Great Scene: “Stardust Memories”

The opening scene in Woody Allen’s 1980 movie Stardust Memories.

IMDb plot summary: While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.

In some ways, a classic Woody Allen scene recalling that line, “I’d never join a club that would allow a person like me to become a member.” There is the Beautiful Party People Train. And there is the Dour Ugly People Train. Woody is on the latter.

The nightmarish quality of the scene and the black and white images bring to mind Ingmar Bergman, one of Allen’s cinematic inspirations.

The scene sets the tone for a movie that befuddled many Allen fans, a significant departure from the tone and feel of his two most previous movies Annie Hall and Manhattan.