Tonight my plans got cancelled so I stayed in and watched "Jeffrey" and "Annie Hall" The point was not to watch proper named films, but I guess it was to see New York films I had already seen to see if now that I live here the locations mean anything more to me.
Well, I think a lot of the places have changed, but at the end of "Annie Hall" Woody Allen is standing right at w. 63rd across from Lincoln Center. I walk RIGHT where he is standing most days to go to the 63rd St. YMCA. What a thrill it was to see that.
But it turned out that it wasn't the time periods (1970's "Annie Hall," 1990's AIDS, "Jeffrey") that struck me, but the shared themes of fear and relationships in Manhattan. Wow. Fear of commitment, fear of death (Woody and Jeffrey!) and fear of AIDS ("Jeffrey") and fear of loss in general and risk.
Both films I have to say were moving to me in their own ways. "Annie Hall" is indeed brilliant. It has layers that I had not perhaps been mature enough to see before. It was a really well done film and captures New York (and Los Angeles) of the time very well. And "Jeffrey" though not nearly as great a film it has an Oscar-worthy performance by Patrick Stewart that is beyond mincing and bitchery and he really makes you cry. He did me. And Steven Weber is note perfect. I was very moved by him and his fear.
Moved or related to?
So tomorrow I shall swing a tennis racket, boil a lobster, meet a man and fall in love.
1 comment:
WE're in it for the eggs.
And how adorable was Michael T. Weiss?
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