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Am I so irresistibly attracted to movie titles now buried in archives covered with dust and mold? Without dismissing newly released or recent works, I admit that rediscovering some old film undeservedly forgotten is still a commendable effort. If these relics are buried in the hippy paraphernalia (a nice definition by someone who reads me on Debaser), all the better for experiencing the passage of time firsthand.
However, I must say that "Let Me Kiss the Butterfly" (original American title "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!") is not just a lighthearted document of the flower generation era (released in 1968), but it's also a comedy that confronts us with certain existential dilemmas as old as the world itself.
Specifically, the protagonist is attorney Harold Fine (played by the chameleonic Peter Sellers), who holds a prominent professional position in the Yankee society of the period (late 60s). He should be marrying Joyce, his secretary and typical nagging American woman. A prospect free of upsets, as per customary practice, if it weren't for the fact that Harold himself is not completely convinced in his heart. There is a certain underlying dissatisfaction. And precisely due to a series of fortuitous circumstances, upon finding his brother who leads a totally hippy existence, Fine meets Nancy (currently his brother's lover). Two truly irreconcilable worlds if it weren't for the fact that, tasting the muffins baked with hashish by Nancy, Harold gets high for the first time in his life.
The muffins act as a catalyst as the two embark on a relationship following the philosophical principles of the hippy movement. And so, after abandoning the wedding ceremony with Joyce, Fine savors the delights of the alternative life then prevalent among many young Yankees, searching for his new inner balance under the supervision of an Indian guru (very fashionable at that time).
But besides the delights, there are also inconveniences, because having his apartment invaded by numerous friends of Nancy, all characterized by anarchic behavior and disregard for certain domestic peace and hygiene, is not the highest point of life. Hence, the protagonist returns to the old bourgeois lifestyle, dusting off the idea of marrying the conventional Joyce. But it's wise never to say never and not to close the door to the pleasant and beautiful things that might happen from outside. A wedding can wait...
We previously mentioned old hippy paraphernalia. Indeed, those of us living in 2021 watch with a certain astonishment at the so-called alternative lifestyles practiced by the hippies of that historical segment. All that sexual promiscuity, that negligence in personal hygiene can irritate us (an example of a misunderstood return to nature) after having passed through other phases with ailments like AIDS, various pandemics up to the current COVID-19. From this point of view, the film, an honest commercial product, is at most the faithful mirror of the customs and mores of a restless epoch in then-modern American society (and beyond). It is evident that the young generations wanted to completely distance themselves from the establishment, which, besides generating resentment among many conformist adults, could also arouse curiosity from other adults more doubtful about the American way of life. Harold Fine belongs to this second category, and we also understand his behavioral oscillations between the hippy and bourgeois worlds.
What, differently, does not appear dated because it is a universal existential dilemma, is indeed questioning which approach to life to follow. Is it desirable to live in a way that tries to keep the course as straight as possible, along a path dictated by firm convictions? Or is it better to adhere to the Latin saying "carpe diem," always attempting to seize the fleeting moment, aware that life is fleeting and each opportunity missed is lost? If so, fidelity and static nature will prevent us from understanding the charm of each vital manifestation. This will lay the groundwork for a gray routine that slowly and internally kills those living a tranquil existence.
Certainly, choosing is always difficult, and sometimes external circumstances push us in one direction or another. We think we are acting, but in reality, we are being acted upon. And what lawyer Fine chooses reflects a tormented state of mind. Honestly, I don't feel like blaming him because he, too, is like all of us: a wandering traveler along the inscrutable paths of life.
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