Moral Luck in the Films of Woody Allen

Abstract

MORAL LUCK IN THE FILMS OF WOODY ALLEN We happened to have won the war. But if we didn't win the war, then history would be created differently.(Judah's aunt in Crimes and Misdemeanors) The purpose of this essay is to discuss how moral issues are represented in two films of Woody Allen: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Match Point (2005). My principal tool of analysis is the concept of 'moral luck', elaborated in an essay of the same title by Bernard Williams (1929-2003) (see Williams 1981a), widely cited as the most important British moral philosopher of his time. I am using this concept because these two Allen films can serve as a perfect illustration of its validity or, conversely, because the idea of moral luck supports the way the director deploys moral problems in his films. My discussion will consist of three parts. In the...