The question of where the momentous artistic energy generated by the late 1960s would lead must’ve loomed large in the minds of Hollywood executives as they witnessed the dismantling of the studio system and rise of the American auteur. What kind of institution would the Academy become after awarding the X-rated Midnight Cowboy Best Picture? Would grafting the European director/creator model across the pond be successful? Coppola, Friedkin and Stallone, among others, responded with a resounding affirmation, driving the Hollywood into the American New Wave, where freedom reigned and masculinity was on hyperdrive.
Tag: Woody Allen
Somehow Woody Allen got the reputation of constantly populating his films with characters that are intelligent, elitist and wealthy. He has been criticized for not seeing how his characters are annoyingly pretentious and self-absorbed. They speak of their romantic melodramas and artistic failings as if they are the first to experience them. Allen’s characters experienced the malaise of the wealthy, tone-deaf to the “real problems” of the world.
ANNIE HALL is a gift from the gods, one of those untouchables bestowed on moviegoers every once in a while. I cringed when I heard the absurd idea that a planned sequel is being considered. Perfection cannot be improved upon and ANNIE HALL is a perfect film, no doubt about it.
Auteur of neurosis Woody Allen’s latest film, BLUE JASMINE, is ostensibly an updated take on Tennessee Williams’ classic play A Streetcar Named Desire. The similarities are hard to miss: there’s the former society gal staying with her sister in a tiny apartment and dealing with her sister’s boorish lover. This posthumous collaboration between Williams and Allen struck me as rather odd at first. Williams’ plays are Southern gothic tragedies, full of unrequited longing and dark secrets. And Woody Allen is MANHATTAN, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. Williams is hot, sticky Louisiana and Allen is New York, London and Rome.
Woody Allen’s answer? “If I could have directed that it would have been a much, much, much funnier picture but made much less money”.
Midnight in Paris – 2011 – dir. Woody Allen
Nostalgia comes from a combination of two Greek words: “nóstos” meaning homecoming and “álgos” meaning pain or ache. Woody Allen must have felt this familiar ache while writing and directing Midnight in Paris, as the film’s lingering shots of the beautiful City of Lights suggest he may too dream of coming home to Paris.
By: Andrew Palmacci
Annie Hall – dir. Woody Allen – 1977 – Original Theatrical Trailer
Annie Hall, the quintessential romantic comedy, begins and ends with a total of three jokes that Woody Allen’s character recounts to the audience—the first two at the beginning of the film with Allen speaking directly to the camera, the last as narration over scenes of his Alvie hanging out with love interest par excellence (in this movie as well as in movies themselves) Annie Hall. The first two jokes concern, respectively, a love-hate relationship with life and a paradoxical approach to relationships, with the concluding one coming back to an ambivalent perspective on romantic relations. In between these humorous bookends, Allen manages to pull out a remarkable number of (mostly humorous, always endearing) stops to build the archetypal modern romantic comedy.
By Jess Wilton
There is already a “film note†that covers the fundamentals of Annie Hall 101—its importance as a turning point in Woody Allen’s career, its influence within the genre, autobiographical aspects, and much more. Therefore, for the benefit of all the shivering couples and forlorn singles who will be revisiting this masterful work of romantic comedy in anticipation of yet another Valentine’s Day, I’d like to approach the film as a twitchy urbanite’s guidebook for understanding men, women, and relationships. This may not sound like the most practical approach to life’s greatest mysteries, but it’s cheaper than therapy and easier than most forms of selfimprovement. I also suspect that many of us, model our lives and relationships after their favorite cinematic romances. And after all, if we can’t look to Uncle Woody for insight on life and love, where can we turn?