Saturday, June 11, 2011

Midnight in Paris

Right off the bat I'm going to say I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Woody Allen has captured something beautiful, magical, whimsical, in his study of human relationships set against the backdrop of Paris. Paris by day, by night, in the rain...but especially at midnight. Go to the theater and let yourself be swept up and away in nostalgia in this gorgeous film, Midnight in Paris.

I won't give away any spoilers here but will say that for any artist in search of his or her own creative authenticity, this movie will put you on the right track. It isn't your standard Woody Allen movie. It isn't your standard romantic comedy. In fact the comedy aspect is so subtle, so sophisitcated, I was surprised to see it fit into the rom-com genre. And I want to see the movie again to capture those lines of dialogue that made me sit forward in my seat and gasp or smile.

The way Allen directs his cast, the way he nurtures those subtleties of character, those nuances that come from a wide-eyed gaze, to a flick of an eyebrow that can say so much, is pure genius. I think this might be Owen Wilson's "moment" in his career. I understood his character was in essence a portrayal of Allen's own self, but the tender way Owen played the role of Gil was gorgeous, and he didn't show any of the cynical side that often comes through in Allen's movies. Instead he was awestruck.

Gil was totally blown apart with excitement to be stepping back in time and hobnobbing with the artists of a bygone era. The way he discovered himself through discovering those artists was captivating. Haven't we all thought at some time that we'd missed the boat, or been born into the wrong era, or that the so called Golden Era was long gone and would never be repeated? That lure for the past, that longing for what was comes because we can't see into the future, all we have is today. Somehow today looks so ordinary. So lackluster. Not so, this film.

6 comments:

J said...

I hadn't been planning on going to see this movie, but now I guess I have to! :)

Robena Grant said...

Definitely J. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm going back to see it this weekend.

Anna said...

Gee, I'll have to watch it, since I've had that exact feeling, that I was born at the wrong time. Of course I'm a fan of the current technology/indoor plumbing, don't get me wrong, but there are so many things that seem so much more romantic/practical/what-have-you from way back when.

Anna/Irish Betty

Robena Grant said...

Thanks for stopping by, Anna. there is a reference in the film to such modern acquisitions, like antibiotics. It's amazing how different our lives are, what we have at our disposal today. It would be interesting to time travel to fifty years in the future and look back at 2011, see what it is about now that we would yearn for.

London Mabel said...

Well... I'm gonna take a chica-chance-chance on your recommendation (though maybe once it's on dvd). I love Allen's old stuff, but the last few movies I tried were so awful I just gave up on him. :-)

Robena Grant said...

I agree, London. I'd kind of given up on W.A. also. But I've always loved Paris so I was intrigued. Then I saw the poster of Owen Wilson (his figure is quite small) walking the banks of the Seine and behind him is Van Gogh's Starry Night. It was love at first sight. : ) Talk about excellent marketing.

So I continued on and read the reviews. Then I watched a video clip and was sold. I rushed out to the movie that day, and I'm going back to see it again this weekend. I'm tight fisted with my movie dollars, so it has to have touched me deeply for me to go back again instead of waiting for the DVD.