Spain, Usa- Romance Comedy-English 2011-Director: Woody Allen-Cat: Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams
Midnight in Paris
The title says it all as Woody Allen truly delivers a whimsical, picturesque, dream-like tale of all that Paris has to offer. It was quite the suitable opener to the Festival as it presented all the classical artists from the 20’s portrayed by well known actors of our time. The opening scene depicted the passing of time in one day in Paris as we saw beautiful sights of this city of lights. In fact, the opening really caught my eye with all these different sceneries within Paris from day to night. It was a poetic beginning to this film as we saw the intricate landmarks of Paris in the daytime to the charming beauty of Paris in the night. I wanted to go to the city after this introduction and it was then that I realized that I was going on vacation with the characters in this story too. Many refer to Paris as the city of lights and in this clever Woody Allen film yet again, “Midnight In Paris” portrayed the city of dreams.
The audience was taken on a time-travelling journey in this romantic comedy with all eyes on the protagonist Owen Wilson. Wilson took us to the world of great writers, artists, and designers during a time of flappers, booze, elegance and a passionate love for the arts. We met the Fitzgeralds, Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Dali, T.S. Eliot and more all played by well established actors of today. It became a game for the audience as we were now intrigued to see who else would appear on that big screen portraying an iconic figure of the past. Perhaps it was this tactic of look-a-like actors playing famed icons that proved beneficial for Allen’s endearing film. It definitely added to the comedic effect especially with the memorable sight of Adrien Brody perfectly personifying the famed artist Dali. I remember the audience riveting at this site to see such a keen actor as Brody embodying the peculiarity of Dali. I thought the way in which these famed actors gradually appeared in this film gave each a timely limelight, but never overshadowing nor leaving the true star, Owen Wilson as Gil.
In addition, I believe the true essence of this film was Woody’s overlapping of time from past to present or dream to reality. The audience went right along with Owen as he took us into his current melancholy of a life with his uncouth fiancé Inez played by the lovely Rachel McAdams and his judgmental in-laws. I felt sorry for Owen at times when in the presence of his degrading wife, a role all too unfamiliar for Rachel McAdams. It felt wrong to hate her when she’s always played quite the loveable character, as if I didn’t want her casted as this condescending individual in the first place. I found that I was more emotionally invested in this film when it took place in the present time because this was the story I was involved in from the very beginning and it was Gil’s reality. I got lost at times when Owen’s character Gil went into his fairy tale of 1920’s Paris whereas all these iconic beings had their own stories to reveal. I found it heartbreaking as I sat back and watched Gil go from a present of sadness to a past of enlightenment and excitement in which everyone else in the 20’s was also experiencing some form of personal sorrow. It was as if no one was ever happy in the time that they were set in and that storyline definitely came to light with Gil’s latter love interest Adriana played by Marion Cotillard.
I went into this film with high hopes of another romantic comedy, yet I had to remind myself that the witty Woody Allen would give me that and much more. I don’t believe that this was just a comedy alone, nor just a romance, but more so a tragedy in all. I went from a high to a low within this film as I realized that this was just a glum story in which the characters were never happy and always searching for more in life, more from each other, and more from themselves. It was a state of never-ending and always eternal passing of time and the lives of those in their set time period. I saw this in the aesthetic of this film itself in which it was a smooth and fluid picture. I never felt in a state of here and now and I think this was actually the significant aspect to this story. Woody placed his audience into a story with complicated characters and complex storylines that were constantly changing and being effected in someway. It was Paris itself, the city of lights that was the one character that always remained true and real and just as we imagined it was years ago which brings me back to that first opening scene. I believe this is why “Midnight In Paris” works as the opening to the Cannes Film Festival as we receive a taste of what we were getting ourselves into. The film gives a perpetual world of fascinating tales, stories, and characters over time but the setting and the place of Paris remains the home of it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment