Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980)
A wonderful little movie that is usually billed as Allen's take on Fellini but which stands up marvelously on its own. For one, it is splendidly funny; Allen's humor shines through here, as he manages to get in many great one-liners and, what's more, some genuinely funny situations, such as his coming back to find a groupie in his bed. (Side note: making it ambiguous as to whether or not she and he 'made it' was a great choice on Allen's part, as it introduces some real mystery into the Sandy Bates character) Beyond that, though, this film says a lot of really insightful things about art and memory and imagination. The ways in which Sandy's memories came flooding back to him were almost always ingenious, and what's more, this film manages to pull off the whole 'is this real or imagined?' thing with grace and style. The shot that will forever be burned into my brain, though, is the extended cut of Dory on the floor, staring at Sandy with a variety of emotions; so often, 'profound moments' in movies are simple bullshit, but here, you completely understand how it is that this moment could have been very special for Bates. Of course, the shot is made possible only as a result of the amazing acting on Charlotte Rampling's part; it's probably one of the most naturalistic pieces of acting that I've ever seen. As the film ends, it leaves you wanting to discuss it, just as the characters leaving the theater discuss it, but we have the added bonus of being able to discuss the external film as well.
Allen is a masterful writer, and this may be one of his best works, for it handles time, space, and the interior of the human mind with both style and wit. It ain't too shabby visually, either.
