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what is the main theme/symbol in this film by Woody Allen?
"Blindness">> indicates that God's eyes are blind, because if his eyes were always on us, ( and saw the bad things people do), he would not be ok with it. This idea fulfills Woody Allen's intentional meaning, which was "there is no god and we are all alone in the universe"
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how is the rabbi in this film used as a way to mock those who believe in a loving god ?? What does his blindness suggest? --
- Faith-driven people are "blind" to reality.
- those who believe in God need to be physically blind in order to believe there is such thing as a god who loves us.
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What is the difference between the contract Juda signed for agreeing he wanted Dolores murdered, and the contract ("covenant") God made with Noah?
Juda's contract to kill/murder gave Dolores no hope, and condemned her to death because of the sin and grief she was causing in his life UNFAIR punishment
Unlike Juda, God made a covenant with Noah, to promise him that he would never destroy all of humankind again due to the sin and grief they may cause him..God saved the innocent one's (Noah and his family) FAIR way of punishment
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What is the Significance of naming the main character in crimes and misdemeanors "Judah"?
trying to relate Judah in the film to the Judah in the Bible - ironic, because, Judah in the film, Crimes and Misdemeanors, is self centered, and moral reasoning is no where to be found when it comes to his decision making process.
The Judah in the Bible, as one can see through the story of "Joseph and the coat of many colors", he cares for his brother that has been left in the ditch by his jealous brothers, and so, due to his morals influencing his decision making process, decides to persuade brothers to sell him so he can have a life living in luxury for a king-figured he'd have a better life there.
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What 2 different worlds is Judah ( in the film) wrestling to choose between?
- 1. Supernatural>>guided by morals and belief in a higher power
- 2. Nihilism >>belief that god doesnt exist
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What leads to Cliff's downfall in his life? (affair with tv show producer)
his passion is not being fulfilled at work, and is struggling to overcome "cognitive dissonance"
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Define "Cognitive Dissonance"
values you hold onto are not being experienced>>this leads to confusion/defeat
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how is the film, Crimes and Misdemeanors similar to all the other past stories discussed?
it deals/centered around the theme of death and religion.
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what symbols characterize Cliff?
- 1. movies>> show reality
- 2. ben the blind rabbi
- 3. Eye doctor(eye glasses)>> although he may be going phys. blind, his moral vision is crystal clear >> he has a "sight for truth"
- * his understanding for moral behavior is contradicting his actions (having an affair) which causes "cognitive dissonance"
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how are the characters, Jocasta and Judah (in the film) similar?
they both try to glamorize crime, and try to play off death/crimes/sexual affairs as no big deal
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There is a main plot, and then a sub plot in the film. Which character (cliff and judah) belongs to each plot?
Judah's story is the main plot
Cliff's story>> (reinforces Judah as a character) is the sub plot>> (reinforces the main plot)
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What is professor Levy's role in this film?>>
he is the philosophical role model for cliff -however, he committs suicide very unexpectedly, and confuses/contradicts his earlier stated beliefs in faith etc etc.
Levy's belief>> people define themselves by the choices they make and because things happen so quickly and unfairly, happiness has not been included and it is only people who can give meaning to an otherwise indifferent universe, due to their capacity for love. “And yet,” Levy’s voice continues, “most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying and find joy from simple things like the family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more.”
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