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Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion: Part 3
Uploaded by camdiscussion on Sep 23, 2007
Part 3 of 3: ‘Is Woody Allen A Romantic Or A Realist?’
A discussion of Woody Allen’s 1989 movie, Crimes and Misdemeanors, perhaps his finest.
By Anton Scamvougeras.
http://camdiscussion.blogspot.com/
antons@mail.ubc.ca
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I have gone back and forth and back and forth with many liberals on the Arkansas Times Blog on many issues such as abortion, human rights, welfare, poverty, gun control and issues dealing with popular culture . This time around I have discussed morality with the Ark Times Bloggers and have used the examples given in Woody Allen’s movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors” to do so. With out God in the picture to punish the evildoers in an afterlife, then can people do anything they want because “might makes right.”
Without the infinite-personal God of the Bible to reveal moral absolutes then man is left to embrace moral relativism. In a time plus chance universe man is reduced to a machine and can not find a place for values such as love. Both of Francis Schaeffer’s film series have tackled these subjects and he shows how this is reflected in the arts.
Here are some posts I have done on the series “HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? : Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 10 “Final Choices” , episode 9 “The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence”, episode 8 “The Age of Fragmentation”, episode 7 “The Age of Non-Reason” , episode 6 “The Scientific Age” , episode 5 “The Revolutionary Age” , episode 4 “The Reformation”, episode 3 “The Renaissance”, episode 2 “The Middle Ages,”, and episode 1 “The Roman Age,” .
In the film series “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?” the arguments are presented against abortion (Episode 1), infanticide (Episode 2), euthenasia (Episode 3), and then there is a discussion of the Christian versus Humanist worldview concerning the issue of “the basis for human dignity” in Episode 4 and then in the last episode a close look at the truth claims of the Bible.
I commented:
Vanessa wrote, “What’s funny is watching Saline tie himself in knots trying to defend his delusions.”
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Do you think I am the one who looks silly for asking good questions that don’t ever get answered? I get ridicule but there are no good answers given to very simple questions like:
If you accept Darwinism then why not Social Darwinism?
On what basis do you say that Hitler’s policy of Social Darwinism was wrong?
In an universe without a lasting meaning or the presence of an infinite personal God how can anyone say what Hitler did was wrong in an impersonal world of time and chance?
ON WHAT BASIS IS MURDER WRONG?
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Now here is another simple question: HOW COULD CONVINCE JUDAH NOT TO HAVE HIS MISTRESS KILLED IF THERE IS NO AFTERLIFE WHERE HE WILL HAVE TO FACE GOD?
Faced with going to jail and losing his marriage Judah talks to the Rabbi Ben before making the decision to have his troublesome mistress killed. Here is how the conversation went in the movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors,”:
On a stormy night Judah walks through the house alone, agonizing over what to do about his mistress. A previous conversation Judah had with a patient and friend, who is also a rabbi, plays as narration.
Ben: Sometimes, when there’s real love and true acknowledgement of a mistake, there can be forgiveness, too.
Judah: I know Miriam. Her values, her feelings. Our place among our friends and colleagues.
Ben: But what choice do you have if the woman is going to tell her? You have to confess the wrong and hope for understanding. I couldn’t go on living if I didn’t feel with all my heart a moral structure with real meaning and forgiveness, and some kind of higher power. Otherwise there’s no basis to know how to live. And I know you well enough to know that the spark of that notion is inside you somewhere too.
Judah sits down and lights a cigarette. In his imagination, Ben walks into the room.
Ben: Could you go through with it?
Judah: What choice do I have, Ben? Tell me.
Ben: Give the people that you’ve hurt a chance to forgive you.
Judah: Miriam won’t forgive me. She’ll be broken. She worships me. She’ll be humiliated before our friends. This woman plans to make a stink.
Ben: Did you make promises to her?
Judah: No. Maybe I led her on more than I realized. She’s so emotionally hungry. But it’s deeper than just Miriam now.
Ben: Meaning financial improprieties?
Judah: No. Maybe I… maybe I did make some questionable moves.
Ben: Only you would know that, Judah.
Judah: I don’t anymore, Ben. Sometimes it’s worse than… worse than jail.
Ben: IT’S A HUMAN LIFE. YOU DON’T THINK GOD SEES?
Judah: GOD IS A LUXURY I CAN’T AFFORD
Ben: Now you’re talking like your brother Jack.
Judah: Jack lives in the real world. You live in the kingdom of heaven. I managed to keep free of that real world but.. Suddenly it’s found me.
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