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From: lwe3207@acf4.UUCP (Lars Warren Ericson)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: More more PROC
Message-ID: <1110015@acf4.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Apr-85 21:00:00 EST
Article-I.D.: acf4.1110015
Posted: Wed Apr 24 21:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Apr-85 23:43:24 EST
References: <1110011@acf4.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 33

[]

It is uninformative to look at a single piece of work by an artist in
isolation.  If PROC was Woody Allen's first movie ever, it would be a
distinguished effort.

To talk about it in isolation.  I think what I object to is the following view:

	1. This movie is about fantasy vs. reality.
	2. It would be nice to escape into fantasy.
	3. But gee, you really can't, you always have to go back to reality.

The source of the humor, in this view, comes in empathizing with the need for
an escape and with the joys of what an escape might be like, and also in
realizing "Gee, yeah, nobody's perfect, I guess I will have to go back to
dropping mashed potatoes and getting my face pushed in."

My problem with all this is simply that it is totally confused, because the
"reality" is not realistic, and the "fantasy" is not entirely fantastic.
It is possible to find everyday people who are more "good" than the hero.
It is probably not possible to find wife-beaters who never leave bruises.
It is also possible to deal with family violence without simply repeating
a cycle.  PROC, to the un-hyper-educated individual, will leave the
impression that family violence is not a serious problem -- and also that
it has no solution.

Face it.  For a non made-for-TV or made-to-hit-HBO-in-5-days film (at least,
I don't think Woody Allen would want to see it put in that category),
this film is total lumpy oatmeal.

Lars Ericson
Arpa: ericson@nyu
Usenet: {floyd,ihnp4}!cmcl2!csd1!ericson