Versió prepint de l'article publicat a BELLS (Barcelona English Language and Literature Studies), vol. 17, 2008, 1-18Podeu consultar la versió en català a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/17022 i en castellà a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/17023Many studies have already paid attention to what is called the "serious films" by Woody Allen and, among them, it is also worth mentioning the one written by the very Pau Gilabert Barberà (2006), which is devoted to the Sophistic legacy underlying in his opinion the screenplay of Crimes and Misdemeanors. On this occasion, his aim is to analyse the fluctuating sight of the American director with regard to the Greek tragedy. Indeed, Gilabert is convinced that, only in this way, it is possible to reveal the true Allen¿s sympathy with the tragic spirit of the Greeks, as well as to understand his urge to present that ancient literary genre as a paradigm with the help of which one can evaluate the greatness and misery of our contemporary world.