In many of Woody Allen’s films, he tried to explore the themes of God, religion, and morality in an in-depth manner, and crimes and misdemeanours were no different. In this film, Allen’s exploration of themes of religion assumes a rather sinister turn through the wicked life of Judah Rosenthal, who kills her mistress and ends up getting away with it. It becomes very clear in this film that good will always suffer, the bad prosper, and no greater power will correct the system.
Allen, through the actors, asks the question, why should human beings act morally? Would one choose to get something dear to him by committing an unethical act? At the end of the film, the different actors proceed to demonstrate, through their actions and words, how their own different systems of ethics affect the choices they make in life.
The first to the scene is Judah, who faces the greatest moral decision of his life. Dolores, her mistress, insists that she has to divorce her wife Miriam, or she will go ahead and expose him for who he is. In order to put an end to her mistress’s threat, he decides to use the criminal talents of his brother Jack, which he ends up doing. The killing of her mistress makes him question morality, as he is not sure if God will punish him. He tells Rabbi Ben, “What good is the law if it prevents me from receiving justice? Is what she’s doing to me just? Is this what I deserve?” these words came directly due to the choices that he made and without knowing it, it had an implication for his future. Through Judah, Allen makes the viewers ask the question of whether or not Judah could be held morally responsible for creating his own situation.
Rabbi Ben is used a representative of religion but with him being blind, Allen portrays God’s lack of vision to any sense of justice. In fact, it is only Ben who tries to see God’s role and wisdom in whatever is happening, making one ask the question, does one need to be blind to see God’s part? All other characters, such as Judah, get away with murder, and Lester’s immoral acts go unpunished. Why, then, should a morally upright man like Ben be punished? Interestingly, at the climax of the film, Judah also makes the conclusion that “God is a luxury I can’t afford.” He ends up having an imagined conversation between his aunt and religious father that demonstrates a relationship between god and morality. Her aunt paints a picture of a cruel and godless world with no stipulated standards of what is good and what is evil. For her, and something that Judah seems to agree with, individuals in the cruel world end up creating meaning and justifying their actions as they wish. At one point, she says, “And I say if he can do it and get away with it, and he chooses not to be bothered by the ethics, then he’s home free.” While Sol tries to bring the role of God into the debate, Allen ensures that it is the part of her aunt and Judah parts that appeals most to the viewers.
At the end of the film, Allen’s religious beliefs come out very strong, where he sees the universe as being godless and thus meaningless. Through the various questions that the characters ask, as well as an analysis of other themes, such as death and the meaning of life, it becomes very clear that Allen is reiterating his view on religion and morality as he understands it. This is seen when the wicked people end up getting away with their crimes while the religious people such as Ben are punished and never seem to enjoy their lives here on earth.
Work Cited
Crimes and Misdemeanors. Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions: Woody Allen, 1989. Film.
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