Spike Lee Dogs Woody Allen - Rediscovering Pauline Kael

Spike Lee's 2002 film, 25th Hour was shown on one of my cable channels a few days ago. I'm not a fan of most recent films that I've seen. Having spent so many hours viewing innovative European, Asian, and other non-American films at the Detroit Institute of Arts — its Detroit Film Theatre, part of the the fabulous '60s experience; — over the past twenty years I haven't been inclined to view films in commercial film theaters — especially not in Columbus, Ohio. The bits of Mr. Lee's other films that I have seen haven't impressed me. But let me say straight away that I don't care for movies that much anyway — like opera there are too many people involved. There are occasional surprises however. In my February 24, 2014 post I wrote:

 Watching Play It To The Bone it was hard for me to imagine that this film was made in America. It also joins the ranks of my British favorite films - Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Layer Cake. It also joins the very dark French comedy(?) Crime d‘ Amour (Love Crime) by the late Alain Corneau on my faves list.

    To this short list, I add Spike Lee's 25th Hour. First of all one has to give Mr. Lee credit for being able to get his films produced and presented at all. What follows is not a review of 25th Hour. What I'm up to in what follows is a comparison of certain aspects of Mr. Lee's 25th Hour with Mr. Woody Allen's Manhattan.

    Both films are homages to NYC: Allen's is pre-9/11, Lee's is post-9/11. Both films feature scenes shot at the East River. Both East River scenes include two people and a dog. (See below) Both are love stories centered on mistrust — mistrust of love with its attendant betrayal. Manhattan is an upper east-side fantasy with a private high school love interest of Allen's character (Isaac), restaurants: Elaine’s and Russian Tea Room. 

    The 25th Hour has an adult (teacher) and a 17 year old private high school love interest—Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his student (Anna Paquin), a club/disco scene and Brighton Beach Russian/Ukrainian gangsters. Both films treat socio-economic privilege: in Woody Allen's Upper East-Side fantasy the street to the private high school experience is paved with parental/trust fund gold; Spike Lee's way to a private high school education is through a basketball scholarship granted to his main character, Monty, an economically disadvantaged young man, the son of a NYC fireman. There is this difference between Allen's and Lee's portrayals of sexual (and other) relationships between young women (17 year old's) and middle-aged men: in Allen's picture 'money will permit and buy one love; in Lee's picture Jacob's 17 year old student's interest in her teacher is founded on the student's desire to 'persuade' the teacher to change her grade. The teacher refuses to change the student's grade in spite fantastic desire. Allen's character, Isaac, doesn't display any moral misgivings about his relationship (sexual or otherwise) with his 17 year old mistress. 
    Allen's Isaac wants to make the grade - "How was I?" in bed sort of thing, while Lee's Mary just wants her grade changed. When asked by her teacher (Hoffman) to offer her interpretation of Andrew Marvell's poem, "To His Coy Mistress", Mary (Paquin) replies (something to the effect), "The guy was horny, and he wanted her to give it up". In Lee's world, the teacher was horny in deed, but the student wanted her teacher "to give it up", wanted a better grade.   

Manhattan (1979)

 Dog, Mary (Diane Keaton) & Isaac (Woody Allen)

25th Hour (2002)  

Monty (Edward Norton), Dog (Monty’s only friend) & Customer

In the USA love was not racially blind. Black artists who gained presence in the national media, such as Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Paul Robeson, Ethel Waters . . . , Lena Horne, and Nat King Cole, faced particular racist restrictions, most obviously in the movies, where they were never allowed to appear in romantic situations. David Schiff, The Ellington Century, p. 159

Terence Blanchard composed and conducted the music soundtrack for Spike Lee’s 25th Hour. The music is dirge-like, a lamentation for New York City and for the characters of the film — small change in The City's financial, cultural, and unethical transactions.

When I began this Woody Allen and Spike Lee Manhattan v. 25th Hour comparison I was prompted by my uneasiness with Woody Allen's New York stories, with his Anne Hall, Manhattan, Deconstructing Harry. My wife and I use to eagerly await Woody Allen's new films. And we enjoyed the afore mentioned NY stories. Upon leaving Detroit twenty years ago, and relocating to Columbus, Ohio my wife and I have been out of the movie-viewing business. There were two major reasons for our movie withdrawal: there's nothing in Columbus like the Detroit Institute of Arts' Detroit Film Theatre (DFT). When we lived in Detroit, we experienced so many great films at the DFT that we became spoiled by the (1) DFT's big screen and (2) it's director Elliot Wilhelm's adventurous programming. During our 20 year Columbus, Ohio movie drought, we've seen at most 10 films at our two 'art house theaters', Drexel and Wexner Center (Victoria's Secret).

Woody Allen's films were eagerly awaited by my wife and me. However, a friend of mine who's aesthetic judgement I trust without reservation, dismissed Woody Allen's films tout court. Liking a film or films of a Woody Allen or a Spike Lee is one thing. Criticizing films on aesthetic grounds is another thing. I enjoyed, liked, Woody Allen's films. Indeed, Allen's London, Paris and Rome films are quite awful. But I liked his NY films. But there's a trick here - I just like NY films; I love NY too!

When compared with other New York City directors - e. g., Cassavetes, Coppola, Lumet, Scorsese and Lee - there's something of interest missing from Woody Allen's films. There aren't any brown, black or beige characters in Allen's New York City films.

What about the character Cookie in Deconstructing Harry? Cookie's portrayed by a black actress, the character's black? There's also an Asian hooker in another of Allen's films. He also features big band jazz in his films' soundtracks. He plays jazz music on Monday nights.

What about that?

I know, I know! He also wears corduroys and tweed odd jackets.

I just find Woody Allen's films, his jokes, his actors, the love and death stuff past the moment, dishonest, and trite. Woody Allen operates like a real estate developer, a mall magnate - doesn't matter if the project/film is ugly and/or overbuilt/oversold or a straight-up bust, the developer/auteur gets paid first. Woody Allen could name his Rolls Royce 'First Draw'.

Not to be completed ....