A New York sportswriter becomes obsessed with finding the birth mother of his unusually gifted adopted son. He finds Linda, a prostitute and part-time porn actress. Greek tragedy frames it all, with a chorus commenting from an ancient theater. Watch how old myth shapes a modern comedy.
At a glance
Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 comedy film directed by Woody Allen. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (3 narrative, 1 cinematography and 1 psychology), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Seven Samurai uses several of the same techniques.
Using a group, such as a chorus or a village, that comments on events and voices the community's view, framing the main action.
How this film uses it
The story is introduced and narrated by a Greek chorus in an ancient theater. They comment on the action and offer warnings. Sometimes they sing. It turns a small, messy New York story into something that feels fated.
Where to see it
The opening. The chorus introduces Lenny from the ancient theater in Taormina, Sicily.
Filming in recognizable real places so the setting acts like part of the cast. Streets, buildings and landscapes shape the mood of the story.
How this film uses it
The chorus scenes were filmed at the Teatro Antico in Taormina. The old stones lend authority to a very modern story. You feel the age behind a tale of sportswriters and adoption.
Where to see it
The Taormina theater. The chorus performs among ancient ruins, then the film cuts to Manhattan.
Building the whole plot on one character's fixation with a person, goal or rival. Every scene ties back to it, and the obsession keeps feeding itself while it destroys them.
How this film uses it
Lenny becomes fixated on finding Max's biological mother. The search pulls him away from his wife and into Linda's life. Every scene links back to it. It also strains his marriage.
Where to see it
Lenny tracks Linda down. He finds the prostitute and part-time porn actress who gave birth to Max.
Pairing characters from opposite social worlds who find each other strange. Their friction produces the comedy, and what they learn from each other produces the emotion.
How this film uses it
Lenny is a Manhattan sportswriter and Linda is a prostitute. They come from different worlds and find each other odd. By the end, you can read each as having changed the other.
Where to see it
Lenny meets Linda. He urges her toward a more wholesome life, and she angrily gives his money back.
Giving a flawed hero a cause, such as one victim or one person to save, that tests their conscience. Their heroism stays tangled with their weaknesses.
How this film uses it
Lenny tries to fix Linda's life. He helps her escape her pimp and tries to set her up with a boxer, Kevin. The rescue is partly about Lenny's own need to feel useful. It does not go the way he planned.
Where to see it
The boxer. Lenny sets Linda up with Kevin, and the relationship sours when Kevin learns about her past.
Questions
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