We watched this movie last week in my film class and my professor asked the class the question "Did Gil really love Ceci
-
smirish — 19 years ago(March 14, 2007 10:48 AM)
Have you ever seen Annie Hall where Alvy and Annie are standing in line to go see a movie and the loudmouth film professor in front of them goes on and on about Marshal McLuhan and how his movies are so full of it. Well, Alvy then goes over and pulls the real Marshal McLuhan from behind a plant and McLuhan tells this film prof. how he has no idea about his movies and he's basically an idiot?
Has your film prof seen this scene? -
GunHillTrain — 19 years ago(May 07, 2006 08:45 AM)
Tom Baxter loved Cecilia because it was "written into his character," as he says. The script of the movie within the movie presumes he is the ideal, or "perfect", man, and whatever Cecilia desires in a man is reflected back to her. (Remember the scene in the brothel? There too, Tom has that function for the women around him.)
Gil Shepherd, however, is a real human being, and thus more complex - and he has some flaws. At first he responds to her flattery, flattery based on his movie roles, not the real person, because Celicia doesn't know him except through his films. He is more interested in her opinion of him than in what she is really like.
At the end, I think, he realizes that she could never fit into his life in Hollywood. He may have a guilty conscience about it but, as an actor, he is able to understand the diffence between reality and fantasy better than Cecilia can. -
ghetarr2001 — 17 years ago(December 05, 2008 10:21 PM)
This is exactly the kind of post I was going to make, just 2 and a half years later! I believe that Gil was simply soaking in all the attention, the attention he craved, he had ambitions but felt he was not given the recognition he deserved. When Cecilia gave him the kind of praise he probably had never heard before, he fell "in love" with her admiration for him, but I don't think he actually loved her, he just loved being with her, because she told him what he so desperately wanted to hear.
-
tnilfo — 19 years ago(June 08, 2006 09:55 PM)
I think it's quite simple: Gil probably did fall in love with Cecilia, but this love didn't match the love he had for himself. He likely didn't believe he could continue his Hollywood career with Cecilia at his side, so he had to leave her behind although clearly it wasn't an easy decision.
-
Isaac5855 — 18 years ago(July 12, 2007 07:27 AM)
I don't know what movie you were watching, but Gil didn't love Ceceliahe was doing and saying whatever he needed to do or say to get Tom to go back in the movie. If you think Gil loved Cecelia, I have to wonder if you saw the entire movie.
-
cthomer — 15 years ago(March 03, 2011 12:47 AM)
100% agree. I don't even see how there is reasonable belief that he loved her. If the film was shot from his perspective it would basically be a con-artist heist film. He did whatever he needed to do to get his character back into the film.
Did he feel bad about it? Yeah, it certainly seemed so, but i don't think he had any real feeling for her. -
nypoet22 — 15 years ago(March 07, 2011 04:56 PM)
based on my read of woody allen, i think gil's feelings toward cecilia were left ambiguous or ambivalent, and were meant to be. my thought is that gil couldn't have "fleshed out" tom unless he were a real part of the actor's psyche. thus, whatever part of gil tom came from really did love her, and maybe that's the part he was contemplating on the airplane.
-
suckerdwsp316 — 19 years ago(August 24, 2006 07:10 PM)
deep down, i think he did love her, thats why he was so down on the airplane. however, i think his producers convinced him to leave, plus he probably convinced himself that his career is worth more than some poor broad from jersey.
-
JR541 — 19 years ago(August 26, 2006 09:46 PM)
I doubt that he loved her at all. He certainly may have felt bad about deceiving her but he was more interested in making sure his acting career wasn't ruined.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese? -
maveric07777 — 19 years ago(December 06, 2006 06:36 PM)
I agree, he did love her but he wouldn't ruin his career for it.
The ending is really quite sad, but also one of the reasons why I really like the movie. On a side note, Jeff Daniels was awesome in this. Despite what he did, I think he is one of the most likeable characters I have ever seen in a movie. -
leopoldstotch911 — 19 years ago(December 10, 2006 07:36 PM)
I agree, he did love her, but loved his career more. Too bad, cause now she may have to go back to her husband, again.
Everyone I implore you to check this film out http://www.imdb.com/board/10015532/ -
jure-8 — 19 years ago(January 28, 2007 03:06 PM)
You don't have to worry. I have seen a version that is few minutes longer. Gil changes decision on the plane and demands plane to return for Cecilia. Right
after the last scene where she is watching Fred Astaire dancing he comes into the theatre and sits near her. They kiss. This is the right ending. I don't know why this shorter version became distributed more. -
GunHillTrain — 18 years ago(April 08, 2007 04:26 AM)
I think the existing ending makes sense.
When Gil and Cecilia meet, it's an interaction between a celebrity and a fan, not a natural meeting between two people. Cecilia showers him with flattery, and he initially responds to that. But she really doesn't know
him
per se; she only knows his movie roles and probably the publicity allowed by the film studio.
Gil may be intrigued by her at first but, since he is a professional actor, he figures out the difference between fantasy and reality faster than she does.
As the recently deceased Betty Hutton once said: "All four of my husbands fell in love with Betty Hutton; they didn't fall in love with me." -
tmg-39 — 18 years ago(April 11, 2007 02:03 PM)
great story, great characters, and so beautifully done.
someone here said that Tom loved Cecilia because it was written into his character. i loved that.
here's the way i see it:
i believe he also loved her because of the "life" given to him by Gil.
and it was probably that same part of Gil jimself that made him love her as well.
but there is a huge difference between the real and the symbol.
there could be no other ending to complete this story.
in real life, Gil and Cecilia could never be together. she had to choose reality, and she will probably go back to watching movies. for her, the movies represent escape. i like to believe that she leaves Monk, but i'm not completely sure of that. real people dont always change.
and Gil- i believe he really does love her, but being a real person he is not a "courageous poetic and romantic" soul. he is a coward, and he has a career to take care of. he will never forget her, but he'll also never fight to be with her.
and at the end of the movie, we really have to accept reality along with Cecilia.
and that is so perfect.