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First don’t be miss lead by this title, Woody is alive and well, thank god. He is still filming, yes I say filming because making a movie and a film is not the same. Don’t get mi wrong there are many good producers in the world today but woody allen is one and only. I know I am pretty bias when I say this but don’t forget that once upon a time making a film was an artistic calling and people involved were considered true artist and geniuses. In our world of globalization and utter commercialization, producing art on big screen is extremely difficult almost impossible. And I say again thank god W.A is all right and well so he could prove me wrong. A lot is unknown about private life of w.a. This querky ,little, funny gay from the streets of New York. Fun fact, did you know that he can reside only and I repeat only in NY city. He is a true indigenous spieces. And only two other cities in the world he can visit and spent the night in are Paris and Madrid. Even now when I am writing this I am laughing and trust me it is hard for me to believe In this as much as anyone else. But when he says that he feels some kind of claustrophobia when he Ieaves NY, I simple believe him. How can you not believe this out worldly man. Everything about him is not standard. You cannot put him in the box, you cant apply any rule to him, he is just unique.
I was long thinking about this recension whether to write it or not. In my opinion to criticize or at least analyze someone’s work, you need to know some basic facts about that person behind the art. And this is what I am trying to do. Because truly midnignt in paris is a comprehensive representation of the life work of Woody Allen, it embellishes all that he thinks, wants, sees and creates.
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There were many people in the history of art who expressed their personal views about social status politics and time. When I say time, I think about the period some people are living in and feeling unfit to conform themselves in dated community. And truly anyone of us must have wondered from time to time about how would it be to live in some different era when fundamental values were different, priorities different, and living life itself was different. Woody doesn’t belong to this hectic consumer obsessed world where music is strange, and He likes jazz and performs with his friends. He likes impressionist art, not postmodernism. He likes black and white movies from the beginning of the century with artistic form and expression are more valued than then box office results of modern block basters. And I must say that I identify with him. Many times I wondered how would it be to live in a world without mobile phones, internet, and mass media. To be a contemporary with some of the greatest writers, painters or composers the world has ever seen. Today we learn about them in schools, but that knowledge is superficial and not interesting to wider audience. We lost all touch with romanticism in life, we lack basic courtesies in every day relationships. Everything is shared available and transparent. We lost our privacies, no scratch that we willingly passed on on our privacies, and apparently nobody seems to care. I do, W.A does. Midnight in Paris as artistic expression does. I think this movie is a sublimation of everything that we lost and so much about what we gained in the process. Don’t get me wrong I too can’t live without my phone and internet and thank god that I can share here with you what I feel about the world and how much I agree with w.a. But I would gladly trade all the conveniences of the world today just to be able to live aside Gertrud Stine, Hemmingway or Picasso, even Salvador Dali. And so would W.A and so would Owen Wilson in the blink of the eye. Before you jump to conclusions just stop for a moment. Please stop and imagine. Imagine yourself in Paris on the turn of the 20th century, walking out from a ball room and walking by newley built Eiffel tower, not taking pictures of it just admiring and enjoying the scenary in awe of the people achievements. Imagine yourself going throw Paris arrondissements. Imagine yourself in Paris without cars, on stony roads, smelling perfumes and champagnes in the night. But instead of going to the party you would go and enjoy a conversation about philosophy, politics, art, you would meet people who have strong opinions, express them and guard them. It seems so beautiful don’t you think? Midnight in Paris is the movie about all of that. It is a unique autobiography. Watching the movie you can’t escape the fact that the Wilson is Allen. He is the man completely misplaced. Misplaced in love, in relationships and in spirit. He just feels that notion deep inside his mind telling him that something is not right. He is in love to be married to Rachel McAdams, a modern, calculated, organized and seemingly unemotional woman. I know Woody is not a chauvinist but I just can’t escape the feeling that Rachel is a global representation of a modern woman. I live the space for artistic integrity of expressing his or hers views but I think he is wrong at this point. But back to Rachel. She is the woman who is planning the wedding, how many kids she will have, what home will she choose. She has financial security and status as one of the primary attributes and everything she does is measured throw financial gain. What she feels and thinks about Wilson calling, writer, is the same. That is the first contrast we can see in the film. Extreme opposites of the world today. On one end we have pragmatic, financially aware woman and on the other side of the specter we have an artistic insecure and overwhelmingly emotional soul in the personification of Wilson. Trust me I am not taking sides, after all I am a modern woman of some kind, but no matter how much I try I can’t escape the feeling that we lost all playfulness and joys of life.
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The director introduces us to the story this contradiction and that is when all the magic of this master piece comes to life. In one of his long night walks trying to break his writers crises and trying to find an inspiration, something magical happens. He is being transcended in different time, different era that is much more compatible to his sole. He travels back in time to Paris on the beginning of the century. What is truly remarkable, kudos to director for this, is the fact that thanks to Wilsons unremarkable calmness and serenity about this transitions, we begin to feel the same. We as the audience are actually not allowed to think about the possibilities or impossibilities of this and instead are immersed in this great journey and begin to ask question upon question about our own life and feelings. No matter how much this film expresses significant impossibilities, it forces us to wonder… In the time that artistic integrity matters he is being approved by Gertrud Stain. He acknowledges the straggles that Picasso had making us realize that even a “Goods” are only human. He gets the opportunity to share his political views with one Ernest Hemmingway to feel the raw an unconditional passion true man can have and finally and most importantly falling in love with Marion Cotillard, he learns what true love is. He realizes as much as we do the perfection of women. Their fragility and weakness and at the same time the strength shaped in the object of desire, suffering and true love that one can feel. He gets an epiphany and so do we. And no matter of complexity of the film there is the real simple thing it conveys. Stay true to yourself, to your inner being, and look in the world for hidden beauties no matter the cost. Ultimately it will always pay off.
Midnight is the last hurray of an unconventional sole and it is a utter failure that it didn’t got recognized through golden statue. But hey this is a pragmatic world so it doesn’t come as a surprise, at least not to me.
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Hope you like my review of this beautiful movie :)