The End of Happiness by Woody Allen

The End of Happiness is a fascinating film directed by Woody Allen and starring Yul Brynner, George Peppard, Edward Herrmann, Dan Aykroyd, John Aston, Yul Brynner, and uncredited bonus actors. The movie concerns the question of human happiness, and what can be done to prolong it. The title refers to a line from the song by Don Henley, ‘The End Of The World Is Near’. It goes on to state that man must understand that he has reached the end of something that used to be wonderful, but that he is ‘not finished’ with that which was once great. The premise of the film is that we are not as safe as we think, and that we should take advantage of what God has given us.

The movie follows a group of people who, after several failed attempts at happiness, decide to try an alternate route by travelling to Australia. Arriving there, they discover people who have made peace with their past mistakes, and establish a life for themselves amidst a group of other people who have ‘forgiveness’. The movie focuses on their journey of self discovery, and how their beliefs about themselves and the world were so drastically different from those of their friends and relatives that it took them several years to reconcile themselves to their new way of living.

Woody Allen does a good job of painting an abstract image of life in general, and the early years of the New Age, especially as it pertains to happiness. People’s need to find meaning and purpose drives their actions, and the end of something that used to provide meaning and purpose is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the need to justify such actions comes into play, and people become slaves to their own success. Many people make the mistake of comparing this to slavery, as if someone’s pursuit of happiness means that they must work their whole lives away to achieve that which they have set out to do. This can be harmful, as the people involved in this kind of lifestyle may believe that their lives are less complicated than those of their friends and relatives, and that the pursuit of happiness can be accomplished more easily and quickly with less effort.