Staying with my theme from yesterday, another somewhat obscure move that’s one of my favorites is My Dinner with Andre. This 1981 film, directed by Louis Malle, is comprised almost entirely of a dinner conversation between two real life friends, the actor and playwright, Wallace Shawn, and the actor and director, Andre Gregory. When I have told people through the years that this may be my favorite movie of all time, and described it, the usual reaction is incredulity, “How can they make a movie of that? How can you watch a movie like that?”
The driving force of the movie is the persona of Andre Gregory. In his labyrinthine story of the the last five years of his life after “disappearing” from the theater (partially based on reality and partially created for the film), Gregory recounts one bizarre, mind altering experience after another. The stories, often overlaid with supernatural (or hyper-natural) experiences, present a man who has let go of the mornings of conventional life and journeyed to find deeper meaning and a deeper reality, sometimes successfully and sometimes not.
Though the first half of the movie is presented almost as a monologue, punctuated only by occasional questions by the clearly overwhelmed Wally, during the second half, the slightly bumbling Wally (probably representing the viewer) gains his voice and argues with Andre for the simple joys of conventional life. This argument both challenges the thesis of the first half of the movie while giving time for Andre to further clarify and refine his arguments. Though neither side comes out as a clear winner, it is clear at the end that at least Wally has been affected, if not changed, by his dinner with Andre.
My relationship with this film goes back to the week in which it was first released. I remember where I saw it, whom I saw it with, and the conversation that followed. As a 22 year old person, who was feeling pretty sure about his world (not knowing how in a matter of months that world was going to be rocked in ways that I couldn’t imagine) I found Andre’s stories to be irritating, and his metaphysical dilettantism to be truly upsetting. I remember distinctly several moments of the film where I wanted to walk out, and only my friend encouraged me to stay until the end.
So what has changed in the past 40 years? I have not become more open to supernatural occurrences or metaphysical events, though I do think I am far less interested in challenging them. I have watched the film several times through the years, and each time I found Andre’s story less jarring and admired more the totality of the film. In presenting a conversation that so few of us have, Malle helped guide us through the mature examination of life and its meaning that we, with our heads down in relentless pursuit of mediocrity, to seldom do.
I’ve been thinking about thIs film during this time and rewatched several scenes yesterday. During this time of not moving forward, watching a truly thoughtful conversation might help us to move inward and to confront those questions which every actor is taught to ask: Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
Here is a scene from the end of the film for you to enjoy, but watch the whole movie. You have time.
Be safe, be strong.