Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen

I was given the opportunity of watching Midnight In Paris, although it was released in the latter half of 2011, with a few of my other friends in class as a 'context fixer' in the cultural course we had opted for early this year.  The movie, Midnight in Paris, directed and written by Woody Allen, is a beautiful movie based in Paris and the adventures that the protagonist ensues.

At first, I wasn't sure if the movie would interest me as the start seemed rather dull to me. However as the movie progressed, it was a rather 'magical experience'. It was a rather engaging film concentrating on the conflicting emotions of the male lead, Gil Pender - a successful but creatively unfulfilled Hollywood screenwriter - and his relationship with his fiancée, Inez, who are in Paris, vacationing with Inez's wealthy, conservative parents.

I personally, would love to be in the shoes of Gil Pender, who, every midnight gets to spend time with the artistically gifted men and women, specifically those of the Lost Generation, whom Pender loves and appreciates. Why would you not want to spend time talking with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Alice B. Toklas, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Luis Buñuel. He even gets his novel to be read by Gertrude Stein, an acclaimed poet and writer and had influenced Hemingway. 

While his midnight rendezvous continue on a daily basis, his relationship with Inez deteriorates and leads him to question the relationship. Meanwhile, Gil spends more and more time with Adriana, who leaves Picasso and has a brief dalliance with Hemingway. Gil realizes that he is falling in love with her, leaving him conflicted.

The movie is told and directed in a beautiful manner, soaking you right into the subject matter of the story. It's a very absorbing movie with a great script and great direction. What can possibly go wrong with Woody Allen's movies? The movie beautifully captures the inner conflict that Pender experiences and the 'inner awakening' that he has over the course of the movie. He comes to understand himself and at the end of the movie does what he thinks is best for him. Corey Stoll portrayed Ernest Hemingway amazingly well and has probably done justice as a creative re-imagination of Hemingway as a person and author.

The movie give a rather warm and 'fuzzy' feeling within you and at times - for me, at least - I felt that I was a part of the movie. It is a rather genuine film exploring both the artistic flair of a period - that of the Lost Generation, whom, as said before Pender enjoyed - and of the complex human emotions.

Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller*

So, after 3 Semesters of doing British Literature, we finally dawned upon the American Literature. We're doing a variety of texts but this play annoys me to some extent than the other texts. Perhaps it's because of its resemblance to the play that we did semester, John Osborne's Look Back In Anger and Shakespeare's Hamlet. These plays, to my belief, have no action until the very end, when the actual excitement actually beings. But however, by the time I reach the end, the interest [mine, just to make sure, as I can't comment on others] has actually fizzled. Jimmy reconciles with Allison after much anger, Hamlet finally lashes out at his uncle and Willy's action is left pretty much to the readers' imagination, although a few versions do include a funeral scene, which states that he crashed the car and died. The title itself, Death of a Salesman, somewhat prefigures the impending death of Willy in a literal manner, although we can look at the title in different ways.

Willy's character is so embedded into the whole notion of lies and delusion that he has been living in because of his profession - a salesman - it is quite hard to figure out who Willy really is. Having lived in deceived world of lies and being tied down by the past, Willy has found it difficult to cope up with the present reality as it is too harsh for him. When he does catch up with the present reality, the way he sees himself - he would probably see himself as a 'failure' because his sons, Biff and Happy have failed to find success and be well liked - acquires the readers' sympathy as they are able to understand the mental strain that the financial struggles and the personal failures (especially's Biff's loss of fame when he got older, not being well liked and the impact of the extra-marital affair on Biff) have put on him.

Willy's day to day struggle with daily life and work, makes him a more empathetic character and I feel that it is much easier to feel the loss of Willy than that of Hamlet, Crown Prince of Denmark and Jimmy Porter. Although they face personal loss at varying degrees, it is Willy's loss that is more tragic and more realistic that those of Jimmy's and Hamlet. I could say it is probably because of the closeness that one feels with Willy because we may have been in a similar boat or probably because it is something a common man, who has a large amount of debt against his name and the inability to have anything, including his own house, to call his own because of the debt.

By chasing the American Dream, Willy has brought his downfall, the onslaught of the guilt after Biff found him cheating on Linda and the later mental degradation because he was too caught up in the past. Linda fails to help him because she finds easier to lie to his face than break his illusion, especially after he tried to kill himself. By telling herself that everything will be alright, including to Willy, especially when it's not, the situation becomes rather 'sticky'. When Linda states the attempted suicide by Willy, Biff regrets being harsh on Willy and tries to help him albeit unsuccessfully as Willy would rather be independent and feels that asking or agreeing for help would degrade his status.

By focusing on Willy, Miller has brought out this enigmatic character who is too wound up in his past to focus on the present and trying to move on. By making Willy a salesman, Miller is able to explore the various aspects of daily life, especially when most of Willy's daily life is spent on the road. By leaving the ending open-ended (in some versions there is a funeral scene, which may as well allude to the title), he is able to focus on the challenges that Willy had to face, especially when one is unable to let go of the past. The reason for this is simple: the guilt of his affair and the disappointment that Biff had when he found out made it difficult for Willy to move on and thus retreated into his mind to get solace from the harsh reality. Therefore this father-son relationship [Willy - Biff] has failed in many ways because Willy failed to live up to the Biff's expectations and let him down because Biff regarded him as his role model and cheating on Linda was the most 'idiotic' thing to do. Linda is nice woman, and Biff feels that Willy's affair is a disgrace as it denounces her position as a wife. Willy's actions therefore, inadvertently affects everyone around him.

I may not like plays with procrastinating characters (Hamlet) and characters who just rant and vent out their feelings and do nothing about it (Jimmy Porter; although his frustration did start the movement known as the Angry Young Men) but Willy is the character to look out for. The Modern Era has created so much confusion that even we may get lost and get stuck in the past and try connecting them with the present even though it makes no sense. I would like to think that Willy has found his peace somewhere, even though his fate may or may not be mentioned.

That's what I think. It might be an annoying play as there is not much action in terms of physical movement but there is so much action and excitement in Willy's mind that it makes the play more interesting.

* I have not covered everything the play is about. Rather I have focused on Willy as a character and what I have come to realize about him, especially after doing this play as a detailed study in my Literature Course this semester. In general, I did not find the play that exciting or very interesting while studying it or when I read it. I have made comparisons to Hamlet and Jimmy Porter because of all the characters that I have come across in Literature, these are the two most annoying characters that have ever been created for their lack of action and to some extent are similar to Willy. This is just my reading and understanding. After all, Literature is all about interpretations and re-readings. And there is no wrong answer; everyone is right in their way.

NOTE:

So, feel free to leave constructive comments and not anything blasphemous and please don't border on slander or libel as I will remove it and block you from commenting. Thanks.

Examination Blues

As I sit down trying to study for my upcoming exams, I wonder what could possibly go wrong while I write these exams, apart from failing. I understand its implications but then procrastinating to study is sure way of making it happen, which of course, I cannot let happen for obvious reasons like it makes the mark-sheet look bad when you're applying a postgrad course.

Apart form the 'dreaded' Monday blues, I would say that Exam Blues are the next worst thing for everyone, I would think. Testing of our knowledge of what we have learnt a cramped, short semester of 3.5 months. Another thing while we would have to look into is that of internships for the following month. How much can we possibly do. :/ - The joys the following month shall bring me.

Exams may be dreaded but once its over, we wouldn't have to bother until the results come out and crossing our fingers to ensure that our numbers would be there. Which I hope would happen, considering what I am doing at this very moment instead of studying for the exams the following week. This reminds me of Willy from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - wherein he asks Bernard to let Biff copy his answers during the state exam. 'Course cheating is bad. Not that I should do it, 'cos there's this teacher who does the rounds across the room and there's possibly no one I could copy from simply because you cannot be sure what they have studied. As I take Literature as one of my majors, I may know the answer to the question on Lord Alfred Tennyson's The Second Coming more better and would be sure of writing a full fledged and thorough analysis along with the necessary cross references to the other literary texts that I have studied than writing an answer on let's say I.A. Richards' critical essay Principles of Literary Criticism, which the other person who is sitting in front of me would know better than Tennyson's Second Coming.

You can never go wrong in Literature - that's what I love about Literature - no possibility of being wrong. Of course, this can only happen if you are reading the prescribed texts and the non-prescribed texts of your own accord and going to the library to get references for your answers, making it more 'fuller'.

But anyways, exams are exams, and one can't possibly avoid them in any possible way, unless you wriggle yourself out because of lack of attendance. But that's just temporary. October is waiting for you; it's calling you. ;)

I'll have to trudge myself to go study Computers, which unfortunately is my first exam. :|

Culture's Resposnibilty in the fall of the Weimar Republic

This article is a 'shortened' version of what I had written for my History Internal Assessment for the 2010 I.B. Exams.

Along with the several problems that the German Republic had to contend with, there was a revival of a new, open culture. The sudden, abrupt opening of the German culture was not accepted by the public and did not help the Weimar to gain a foothold over Germany. This leads to the question, To what extent was Culture responsible for the fall of Weimar Republic?

The article looks into the factors that resulted in the fall of the Weimar Republic. Though the primary focus on how culture played a role in its fall, it also looks into two other important factors that were instrumental in its early demise: The economic situation and also the Treaty of Versailles, both of which could be linked to the vast disruptions caused after World War 1.

An Analysis of Weimar Republic’s Failure as a Government

In German historical consciousness, the Weimar republic has always been associated with a stigma of failure.[i] Through Weitz’s[ii] analysis of Weimar, the highs and the lows of the government is intricately analyzed up to its fall by the Right. Although the role of the Nazis is not explicitly stated, the Right’s role in the demise of it is not ignored. Though its beginning was troubled and unsettled, the fact that the Germans had created a new political system, forced the Kaiser to abdicate and had great social improvements let the Weimar have a vibrant, active spirit. Though there was an increasing willingness by the Germans to recognize the accomplishments of the Weimar Republic, the general disdain which was felt by many was unmistakable with the popular saying ‘Bonn is not Weimar’.[iii]

The 1920s saw a massive cultural revival in Germany, both in “traditional forms of high culture and in a newly developing mass culture”[iv]. Arguably, the Twenties were the most innovative and it was essentially and predominantly self-defining.[v] Culture, undoubtedly, was the epitome of Weimar’s regime, though it was rebutted by many Germans. Berlin’s prominence during the revival of culture is effectively brought out by Metzger and Brandätter through various pictures of the activities that took place. Simultaneously they provide an in-depth commentary of Berlin’s ‘restless’ cultural boom. The 1920s under Weimar the ‘Roaring’ or ‘Golden’ Twenties. Berlin’s culture of the spectacular was none other than the promise of a mass euphoria that could be enjoyed in the long term.[vi] Harold Nicolson[vii], like Joseph Roth[viii], details the restless nature of Berlin by stating that “there is no other city in the world as restless as Berlin”[ix]. The Youth Movements had modest beginnings at the turn of century and had flourished mightily during the twenties, securing support through the ranks and also among the graduates, many would-be thinkers hunting for an organic philosophy of life. As they had no philosophy, the often allied themselves to the Communists, Socialists or the Nazis and these movements were largely anti-semantic, with only few accepting Jews. The Wandervogel sought warmth and comradeliness, an escape form the lies spawned by the petty bourgeois culture, a clean way of life unmasked by the use of alcohol or tobacco and, above all, a common existence that could rise above self-interest and shabby party politics. [x]

But for those who welcomed the new cultural climate there had been more who had hankered after the past, resented the change and saw cultural experimentation as leading to Germany’s cultural and national degeneration.[xi] The Nazis in particular showed great disgust to the changes happening in Germany and were not particularly fond of the cultural changes. For many, the Weimar cultural explosion reinforced their hostility to the regime.[xii] The NSDAP who were apt in exploiting social resentments of the German middle class, benefitted through the unprecedented rise in vote protest.[xiii] With millions desperate, it was easy for demagogues to offer simple solutions.[xiv] The situation was variously blamed on the Jewish finances, the Versailles Treaty, Weimar Democracy and socials.[xv] The breakthrough of the NSDAP as a mass movement was the decisive event in the last phase of the Weimar Republic. The economic crisis transformed the Nazis into a mass movement[xvi] and enabled them to establish themselves firmly in the political scenario.

Nevertheless, it can be argued that events such as the Treaty of Versailles and the Depression took the toll on the Republic. The economic crisis that perpetually haunted the Weimar affected the relations between the government and the Germans and the society was affected to a large extent. This was largely done by the Treaty of Versailles and the World Depression in 1929. The Treaty of Versailles was the most controversial cause of Germany’s economic condition. The government became unpopular with the signing of the Treaty upon signing and was termed the ‘November Criminals’. The Right exploited this extensively to undermine the democratic rule of Germany. Moreover the Germans felt that the government had not successfully restored Germany’s pride or escaping its association with the hated Versailles.[xvii] The larger economic problems that they faced remained largely “disguised and unsolved” [xviii]. The onslaught of the World Depression, 1929-33, intensified the pressures that brought its final crisis.[xix] Stresemann briefly improved but within Germany but his achievements was condemned by many and was unable to strengthen the system during the years 1924-29.[xx] Gay notes that the Weimar could never “enlist the wholehearted loyalty of all, or even many” as its birth was very severe.[xxi] Others also[xxii], seem to agree on this point, arguing that the Weimar from the beginning never had its true supporters. Layton adds on that due to its narrow support base it was “caught between the extremes of Left and Right”[xxiii]. The little positive signs that the Weimar had, high production to technological advance, came to a crashing halt over the winter of 1929-30.[xxiv]

The reasons for the Weimar Republic's collapse are the subject of continuing debate. It may have been doomed from the beginning since even moderates disliked it and extremists on both the left and right loathed it. Germany had limited democratic traditions and Weimar democracy was widely seen as chaotic. The factors are interlinked and therefore it is impossible to actually pinpoint a single factor for the fall of the Weimar Republic. Culture is one of the factors but its failure to appeal to the mass is interlinked with the economy and the rise of the Nazis. Most Germans felt that the Weimar Regime had unsuccessfully restored Germany’s pride or escape the association with the hated Versailles. [xxv]

The Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression largely caused the economic instability of Germany, which perpetually weakened them further. Being fragile on all fronts, it was natural that it was vulnerable to the brutal anti- Weimar attacks staged by the Nazis and particularly to the economic situation post-1929. The resentments that were felt among the Germans during the economic stagnation were widely exploited by Nazis and were a crucial factor in establishing them firmly in the Germans’ consciousness. The Nazis became the Right’s ‘most adept purveyors’ and their ideas diffused through them. The Nazi’s rise in popularity and in particular Hitler’s appointment by Hindenburg was fatal; it finalized their take over. Weimar Democracy was really dead before the establishment of Nazi dictatorship in early 1933.[xxvi]

---

[i] Mommsen, Hans. The Rise & Fall of Weimar Democracy. Trans. Elborg Forster and Larry Eugene Jones. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1996. Print Preface, Page vii

[ii] Weitz, Eric D. Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2007. Print.

[iii] Mommsen, Hans. The Rise & Fall of Weimar Democracy. Trans. Elborg Forster and Larry Eugene Jones. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1996. Print Preface, Page vii

[iv] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 89

[v] Metzger, Rainer, and Christian Brandätter. Berlin: The Twenties. Trans. Claire Costa. New York: Abrams, 2007. Print. Page 371

[vi] Metzger, Rainer, and Christian Brandätter. Berlin: The Twenties. Trans. Claire Costa. New York: Abrams, 2007. Print. Page 382

[vii] Nicolson, Harold. "The Charm of Berlin." The Weimar Republic Sourcebook. Ed. Edward Dimendberg, Martin Jay, and Anton Kaes. Berkeley: University of California. 425-26. Print.

[viii] Roth, Joseph. What I Saw: Reports from Berlin 1920 - 1933. Trans. Michael Hofmann. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004. Print.

[ix] Kaes, Anton, Martin Jay, and Edward Dimendberg, eds. The Weimar Republic Sourcebook. London: University of California, 1995. Print. Page 425

[x] Gay, Peter. Weimar Culture: The Outsider as Insider. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001. Print. Pages 77-78.

[xi] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page89

[xii] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 89

[xiii] Mommsen, Hans. The Rise & Fall of Weimar Democracy. Trans. Elborg Forster and Larry Eugene Jones. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1996. Print. Page 318

[xiv] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 50

[xv] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 86

[xvi] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 4

[xvii] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 86

[xviii] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 3

[xix] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 4

[xx] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 4

[xxi] Gay, Peter. Weimar Culture: The Outsider as Insider. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001. Print. Page 8

[xxii] Those used in this investigation: Kaes, Anton, Martin Jay, and Edward Dimendberg; Metzger, Rainer and Christian Brandätter; Mommsen, Hans; Roth, Joseph; Weitz, Eric D; Layton, Geoff.

[xxiii] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 3

[xxiv] Weitz, Eric D. Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2007. Print.Page 161

[xxv] Hite, John, and Chris Hinton. Weimar & Nazi Germany. London: Hodder Murray, 2000. Print. SHP Advanced History Core Texts. Page 86

[xxvi] Layton, Geoff. Germany: The Third Reich 1933-45 for AQA. 3rd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2005. Print. Access to History. Page 2

The 1st Post...

So.This cannot get worse as it is after let me say 3 months of making this blog that i am typing this post. This reli sucks, big time. I cant reli post much rite now,making it even worse.

- Me