This page was created on August 14, 2000
and was updated on May 22, 2005

STUDIO SYNOPSIS:
The passion and poignancy of classical romance take on a contemporary edge in Autumn in New York, the story of a once-in-a-lifetime love affair that unfolds in a single brief season. The pairing of an aging man who doesn't believe in forever with a younger woman who has only a moment to give produces a resonant story about the risks that must be taken to truly live and love.

Autumn in New York follows the sexual exploits of Will Keane (RICHARD GERE) - New York restaurateur, infamous verging-on-50 playboy, master of the no-commitment seduction - until he runs into an unexpected dead end when he meets Charlotte Fielding (WINONA RYDER). Charlotte is half Will's age and twice his match, a 21-year-old free spirit yearning to get out and taste the excitement of adult life.

Will indulges his interest in Charlotte, expecting yet another quick and easy romance. But nothing about Will and Charlotte's encounters are quick or easy; instead they are rife with intergenerational clashes, differing philosophies and an inexplicably urgent sense of sensuality and connection. Then, just as Will attempts to escape from the relationship with his usual line about "not promising forever," Charlotte provides a surprise response: she has her own reasons to believe things absolutely can't last.

Freed for a moment from the confines of time, Will and Charlotte pursue an affair unlike any other. It is a season-long encounter that will shatter Will's preconceptions about women, sex and responsibility as real love - exhilarating, heartbreaking, enduring love - changes everything.

Seasons and time are keys to this film.
The film blows away the normal concept of time.
Will is 48 and in his autumn of life.
Charlotte is twenty something.
She is in her spring of life.
The film places them both in nature's autumn.
Will realizes he can only give Charlotte the present.

Then film takes an interesting turn.
Charlotte has a tumor with only a year to live.
Suddenly the time frames are reversed.
It is Charlotte who has only the present.
The season now changes to winter.
Winter is the symbol of death.

On Christmas Day Charlotte dies.
Darkness has run its course.
Now Day begins to overtake the Night.
The film concludes on Easter day.
Spring the rebirth nature. The rebirth of Will.
He is with his long forsaken daughter
and his grandchild.
Autumn man is now experiencing his spring.
Time has been transcended by eternity.

Divine Presence.
At no time is God talked about in the film.
No one prays.
No one goes to church.
There is an implied atheism throughout the story.

And then the film takes a very interesting turn, again.
After the death of Charlotte, just after Christmas,
Will stands on the outdoor porch of his high rise apartment,
holding a glass of wine
next to a Christmas tree.
The camera is first focused on a Cross atop a church
and then moves toward Will's apartment
dozens of doves suddenly ascend heavenward.

Even when God is not, God is!
Even where God is not, God is!

TIME
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
(from the New Living Translation Bible)

There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

...God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
He has planted eternity in the human heart,
but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work
from beginning to end.

Bulletin Board:

REDEEMABLE QUALITIES
Subject: Autumn In New York
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001
From: Vivian

At first glance Autumn in New York may not seem to embody any aspects of Christianity.However, at a deeper level there are redeemable qualities, beyond the explicit sexual exploits, that sheds light on an otherwise apparently immoral film. As Christians, we don't condone various sex partners- even the thought of sex without being bound by the vows of marriage.Richard Gere's character, Will, is a clear womanizer from the beginning of the movie. Immediately our perception of this movie is altered (especially when Charlotte accepts a short uncomplicated romance- primarily sexual). However, in the end Will's heart is changed, and numerous affairs will no longer satisfy him. In a way, he realizes that what he was doing was sinful, so he changes his life in search for meaning, and seeks values of Christian life. This is where a key scene comes into play (often unnoticed by the viewers as to its implications on the movie). The camera captures the cross on top of the church. The cross has central dominance as well as a sense of power (in terms of elevation, and the symbol of Christ). The tight frame eases into a loose frame- including Will's apartment in the scene. The territorial space communicates Will's new found faith in purer things and a true relationship. What adds to this imagery is the cluster of doves that fill the sky (the dove symbolizing purity and God's promise to us- Noah's ark). Although the message is good, the beginning of the movie seems to have a lasting impression on the viewer, with it's acceptance of the 'womanizing' lifestyle. A bolder and more profound ending would better illustrate the good qualities of this movie.
-Vivian G.

GOOD INSIGHTS
Subject: Good Insights to Autumn in New York
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001
From: -Vivian

To add to my original responce, I wanted to comment on the overall theme of this film. The film deals with various lifestyles, and the way that we interpret the world. Some believe that they have forever, and therefore go through life not seeking true love, but more relationships because 'why waste time on only one person?'- This is Will's perception of life and love. Charlotte, however, seeks true love, but doesn't have the time to find it.

When she sees Will in the restaurant in the beginning of the film, she is struck by his good looks and the possibility- little does she know what type of man he is. although she accepts to 'abide by his rule' because she has little time, she eventually reforms him, and changes him in a positive way. Perhaps death was the one thing strong enough to make Will see true love.

This realization at finally knowing what true love is - changes Will forever (which ties in beautifully with the eternal love of God symbolized through the cross and the dove). It is our own will that can bring us closser to the warmth of God's love. We must follow God's commands and realize what our faults are and reform them. I recomend this movie as a great rental, although Will's initial attitude toward women as sex objects is what might not make this movie a perfect 'chick flick', although it it sure to shed a few tears.
-Vivian