As he grows oldÂer, Woody Allen increasÂingÂly finds himÂself posiÂtioned as the philosoÂpher filmÂmakÂer. Fresh Air host TerÂry Gross asked him some heavy exisÂtenÂtial quesÂtions in an interÂview last year. (LisÂten here). And, more recentÂly, we have Allen grapÂpling with some big life quesÂtions in an interÂview conÂductÂed by Father Robert E. Lauder in the Catholic magÂaÂzine, ComÂmonÂweal. The conÂverÂsaÂtion begins:
RL: When IngÂmar Bergman died, you said even if you made a film as great as one of his, what would it matÂter? It doesn’t gain you salÂvaÂtion. So you had to ask yourÂself why do you conÂtinÂue to make films. Could you just say someÂthing about what you meant by “salÂvaÂtion”?
WA: Well, you know, you want some kind of relief from the agony and terÂror of human exisÂtence. Human exisÂtence is a bruÂtal expeÂriÂence to me…it’s a bruÂtal, meanÂingÂless experience—an agoÂnizÂing, meanÂingÂless expeÂriÂence with some oases, delight, some charm and peace, but these are just small oases. OverÂall, it is a bruÂtal, bruÂtal, terÂriÂble expeÂriÂence, and so it’s what can you do to alleÂviÂate the agony of the human conÂdiÂtion, the human predicaÂment? That is what interÂests me the most. I conÂtinÂue to make the films because the probÂlem obsessÂes me all the time and it’s conÂsisÂtentÂly on my mind and I’m conÂsisÂtentÂly tryÂing to alleÂviÂate the probÂlem, and I think by makÂing films as freÂquentÂly as I do I get a chance to vent the probÂlems. There is some relief. I have said this before in a faceÂtious way, but it is not so faceÂtious: I am a whinÂer. I do get a cerÂtain amount of solace from whinÂing.
You can read the full interÂview here, and, in case you missed it, you can watch Jean-Luc GodardÂ’s 1986 movie with Woody Allen entiÂtled Meetin’ WA.
Thanks to Mike for the tip on this one.
