Love, death and wheat.
y...@cyberabitibi.qc.ca
Anyone has figured out what russian litterary work has inspired
the " ...wheat, wheat, wheat!" soliloquy ay the end of "Love&death" ?
I know it's not War&peace, so where does it come from ?
Voltaire
I don't think it was from the Russian literary works, I think that it is
a parody of Bergman films. It's supposed to be Liv Ulmannish, I think,
though I could be wrong? I'm pretty sure it's not Russian literary,
though.
Any takers?
Natalie Campisi (HTY)
"Stardust Memories", one of the most visually and intellectualy
stimulating of Allen's films, obviously draws from Fellini's masterpiece
"8 1/2", however much Allen might want to deny it. Obvious parallels:
writer experiencing creative drought, facing the possibility of life's
meaninglesness, the use of black/white cinematography, the litany of women
who attempt to satisfy the proverbial void, the oscillation between the
past and the present (memory/reality), etc., etc..
Allen's a great director, but he's the last one anybody can count on to
get insight into his films- he'll deny everything! All of the clues are
exposed via allusion and reference. So, I'd suggest the avid Woody Allen
fan to buy the following: "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Philosophy",
Fellini's "8 1/2", random Chaplin, Bergman and Godard films - esp.
Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage"- then watch "Husbands and Wives",
"Hannah and Her Sisters", etc. Annie Hall, Stardust Memories and Manhattan
are full of philosophical and literary references- "polymorphously
perverse' is not Woody's own, "Dick and Perry" are the murderers in
Capote's "In Cold Blood", et cetera...
-Sally LeRoy
SJ
Portnoy X wrote:
>
> Well, the scene that has Keaton and Jessica Harper standing perpendicular
> to each other, their faces lined up, was a direct homage to Bergman's
> Persona. And the sequence of lines about Anya being in love with Sergei,
> who was in love with Sonia, who was in love with etc., is a spoof of
> Chekhov's plays.
Which of "Chekov's plays" exactly? *Love And Death* reminded me more of
Dostoevsky and, perhaps, Tolstoy than Chekov.
It's not that I'm being pedantic, I just find some of these "X is a
homage to Y" assertions to be a little trite. Sure, Woody gets
influenced by other artists, but is it ever really as simple as that?
Steve
Portnoy X
If you've read any of Chekhov's plays, then you'd know that they're all
like that. (read The Seagull, Cherry Orchard, or Uncle Vanya). They all
concern sad Russians who are invariably in love with the wrong person.
Love and Death satirizes many different Russian writers. And come on, that
film is a satire, not one of his later more fully realized films. There are
direct X=Y homages. Watch Persona and tell me that scene wasn't the
originating point for the shot of Keaton and Harper.
Charles A. Lieberman
port...@aol.com (Portnoy X) jebgr:
| Love and Death satirizes many different Russian writers. And come on, that
| film is a satire, not one of his later more fully realized films.
I may be misreading your post, but what's wrong with satire?
Charles A. Lieberman http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/WhiteCat/25/index.html
Brooklyn, New York, USA
If intellect is outlawed, only outlaws will have intellect
Portnoy X
You are misreading my post. There is nothing wrong with satire. His
earlier films (Take the Money and Run, Sleeper, Love and Death) were
satires, his later films, for the most part, are not. In a satire, or
parody, scenes are lifted from other works and reworked for laughs. That is
why you can make direct correlations between lines and scenes in Love and
Death and scenes from Bergman films, Russian novels, etc. Is that clear
enough?
SJ
Portnoy X wrote:
>
> If you've read any of Chekhov's plays, then you'd know that they're all
> like that. (read The Seagull, Cherry Orchard, or Uncle Vanya). They all
> concern sad Russians who are invariably in love with the wrong person.
Sure. But you haven't explained to me why the specific lines you
referred to remind you of Chekov any more than other great Russian
literary figures. The critics always say that Love And Death spoofs
Chekov, but they're so vague about it, I can't help wondering whether
they've ever actually read any.
> Love and Death satirizes many different Russian writers. And come on, that
> film is a satire, not one of his later more fully realized films. There are
> direct X=Y homages. Watch Persona and tell me that scene wasn't the
> originating point for the shot of Keaton and Harper.
I've watched Persona and I think that the shot of Keaton and Harper
clearly mirrors that scene.
But I haven't said anything different, have I?
Steve
SOURCECLW
I'm new here so I don't know if this has been noted before but "wheat" is
how you pronounce the Swedish word for shit, so the scene also includes
multilingual humor.
Mark
galt...@aol.com
PVerder954
>I'm new here so I don't know if this has been noted before but "wheat" is
>how you pronounce the Swedish word for shit, so the scene also includes
>multilingual humor.
Thanks! That's great <LOL>
That's as good as when I found out that the character in Young Frankenstein,
Frau Bleuher(sp?) means GLUE in German (so THAT's why the horses go crazy!)
Paula