Eighteen Woody Allen Films Analyzed: Anguish, God and Existentialism

By Sander H. Lee

This new textbook is an abridgment of the author's earlier Woody Allen's Angst: Philosophical Commentaries on His Serious Films (McFarland, 1997; "invaluable"--Choice.)

Five main topics are explored: the desire of many of his characters to ground their lives in traditional ethical values despite their realization that such values may no longer be certain; the opposition between pessimism and optimism throughout his films; gender issues relating to romantic love, sexual desire and the ongoing changes in our cultural expectations of both men and women; the idea that contemporary American society is rapidly descending into barbarism precisely because of societal failure to maintain a sense of individual moral responsibility; and a critique of psychoanalysis as a method for understanding human behavior.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786413190
• ISBN13: 9780786413195
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 245 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher