Woody Allen loves to toy with the ideas of his heroes and contemporaries, and in 1989’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” he turned to one of the greatest novelists ever to exist, Fyodor Dostoevsky. The author’s finest work (in this author’s humble opinion) and a must-read for any literati or cinephile alike, “Crime and Punishment,” was Allen’s specific inspiration for the film, and provided a backdrop of existential angst and dogmatism.
READ MORE: Kate Winslet To Star In Woody Allen’s 2017 Movie
In a new video essay from Digging Deeper, we go deep into the questionable morality of the film’s two protagonists, Judah Rosenthal (Academy Award-nominated Martin Landau), a well-to-do ophthalmologist, and Clifford Stern (Allen) a curmudgeonly documentary filmmaker. As ever, Allen imbues each character’s story with dark humor; but each faced with their own dilemma, Judah and Clifford must decide to remain loyal to their ideals or abandon what they believe for the sake of their own livelihood.
At the top of the world in his field, but struggling with a salacious mistress, Judah faces an inevitable decision to have her murdered. Juxtaposed with visions of his youth and his father’s own words, “the eyes of God are on us always,” Judah’s descent into guilt and despair is relinquished when he betrays morality completely, faces his collective loss of faith, and goes back to being the same old Judah, not blinking an eye at what he had done.
On the other hand, Cliff, also trapped in a loveless marriage, is at the bottom of the proverbial food chain, trying to get his passion project completed while his successful brother-in-law Lester (Alan Alda) throws him a monetary bone by offering him a gig on his next film. While at work on something he hates, Cliff falls for Halley Reed (Mia Farrow), Lester’s assistant, and decides to not only pursue her romantically, but stay true to his beliefs and create a film that smears Lester instead. Sadly Cliff’s dreams are overturned on both accounts when Halley is soon engaged to Lester, and the subject of his original passion project dies.
Allen overturns the expectations of Dostoevsky’s novel, the wicked are rewarded, the believers are blinded, and the guilty are forgiven, with a few laughs in between.
What’s your favorite Woody Allen moment? Let us know in the comments below.
