's other recent efforts are far
inferior to this. So I applaud Doug McGrath, from one artist to
another.