"Hannah..." Revisited--Woody Allen and Reinvention: A Monday Journal

I wanted to turn my life into a grand opera...  But I think I will have to be content with a tone poem.

When I sought to "reinvent" myself, I had a vague notion that I wanted to achieve some great things.  Perhaps I would develop my life experience into playwriting, or create some novels.  I would add to my collection of short stories.  Maybe I would teach, and preserve the legacy of classic film and literature.  Or I would use my words to champion for helpless animals.

I channeled my myriad activities--reading, learning what I could from radio, Internet, and immersion in the culture of Chicago, travel, and widening my circle of interesting people--into a blog, and into other writing.  I became involved in learning a new language, and taking care of homeless dogs and supporting animal advocacy in many forms; in between my duties as a partner, a son, an employee, and a colleague.

It was easy at first, the broad-based approach, because it allowed me to rotate among a variety of activities.  While it took me longer to sharpen my focus, I was at least not bored.

Soon, time and the world seemed to cast an early shadow on my dreams. Time was running out before I could create my legacy.  I had far too many obligations to take the necessary time to lose myself, to endure the painful birth of my creativity.

Like yesterday:  we still had a glimmer of Daylight Saving Time, but overnight it seemed that days were growing shorter, and darkness came more suddenly.

It felt like I was leaving the party before it got started.  It felt a little like discouragement.  It felt impatient; like there was nothing new here, and I had to rush to an unknown horizon to find who-knows-what.

I questioned everything...and did not like what I saw of the larger world, the politics and corruption and pain....I even wondered if I had seen too many movies to keep my mind open...and it started to bleed into my work, so that the pure enjoyment was diminished.  Was it merely the end of naivete?  Can one dream and not be naive?

And soon, for a couple of hours, art was imitating life:

I re-visited Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters", which has been one of my favorite films, not just a favorite Woody Allen film. It's a sentimental story, beautifully woven and written, character-driven, and very funny.

I call it an epic of the intellect.  Allen's characters are like great, sweeping landscapes of ideas, each filled with treachery and beauty and humor.  "Hannah and Her Sisters" is a story of marital love and infidelity, the meaning of art, the fulfillment of performance, the search for spirituality.  Each character is looking for something; each life is ripe for change, usually involving the potential for loss and sacrifice.

Michael Caine is married to a warm and giving Mia Farrow, but wants to create a life with one of her sisters, Barbara Hershey.  Hershey's character has been molded by the attentions of  an older artist (Max Von Sydow), but feels suffocated, and needs to spread her wings and risk alienating her sister.  Farrow senses the alienation all around her, and begs for understanding that she is a woman of enormous needs.

Diane Wiest, the neurotic other sister, can't find her identity, and haplessly turns to drugs, auditions for impossible stage roles (she can't sing), competes with her poised and intelligent best friend (Carrie Fisher) for the attentions of an intriguing and romantic architect (Sam Waterston), and tries to write a play.

All of these actors reach career highs in this film, none more than Wiest.  Last week I watched her in "Bullets Over Broadway" and I was delighted by her portrayal of Helen St. Clair, the Broadway diva with the throaty voice and booming delivery ("Don't SPEAK!").  This was Wiest's masterpiece, made even more remarkable by her contrasting, mousy complexity in "Hannah".  (Wiest remains the only actor to win two Oscars in films by the same director.)

Most complex of all is Woody Allen's character, divorced from Mia Farrow after learning that he is "sterile" and can't father children with her, a hypochondriac who is certain he is dying of a brain tumor, a Jew who seeks life's meaning in other forms of spirituality.  His "conversion" to Catholicism makes for some of the film's biggest laughs.  Slipping into despair, he decides that life has no meaning whatsoever.  He buys a rifle.  He ineptly bungles his own suicide.

Wandering the streets in a panic, he finally ducks into a movie theater.  There, with the antics of the Marx Brothers unfolding before him, Allen decides that even if the worst is true, and life has no meaning, that it is still an experience to be a part of, and that it isn't all a drag.  In the presence of zany humor, he begins to enjoy himself.

Somewhere, a person in the throes of melancholy may encounter "Hannah and Her Sisters", maybe for the first time, or maybe for the tenth.  That viewer may, like Allen did with the Marx Brothers, find comfort in its humor and in its encouragement to find enjoyment in whatever pleasures life may offer (be they movies, or books, or dogs, or writing?)  Maybe, like Allen he will be surprised to find, some time later, that his life is not "sterile" after all.... 

Movie Review: "Conviction" Great Story, Bland Film

..."Erin Brockovich" meets "The Paper Chase"?

"Conviction" is like a quieter, earnest and less annoying neighbor of "The Blind Side".  Both films cover the Heartland; both are about "regular" Americans with few advantages who have extraordinary stories to tell.  But whereas "The Blind Side" played like an abrasive modern-day "Great White Hope", blind to its own smugness and condescension, "Conviction" at least manages to stay true to its own worldview without feeling preachy, and strives for an uplifting portrayal of learning, filial love and sacrifice.

Once again Hilary Swank is a determined everywoman trying to overcome the sterility and ignorance of her upbringing to achieve an uncommon greatness.  She is more vulnerable here, worthy of her subject (and better than the script deserves), and gives play to a wider variety of emotions.  Swank, who was a stunner in "Boys Don't Cry" and heartbreaking in the otherwise dubious "Million Dollar Baby", needs to find a comic vehicle sometime soon, or accept the challenge of a more sophisticated role; she is in danger of typecasting herself as some sort of patron saint of the mobile home.

"Conviction" tells the true story of Betty Ann Waters and her lovably wild brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell), siblings who remained close despite multiple separations in a variety of foster homes.  When Kenny, who had previous scrapes with the law, is convicted of the murder of a long-time neighborhood resident, Waters decides to complete her GED and continue her education, attain her goal of graduating from Law School to become Kenny's official legal counsel, prove his innocence, and win his freedom.

The film tries to tell  the story in a straightforward manner, but it is disproportionate.  When Waters' law-school colleague and friend (Minnie Driver) makes some casual inquiries, the reply becomes an extended flashback which (however effectively) fills us in on the back story and Waters' situation; but we never return to the original conversation.  The movie continues its back and forth movement, and bogs down in predictability when it should provide more detail. 

For instance, no sooner does Waters announce her decision to finish her GED, than she is in the middle of law school, on academic probation.  We never learn how she fared through her early college courses, nor see her astonishing effort to succeed and get into law school.  The bland and misshapen screenplay sabotages the strength of its own material. 

Anyway, it is laudable that a mainstream film makes a character's struggle to educate herself one of the centerpieces of its story.  I could have done without a depiction of her failed marriage, with Loren Dean, as her husband, turned into a sexist cliche ("I WON'T let you go back to school!").  On the other hand, Rockwell is terrific (and ages convincingly) as the brother who is full of swagger and charm, and who finally exhibits  tenderness at the realization that his sister sacrificed so much for him.

In support, Driver manages a convincing Boston accent and is strong in an underwritten role.  Peter Gallagher (have we seen him since "American Beauty"?) has a couple effective scenes as the director of the lab that runs the (then brand-new) DNA-testing technology that was so important to Kenny's release. As a witness who has a chance to recant later, Juliette Lewis chews the scenery, with makeup and rotten teeth that rival Linda Blair's in "The Exorcist". (At least I hope it was makeup; the otherwise effective Lewis looked horrible in this film!)

There is nothing innovative or even remotely exciting about the filmmaking here.  In fact, except for some gruesome imagery around the murder scene, and some realistically profane prison language, it is barely a step up from a tepid Lifetime film. And the movie turns Massachusetts Attorney General (and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Senate) Martha Coakley into the presumptive villain and enemy of the Waters', revealing the movie's political leanings.

However, I was won over by the last half hour, when the pacing became tighter, and the process by which important evidence was hidden, destroyed, or found lent the film a measure of suspense.  "Conviction" tells a story that needed to be told, and did an honest job of it. Still, I came away feeling this was a nice movie, but considering the triumphant story of a woman's crusade to educate herself, and her success in seeing justice done at last, I was mildly moved, but not triumpantly so.
 

Chagall's "America Windows", A Gift to Chicago-Friday Journal

When I look at Marc Chagall's art, I feel happy in a childlike way.  His colors draw me in, cause me to to daydream.  Figures are rendered in the almost primitive way of children, but their subtlety stirs my imagination.  After a recent experience of Chagall's magic, I have decided to learn as much as I can about the artist and his work.

Last Saturday at the Art Institute of Chicago, we were fortunate to have a Member's Preview of the reinstallation of the America Windows, originally completed in 1977, and removed in 2005 to protect them during the construction of the new Modern Wing.  After close study and restoration, the Windows have been resinstalled as a permanent part of the collection of the Art Institute.

Chagall had been commissioned to create a mosaic mural called The Four Seasons which is on permanent Display at the Chase Plaza in downtown Chicago.  Chagall was impressed by his visit to the city, and by then-mayor Richard J. Daley's commitment to Public Art.  That, and the support of the Art Institute, moved Chagall, in 1976, to create the 6-panel cobalt-blue masterpiece commemorating the Bicentennial and honoring American Arts.  In it, he pays tribute to music, painting, literature, theater, architecture, and dance.

Chagall dedicated the work to Mayor Daley, who died before he could see the finished work. 


America Windows was Chagall's gift to Chicago, a city that welcomed him, and that he graced with his soaring vision.  Here is yet another reason for readers to come to Chicago and share with us the creativity and richness of our culture, which is, sadly, a well-kept secret even among frequent visitors.  You can read a brief synopsis about this artwork and its remarkable history on the Art Institute website here.

I invite you to relax, enjoy, and be refreshed and inspired by this terrific 10-minute video which tells the story of the creation, meaning, and restoration of this beautiful stained-glass treasure.  

Two Dog Shorts...An Animal-Friendly Wednesday Journal

Two stories to salve the pain of politics...reminding me that I can find refuge, and meaning, in a commitment to animals:
~  ~  ~

"Mr. B", a 3-legged Beagle, saved his owner, a Grayslake, Illinois high-school basketball coach, from a fire that destroyed their home.

The coach was  making a telephone call from the basement of the house, when he heard commotion upstairs.  The dog was "going crazy". Which is saying a lot for a Beagle, a breed that is vocally expressive under normal circumstances.

When the man ran upstairs, thinking a burglar was intruding, he saw the family room going up in flames.  Meanwhile, a frightened Mr. B fled to an upstairs bedroom closet.  The coach ran up to rescue the heroic dog, and the two escaped the house uninjured.

Mr. B had been originally adopted from a rescue shelter by a neighbor's young son.  When the son went to college, he gave Mr. B to the Coach, who agreed to make the dog part of the family as a companion to his three children.

Turns out they wound up saving each other.

~ ~ ~

Missouri passed Proposition B, or The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, by a narrow margin yesterday.

In my rant here on October 14,  I decried the efforts by many, including Tea Party Movement leaders, to defeat this bill, which would place strict guidelines on the treatment of breeding dogs. 

Missourians can be proud that they passed this bill. I only wonder at those who voted against it.  A compassionate culture should not have a need to enforce laws against cruelty to anyone, least of all helpless creatures.

A Facebook Page devoted to defeating this bill was filled with angry comments from dog-breeders and their supporters. Have a look. Folks like these should not be entrusted with the lives of children, let alone dogs and other animals:


"...let me guess, you think that beef, pork, turkey, chicken, corn, greenbeans, lettace, and just bout everything else comes from the grocery store magicly... dang i wish all stupid treehuggin fairy's would go to California to join their own kind"


"if you do own dogs, HUSU's* goal is to one day rid of all pets what so ever. If you own any pure bred dogs, the price of them is going to go through the roof. ALL ASIDE WHO ARE WE TO SAY HOW MANY DOGS A PERSON CAN OWN, THIS IS THE UNITED STATES IF WE CAN PROVIDE FOOD AND WATER FOR 1000 DOGS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO OWN THEM." (*Humane Society of the U.S.)


"you have some kind of nerve supporting a bill that will kill thousands of well cared for dog, and then coming and rubbing it in. I am not a dog breeder, but how dare you vote to put thousands of hard working americans our of buisness. Get ready for a tax increase you idiot"


"You are a waste of human flesh and you deserve to be ground up into dog food"

"The moral character of a society is reflected in the way it treats its animals."  --Gandhi

Shine the spotlight on the compassionate....  Thank you, Missouri....

Election Night: We Get What We Deserve--A Tuesday Journal

It's Decision Night, midterm elections, and a blessed end to the barrage of campaign ads which are an insult to anyone of average intelligence; and so they seem to appeal to a lot of American voters, I fear.  If the ads didn't work, they wouldn't run.

About 4 billion dollars have been spent on campaign ads.  How many people could have received a full year of health insurance for that amount?  How many people could have been put to work on infrastructure projects?

Republicans are poised to gain many seats in the House of Representatives.   It makes me sick to hear Republicans smugly proclaim their party as the party of fiscal responsibility.  In places like Indiana, where alarming numbers of jobs have been lost, voters are giving power to the very people who were responsible for the loss of those jobs.

Do we remember nothing?

Tax cuts?  On the wealthiest Americans?  These tax breaks have already been in place, and during that time, millions of jobs have been lost.  Why does anyone believe that by preserving these tax cuts, that jobs will suddenly be created?

But that is what Americans of short attention spans seem to want to believe.

If the House goes to the Republicans, it will be telling to see what, if anything, they accomplish.  Democrats need to keep the message front and center about just how regressive Republican platforms are. Big business will get bigger, they will ignore the average worker, and Democrats have to be nasty about holding Republicans responsible.

Especially if Democrats want any chance to regain the Presidency and Congress in 2012.

I fear that Americans in most need of help: the elderly, the sick, the unemployed who want to work, even the animals who depend on us to eradicate cruelty and preserve our environment, will be casually stepped on.

Tonight I am embarrassed to be considered an American.