2. “Harry” was, I agree, much underrated, largely because people thought he was just trying to cope with criticism of the fiasco that was his personal life at that moment. In fact, the self-criticism it includes is typical of his work, particularly when he is at a low point, and makes for some of the most interesting bits of his oeuvre. My favourite moment of such matter comes from the horribly misunderstood “Stardust Memories”: when he encounters the aliens who tell him that even with their massive intelligence, “we don’t know what you want.” This is followed by a remark wonderfully bitter, yet ultimately self-deprecatory: “By the way,” they call out to him as the spaceship is leaving, “we love your movies, especially the early, funny ones.”

I still think “Bananas” is the funniest movie I have ever seen. Even the music makes me laugh. Add “Play It Again, Sam,” “Love and Death,” “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” and the ones named in the blog I’m commenting on, and yes, this is a great moviemaker. But the most fascinating thing about your comments is the remark about how he has become a filmmaker — you talk about the cuts as a means of expression. Early in his career, critics commented frequently on how good the scripts were, but how little he seemed to know about how to use the camera. He’s had his ups and down as an artist in the film medium, but he is an artist, and he’s too good to ignore.