Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains Judah's struggles to maintain his divided self without the benefit of either morality or God. The author points out that he creates a public self, in which he is loved, honored, and admired, and attempts to construct an inner life in which he is accountable to no one; but, in his quest to avoid accountability and morality, Judah destroys whatever goodness there is left in him. The paper concludes that, more than a simple tale of infidelity, this film asks complicated questions about the nature of love, our self-perception, how we are perceived by others, and finally, our moral responsibilities to each other and ourselves.

From the Paper:

"Judah's last words to the imaginary Ben are telling: "I will not be destroyed by this neurotic woman". With this declaration, he picks up the telephone and orders Jack into action, believing that Delores' death will save him. The ironic tragedy is that, by calling Jack, whatever good there was left inside of Judah has already been destroyed. His willingness to kill Delores indicated that the destruction of his character has been long in the making, and nothing his lover might say to his wife or anyone else could worsen that. In a sense, without morality Judah has nothing, and the fact that he can't see this is the true tragedy of his life."

More papers on Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors":

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