The Beginners Guide to Woody Allen

There has been much dialogue about the validity of Woody Allen's contributions to the world of film. There has also been quite a bit of rhetoric about Woody Allen's troubles off-screen and his possible lack of moral judgment. This blog is not one for questioning moral judgment so we'll concentrate on the former. I believe, with all of my opinionated vigor that Woody Allen belongs on the extremely short-list of Great American Auteurs. I'm not talking about a list that includes Romero, Spielberg, and Geoge Lucas, but we're talking more about the likes of Orson Welles, Martin Scorcese and maybe Robert Altman on a good day. I also fully expect Wes Anderson to be added to this list if he keeps his creative juices flowing for a few more films at least. That being said, Woody Allen has, more or less, made a movie every single year since 1967 when he bought the rights to a Japanese spy drama and over-dubbed it with a wonderfully ridiculous story line about a stolen egg-salad recipe. This movie What's Up, Tiger Lilly? was the start of a long and celebrated career for Allen as he would hone his aesthetic, break it, then return to it and perfect it again and again.

Woody Allen is best known for his movies featuring a revolving and ever-changing cast of characters who all interact with a nebbish and neurotic self-aware Jewish man in New York played by none other than Woody Allen himself. Another character that was prominent in almost all of his movies until recently is the city of New York and often, more specifically, Central Park. The city has a life all of its own it seems and there is no doubt that Woody Allen is in love with the city of New York and this culminated in his love-letter to the city in the film Manhattan. It could easily be argued that almost every one of his films is a love letter to the city because he infuses it with so much beauty and he captures it with his romanticizing eye.

It is well known that almost any actor and actress in Hollywood would beat down the walls of heaven and hell to be cast in one of his movies. It seems that playing in a Woody Allen movie gives the right amount of publicity with a heaping dose of artistic merit. There is no doubt that there are some not-enjoyable Woody Allen movies, but more often than not, his movies rarely disappoint if you are one who follows and enjoys the aesthetic that he is so well-known for. In the artistic world, there is certainly a school of thought that believes an artist should stick to a key aesthetic and explore it and mine it for its full potential. Woody Allen has certainly done that and even recently has broadened his aesthetic to mirror, yet expand what he previously was known for. Instead of characterizing the city of New York he moved his personification across the Atlantic to London. His love for the city seems no-less than it did in New York which is a testament, I think, to his artisan-ship. Another aspect, which I haven't touched on yet, is that he often focused on a single female actress and featured her in several films, elevating her to an off-beat heroine who, in Woody's eyes seemed to be Beauty herself. The classic Woody starlets are include Diane Keaton, Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiess but these leading ladies have been updated in Woody's frequent use and featuring of the lovely Scarlett Johannson (personally my favorites are Mia Farrow and Diane Keaton).

The world of Woody Allen can be a tough one to wade through. That's where I come in! I've literally watched almost every single one of his movies (with a few exceptions that I'm working on ridding) and I thought I would give you a list of a few films to start out with. This list contains a few films from various stages of Woody's career and should give you a fairly good idea of whether or not you are going to enjoy his catalog. If it isn't ridiculously obvious by now, I am a fan.


1. Annie Hall (1977)- This is, without much contention, the best entry in Woody's entire catalog. This won the Best Picture Oscar in '77. It is a nearly-perfect blend of romantic comedy, artistic musings, childhood and relationship satirization, and a celebration of self-loathing, but not in a off-putting kind of way. It's marvelous. One of my Top 10 favorite films of all time. Rating: A+

2. Scoop (2006)- This is a late-career entry from Mr. Allen. This is one of those films that substitutues New York for London and Mia Farrow/Diane Keaton for Scarlett Johansson. It is a pretty standard Woody-Allen-murder-mystery-movie (see: Manhattan Murder Mystery) that is elevated to new heights by the interaction between Woody and Scarlett and the often hilarious interaction between a deceased journalist and a few real world inhabitants. Rating : B+

3. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)- This, I believe, is by-far one of the most underrated of Woody's entire catalog. This movie is sweet, creative in it's blurring of the lines between fiction and fact and features knock-out performances by Mia Farrow and, especially, a young Jeff Daniels. Rating: B+

4. Small Time Crooks (2000): This particular film came as the last breath of fresh air before a string of post-millennium Woody Allen films that failed to live up to his previous standard (see: Anything Else, Hollywood Ending, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion). This was a return to form for Allen after he had tried a very different, yet successful venture of The Sweet and Lowdown. It wouldn't get this good again until Scoop, 6 years later. Rating: B

5. Bananas (1971)- This is an early entry from this great auteur and it involves an underachieving New York gentleman who goes down to a Latin American country to help the rebellion in order to impress/get back at the girl who broke his heart. Madness and hilarity ensue and Allen is a master of reigning that in to help us see just how subtle his ridiculousness can really be. Rating: B+

Any questions?