Why is it that every movie depiction of LA's politics always comes out as farce?
As you can see, you made no distinctions in your original post. These were your exact words: "Why is it that EVERY movie..."
And of course I saw
The Official Story; I wouldn't mention it unless I had. It's a great piece of filmmaking. But there's a world of difference between a serious story about Argentina's military dictatorship, and a lunatic farce about a New York intellectual's laughable attempts at becoming a revolutionary. There is, however, room for both in the world of international cinema.
(I never saw
Che. But I thought everyone knew that
Evita didn't reflect anything but the mindset of Andrew Lloyd Webber.)
But this is all beside the point. The topic here is
Bananas, which IS a farce because that's exactly what Woody Allen set out to make. Don't expect realism, because realism is not what screwball comedies are about.
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HijodelCid
16 years ago
the way he lost the favor of Puerto Rico, where BANANAS was filmed.
PR used to love WA; WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN, PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM, EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX and SLEEPER were all big hits. LOVE AND DEATH was a stumble; not very many people got the point of all those jokes about Tolstoii and Bergman. Since then, it has been mostly downhill; movies like ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN didn't exactly set attendance records in PR. Boricuas are not fascinated by those angst-ridden and tormented love affairs that fascinate Allen so much.
A clarification: there are several thousand Jews in PR, mostly residents of San Juan. The problem is that they don't have the kind of cultural influence that Jews in the USA have, with the result that that brand of humor for which people like WA and Jerry Seinfeld are so famous is simply not undertandable to Puerto Ricans.
Shall I tell you the story of HANNAH AND HER SISTERS? I received the issue of MAD with the HANNAH parody before the film arrived in PR; once I read the parody, I realised the movie would be a tough sell in PR. Indeed it was; the movie was distributed mostly in the big cities where the better educated people live, and even there business was, at best, indifferent. My mother watched it with me, and could not figure it out. She and several others complained to the theatre manager, who--surprise!--agreed with us about how tedious HANNAH was, and apologised profusely.
What happened to Allen? Did he suffer an INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS' experience where his real funny self was taken away and was replaced by a tiresome pedant no one can stand?
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
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murph24
16 years ago
My favorite Woody Allen films are Manhattan, Love and Death and Bananas. I also admire Hannah And Her Sisters, Husbands And Wives and Bullets Over Broadway. And there are numerous classic moments and great performances in his other movies.
And though I can't address his standing in Puerto Rico (and I seriously doubt you speak for every filmgoer there), Woody Allen has been one of America's most internationally praised and highly regarded filmmakers. Since his cinematic career began in the mid-60s, he's been honored with awards not just in the USA, but also in (among others) the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000095/awards
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scotbpens
16 years ago
A lot of comedy doesn't travel well across cultural divides. For example, as an American, I've never found Jacques Tati to be the least bit funny. Anyway, what makes you think Woody Allen gives two turds about what people in Puerto Rico think of his films?
All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?
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HijodelCid
16 years ago
BANANAS was filmed in Puerto Rico with the full cooperation of the government and the local talent; he has every reason to be grateful to the country and its people.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
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scotbpens
16 years ago
Excuse me, I didn't know that.
However, that still doesn't put him under any obligation to make a movie that Puerto Ricans find funny.
All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?
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HijodelCid
16 years ago
Then WHO are the target audience of Allen Stewart Konigsberg?
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
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scotbpens
16 years ago
His fans, mainly. He's never tried to appeal to a broad commercial audience. He makes the films he wants to make.
All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?
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HijodelCid
16 years ago
Does he have any Puerto Rican fans? I remember that movie critics in PR--including US-born Juan Gerard, whose Spanish was so poor that basically what he wrote was English with Spanish words--spent jeroboams of ink trying to explain to their readers what Allen is all about.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
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HijodelCid
15 years ago
Seems the answer is NO.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
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