Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love is a pleasant enough trifle, but I’d rather focus on Woody’s masterpieces like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors and last year’s Midnight in Paris. In fact, combining his great films with his really good ones reveals an astounding track record: Play It Again Sam (1972), Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) , Husbands and Wives (1992), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Match Point (2005), Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008) and Midnight in Paris (2011).
What American filmmaker has created twelve films of this quality? Woody is up there in Billy Wilder and John Ford territory. The fact that Woody is so prolific may work against him – cranking out a movie each year means that there are some stinkers (Small Time Crooks, Curse of the Jade Scorpion) that dilute his reputation. And then there was the scandal…
Cinephiles and Woody’s fans will appreciate Woody Allen: A Documentary, which traces Woody’s life and work, providing key insights into his creative process. Robert Weide followed Woody for eighteen months and filmed interviews with over thirty associates and critics – many from Woody’s earliest days. These include Woody himself, his mother (in footage shot by Woody in the 80s)), his sister and producer Letty Aronson and his longtime casting director Juliet Taylor. We also hear from ex-wife and co-star Louise Lasser and ex-girlfriend and co-star Diane Keaton.
Weide uncovers slew of nuggets. We see how Woody keeps ideas for potential movies on scraps of paper, which he revisits when he needs to think up another movie. We see how he uses an old typewriter and lo tech cut-and-staple to construct his screenplays. We hear how his screenwriting experience on What’s New Pussycat taught him to insist on total artistic control of his films. He explains how he learned a woman’s point of view from Diane Keaton, which changed his perspective for Hannah and Her Sisters.
The documentary also addresses, but does not dwell on, the Soon-Yi scandal that blew up as he and Mia Farrow were finishing the shooting of Husbands and Wives.
Woody Allen: A Documentary has two parts – the whole thing clocks in a shade under 3 1/2 hours. It’s available on DVD and on Netflix streaming.
