No...you're right. That's just weird. The two topics listed in the title of this blog entry are not, in any way related. At least…I don’t think so.
Then again…
Okay...if you tried really hard you could find a link in the pathetic one-line reference in the movie to the possibility of Annie Hall being a lesbian. I found it to be one of the few surprising, and somewhat provocative—even if somewhat irritating—moments in the movie, by the way. The only other really good line being, in my opinion, when Jeff Goldblum's character, at a typically pompous self-important LA party, laments to his therapist over the phone that, "I've forgotten my mantra." Now THAT’s funny! (hence the picture) But...perhaps I'm digressing a bit.
Where was I?
Oh yes…Annie Hall. As you may have guessed already, I did not exactly fall in love with this movie. Contrary to popular opinion, apparently, I am one of the approximate 10% minority who thinks this movie was a total waste of time. Now, I went into it with a good attitude. Really I did! I’ve seen Woody Allen’s Sleeper a couple of times, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it to be cute and quirky, and even a reasonable commentary on some of our attitudes toward sex (wouldn’t you love an orgasmatron in your living room?) and social classes, and I found Allen’s self-deprecating style to be a good match with Keaton’s portrayal of a ditzy, futuristic social-rebel wannabe.
I’d heard good things about Annie Hall, and fully expected to enjoy it. So, as is my habit when I’m working night shifts at the hospital, and find myself with a lot of time on my hands (time which, I admit, would be better spent writing, but I find it really hard to concentrate at 3 a.m.) I take some old movies and a portable DVD player to help pass the time. Usually this helps the night to fly by! This time, however, if anything, it made the shift seem hours longer than its usual 8 hours. If I hadn’t been desperate for entertainment and had nothing else to do, I probably would have shut it off by the halfway point. I did, however, manage to finish. Barely.
I just didn’t get it. No…I got the humour. I got the jokes, and I certainly got the fact that Allen finds himself to be incredibly witty, relevant and hilarious….the trouble is, I didn’t. I found his character to be mildly detestable! And the same goes for his girlfriend, Annie Hall. Keaton portrayed the same “lovable” ditzy character from Sleeper, all over again….except without the goofy, amusing plot to help it along. Allen’s character was a self-deprecating, morbid, self-important psycho-analyst’s dream, who found an insipid sounding board for his inane banter in the form of Annie Hall. There wasn’t even any particularly witty dialogue…most of it was one-sided….more like a monologue, performed for an audience of one…that audience being Annie Hall. As one other reviewer remarked, she was a culmination of every bad stereotype of air-headed women in relationships.
One of those stereotypes being her reference to giving up on relationships with men and turning to women. An old take on an older idea that women, in particular, are capable of—and prone to—changing their sexual orientation to suit their mood. I won’t even comment on the ludicrousness of that statement….other than to draw your attention to yet another illustration of this common—and ignorant—misconception.
Find the article here: “Praying away the gay.”
Yes, there are still right-wing religious retards out there who are trying to “cure” homosexuals of those pesky, unwanted, send-me-to-hell-type god-given desires….all the while preaching tolerance for these poor misfits of the spiritual world. Does anybody else see the problem here? We love you…even though you are, by very nature, an abomination to God. Is it any wonder some of these poor souls are sucked into the church’s manic need for conformity…and control?
So let me put it bluntly.
Homosexuality is not a “disease.” It cannot be “cured” and certainly not by any means deemed “scientific” by any reasonably rational human being. If you truly are a person—or a Christian—who believes in tolerance and loving your neighbour, and letting God be the one to decide whether a person is worthy of his redemption…then I suggest you leave the gays THE FUCK ALONE!!
They won’t contaminate you with their gay-germs if they happen to be sitting beside you on the prayer bench. The won’t recruit or sodomize your children. And in all likelihood, they’re probably some of the most sincere, and honestly kind and generous people in your diocese…or parish…or whatever the hell label is in vogue for your little clique this month. Mind you why anyone would want to hang around with a bunch of people who look on you with disdain and pity because they’re convinced you’ll never qualify be their neighbours in their exclusive little Executive Condo in the sky…is beyond me. However, if they do seek solace and spiritual comfort in such a setting then they deserve to be treated with love and respect.
Leave the bedroom in the bedroom…and let God worry about who’s stickin’ what in where and into whom. Why do you care?
And frankly….why does He?
Hmmm. I think you missed the point and the spirit of the movie. To compare it to Sleeper, saddens me a little. Although I haven't seen a Woody Allen movie since Radio Days for personal reasons that I'd rather not share...
ReplyDeleteI still recall a scene in the movie Stardust Memories where aliens land (this is not a movie that would normally include an alien cast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5V9_EVd67Q - around 2:40 into the clip..
The aliens say "...we enjoy your films, particularly the early funny ones..."
That was aimed criticism that people made of his "serious" movies, or the movies that blended Bergmanesque themes with the punny buffoonery and one liners of his early stand up routines.
It would be more fair to compare Annie Hall to Manhattan, or Interiors. It would be more fair to look at the influence this movie had on countless other American movies since.
The movie plays with themes of relationships and breakups, neurosis, Freudian analysis, the dichotomy of NY vs LA, solopsism self image and self loathing, Post-modernsism, Media and message (with an brilliant cameo from Marshall McCluhan, Marxism - both Groucho and Karl. And the movie is beautifully shot and includes use of stream of consciousness and a direct address to the audience that heretofore was only seen in novels or art films. We see it all the time now...(think about an actor talking directly to the camera...
But, it is a 1977 movie. View it in a 1977 context.
So that's my anti-rant. So what what was the theme of your post? Oh yeah, "The Gays".
I agree, leave them (as if there is a "them")the fuck alone.
Welcome back. I've missed you.
See...the thing is that for ME, the point of any movie has to be whether or not it entertains me. Me. Personally. Whether it makes a brilliant political or sociological statement or commentary is irrelevant, if it fails to captivate, move and/or entertain me. And in order for a movie--or indeed any piece of entertainment--to do that I have to CARE about the characters.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to LIKE the characters, necessarily. But I have to find them, at least, interesting. Compelling. Intriguing. And I have to feel like...they're going somewhere. Or, more accurately, leading me somewhere with them.
And bottom line, in this particular case, I just didn't. I found the characters to be, quite simply, annoying. I couldn't care less whether they stayed together or not...let alone whether they lived or died.
So, perhaps the comparison to Sleeper wasn't a fair one, but I also find it to be a strike against any given actor, when I find that they are only doing the same character over and over again in different settings. Which just added to the annoyance factor in this case. If I had cared more about the characters, I wouldn't have minded the similarities. But in this case...for me...the movie just completely missed the mark.
Have you ever seen a Harrison Ford movie. Woody Allen mostly played woody Allen (or Alvy Singer) in the movies, and in movies that he did not appear, others played Woody Allen.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, it is about personal taste. I now many who can't stand Woody Allen movies, Mia Farrow, notwithstanding.
I grant you the Harrison Ford thing. Of course there are DOZENS of actors who make a habit of playing the same character in different movies. However there are two major differences...
ReplyDeleteFirst...as with Ford, the vast majority of those movies are just...FUN! They're fluff and don't claim to be anything more than fluff.
Second...these actors are not whiney and annoying! Btw...have you SEEN Harrison Ford??
http://uk.imdb.com/media/rm946307328/nm0000148.
ReplyDeletegiggle giggle.