Midnight in Paris is a romantic comedy that is as much a romance between a writer and his writing as it is about two lovers. Gil (Owen Wilson), the protagonist, is a successful but dissatisfied screenwriter struggling to write a novel. He is nostalgic for the past, particularly the Parisian 1920’s, and eventually stumbles upon a time warp that allows him to travel back in time to meet the greatest writers of his favorite era. His adventures in the past are paralleled with the triviality of his life in the present with his rich and shallow fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams). Ultimately, his stale life verses his adventures becomes a metaphor for his initial discontent with his writing and his subsequently renewed interest in it.
In the scene where Gil is shopping in the Paris streets with Inez and her mother, his soon-to-be mother-in-law describes a bad movie that she and her husband saw in the theater the previous night. Despite its poor quality, she says that they “laughed and laughed.” Gil does not find this amusing but rather says that he may as well have written it. This shows that he has little confidence and respect for himself as a writer. This attitude is repeatedly personified in Inez, her parents, and her friends, who are comically over simplified and petty characters, whenever they make fun of his novel writing. Gil grows quiet and shrinks into himself during these moments, as though listening to inner voices that prevent him from finishing his novel. Thus, his lack of confidence restrains him from becoming the writer he wishes to be just as the people in his life prevent him from having the freedom he desires.
In contrast, Gil’s adventures with Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), and Adriana (Marion Cotillard) inspire fresh optimism in him. On his second trip to the past, Gil rides with Hemingway to meet Gertrude. On the way, Hemingway asks him if he’s afraid of death, and when Gil answers yes, Hemingway tells him that the greatest men are the ones who love so truly that they forget about death entirely. While the advice leads Gil to reflect on his relationship with Inez, Hemingway’s words can also be applied to Gil’s writing. Gil is afraid of failing as a novelist, which would be a type of “death” for him. However, the only way he will ever make his writing successful is if he forgets his fear and writes with a passion equal to that of true love. Gil does not understand this at first, but after Gertrude reads his manuscript, he realizes that he must allow his imagination to work before worrying about the believability. Once he succeeds with his novel, he is capable of leaving Inez, symbolically leaving behind his inner critic.
I enjoyed reading your assestment of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011). When you inserted the quote that was made by Hemingway (Corey Stoll), “the greatest men are the ones who love so truly that they forget about death entirely.” As you mentioned already, this quote served as a catalyst to how Gil views not only his relationship with Inez (Rachel McAdams), but with his own writing. Even though some people do complain about the caricature of Hemingway, I thought that Stoll delivered the line with honesty. As an avid reader, I can see this quote being applied in one of Hemingway’s critically acclaimed novel The Sun Also Rises. In this story, Hemingway tells the story of a group of expatriates who are living in Paris. While on vacation in Spain, they join in a fiesta to go and see a real bull fight. Jake Barnes, who is the main character, glorifies the bull fighters because they are so passionate of their work, they forget that they may die in the arena. Therefore, when Hemingway told Gil this quote, I believe that Gil finally realized that it was time to face death (his fear of people reading his novel) in the face.
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is important to realize the costumes that Gil wears in the two different frames are significantly different. In the top picture, Gil is seen wearing a vintage corduroy jacket and Hemingway is wearing the same. However, in the photograph below, the wardrobe between Gil and Inez are significantly different. The audience can see that Gil is more comfortable wearing a Polo button down shirt and seems more relaxed than Inez. In contrast, Inez is wearing clothes that are posh and sophisticated. Therefore, the audience can see the different class backgrounds between these two people.
What an interesting analysis. I learned a couple of things here that I did not realize while watching the movie. I had not paid as much attention to the actions of Inez and her family and friends in the way you did. It's funny now to think back on just how much they played-up the superficiality of those characters. I also did not think about Gil's conversation with Hemingway about death to be applicable to the success or failure of Gil's novel, but it makes perfect sense and shows another way Gil identifies himself with his work. It's neat to see underlying meanings in movies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting the Hemingway quote about love and death out there as the basis for the film's turning point. I agree with your assessment of Gil's social surroundings that reinforced his psychological escapes to nostalgia, in that his lifestyle actually reflected the opposite of his life's passion. As a point of discussion, what do you believe brought Gil and Inez together in the first place? Was Gil sucked into the demands of classicism by choosing to become married to a young woman with whom he had little more in common than social status? Were his life's expectations similar to those shown by the end of film before he became successful as a film writer? Although these points are obviously not covered by the film itself, I believe that there is some reference to them that call for reflection over our American values.
ReplyDelete