Pursuit Of Freedom:A Sartrean Reading Of Woody Allen's Match Point,Whatever Works,and Blue Jasmine

From Annie Hall(1977)to Cafe Society(2016),Woody Allen has told numerous stories that center upon man's life in his own style of non-stop babbling.Though embellished with the director's humor in a traditional way,these films are not designed deliberately to humor its audience,but to transmit the director's personal view of the meaning of life and of man's existence.This thesis intends to disclose systematically Woody Allen's view of man's existence through observing in each chosen film the protagonists5 individual characters and his/her relations with others,in order to reveal their pursuits of existential freedom,meaning one's identities never defined by nature or others,but by one's own choices and actions and it also requires that man take responsibility for one's choices and actions.Signs of change are noticed in Woody's late-period films,and the statement "life is meaningless" refers more to the Sartrean existential freedom,meaning man is not born with set essence and can form his/her own essence based on one's own choices and actions.In analyzing individual characters in particular,such positive attitudes are shown in Woody's presentation of characters'struggles between bad faith and authenticity and their final awareness the importance of authenticity,referring to the awareness of one's existential freedom and responsibilities entailed by one's choices and actions.The emphasis on the pursuit of existential freedom in Woody's late period films is also manifested through the director's portrayal of the Other being the limit of one's freedom.Man's freedom could be limited in the look of the Other,meaning being placed under others' appraisals and judgment,which would drive man back to bad faith in following the general values accepted by the crowd rather than having a lucid mind to choose when placed in severe anguish.While previous studies about Woody Allen's philosophical views are mostly consistent in viewing Woody as a filmmaker holding pessimistic views of the world and of man's existence,the author in this study has found an optimistic Woody in his late-period films.Woody Allen,as shown in his late-period films,generally holds a positive view of man's existence by emphasizing on characters' pursuits of existential freedom.By emphasizing on this theme,it implies that Woody's late-period films advocate the cherishing not only one's existence,but also one's freedom in forming one's own essence,as well as taking responsibilities entailed one's own choices and actions.And for Woody's view of romance in particular,it is not pessimistic one either:although Woody portrays love affairs a lot in his works,it does not mean Woody doesn't have faith in long-lasting love;romance is simply a device employed by the director to manifest intensively his view on "the existence of the Other is the limit of one's freedom,"because love is the most intimate relationship between one person and another person.These views implanted in his films are positive existential suggestions for film audience and these films are therefore of greater values.