Abstract
Woody Allen (WA) has been routinely, almost paradigmatically, defined as an American Jewish filmmaker. His usage of Jewish humor tropes and adaptation of the schlemiel archetype for his characters have been well documented. What largely remains overlooked is how WA transcends the mere autobiographic or ethnographic presentations of Jewishness in his films. By using Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Match Point (2005) and Cassandra’s Dream (2007) as a case study, this essay intends to argue that through interpretive engagement with Jewish scripture and modernist Jewish texts, on the one hand, and Greek drama and modern Western classics, on the other, WA constructs Jewishness as a philosophical, religious, and artistic concept.
Recommended Citation
Grinberg, Marat
(2010)
"The Birth of a Hebrew Tragedy: Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream as a Morality Play,"
Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 14:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol14/iss1/3