With so many of Woody Allen's films it's easy to categorise them quite simply into his serious films or his funny films. But
Stardust Memories feels like the first that really straddles that border. It is deeply funny, but it is also deeply moving. The comedy he uses throughout seems to work to strengthen the serious elements, which is something I've always loved about Allen. He manages to take ideas explored by the greats of cinema like Fellini and Bergman and turn them into these beautifully comic yet still equally moving pieces of cinema. I know when it came out, and still today a lot of people really dislike Stardust Memories and I can honestly see exactly why. It's an extremely self indulgent film and if you're not a great lover of Woody Allen than I could understand how it would grate you the wrong way. But I would much rather watch self indulgent Woody Allen than most other directors. It's interesting because yes, the film is an extremely narcissistic film, but it know it is. It's constantly poking fun at this fact. It's such a self aware film. It feels like you're sitting down for an hour and a half and peering inside Allen's mind as he tries to work out what he's doing with his life and why he should carry on making films. There is one particularly moving scene right at the end (which I have quoted below) that just sums up to me the beauty of Allen's work and how he manages to be so intellectually explorative and yet in the end it does all boil down to just wanting to document the beautiful moments in life.
"Just a little while back, just before I died in fact. I was on the operating table and I was searching to try to find something to hang onto, you know, cause when you're dying your life really does become very authentic and I was reaching for something to give my life meaning and a memory flashed through my mind: It was one of those great spring days, it was Sunday, and you knew summer would be coming soon. And I remember that morning Dorrie and I had gone for a walk in the park and come back to the apartment. We were just sort of sitting around and I put on a record of Louie Armstrong which was music I grew up with and it was very, very pretty, and I happened to glance over and I saw Dorrie sitting there. And I remember thinking to myself how terrific she was and how much I loved her. And I don't know, I guess it was a combination of everything, the sound of the music, and the breeze, and how beautiful Dorrie looked to me and for one brief moment everything just seemed to come together perfectly and I felt happy, almost indestructible in a way. It's funny, that simple little moment of contact moved me in a very, very profound way." - Woody Allen
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