Director - Immortal masterpieces, scandals and one last movie: Woody Allen turns 88
This man really is a phenomenon. Although he turns 88 on December 1, Woody Allen is not thinking of retiring. He is currently planning his next movie. It may be his last - but even then there can be no talk of retirement. Allen already has plans for the time after that.
The future filmmaker was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg in the New York borough of Brooklyn, the son of a Jewish diamond cutter. Although not Orthodox themselves, his parents sent their son to a Hebrew school. As a teenager, he earned good money as a gag writer and adopted the stage name Woody Allen at the tender age of 16. He soon rose from being a supplier of jokes to a screenwriter, for example for the "Ed Sullivan Show". After successfully writing the screenplay for the 1965 film "What's New, Pussy?", Allen also directed a film for the first time in 1969. "Woody the Unlucky" was the first mockumentary in film history, a movie that looks like a real documentary but is purely fictional and parodies the genre.
Allen achieved cult status with the 1972 episodic film "What you always wanted to know about sex but never dared to ask". It is a satirical film adaptation of a sex education book that was famous at the time, but also takes aim at the entire sex education craze of the 1970s. The strong influence of Sigmund Freud on Woody Allen's work, which is still influential today, is also evident here for the first time. Allen had already consulted a psychoanalyst during his student days on the advice of his dean - a visit with consequences for film history.
Woody Allen doesn't want to be the eternal clown
His early films were often a series of gags that repeatedly bordered on the silly. These include "Bananas" (1971), "The Sleeper" (1973), but also "The Last Night of Boris Grushenko" from 1975, which is set during Napoleon's Russian campaign. Here, however, a new tone comes into play for the first time: although this film is also a comedy, it also contains some profound thoughts about life and death. Fittingly, the film is also entitled "Love and Death" in English. It is seen as a bridge to his later, more serious films. Woody Allen made a recognizable effort to escape the image of being the eternal clown à la Charlie Chaplin.
This endeavor soon bore fruit: "The Urban Neurotic" (original title: "Annie Hall") became an artistic triumph in 1977 and brought Woody Allen two Oscars in the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories: at the age of 42, Woody Allen had reached his peak. The film broke new ground in terms of both content and form. The director and writer created his very own genre here - the Woody Allen film. At the center of these autobiographically influenced films is a middle-aged Jewish man who lives in New York, is intellectually over-excited and highly neurotic. However, the artist stayed away from the award ceremony in faraway Hollywood - the passionate clarinettist stayed in his native New York and played with his jazz band.
Success with the New York trilogy
With his next but one film, "Manhattan", Woody Allen built on the success of "The Urban Neurotic" in 1979. Once again, the focus is on a Jewish intellectual who has a complicated relationship life and also struggles with life in other ways. The parallels between the main character Isaac Davis and Woody Allen are obvious: Like Davis, Allen had also been divorced twice at the time - and also has a weakness for young girls. In 1954, Allen had married the then 16-year-old philosophy student Harlene Rosen; the marriage ended in divorce in 1959.
From 1966 to 1969, he was married to actress Louise Lasser, who later starred in three of his films. He then had a relationship with Diane Keaton, who appeared in eight of his films between 1971 and 1993, including "Manhattan". She won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in "The Urban Neurotic". "Manhattan" is the second part of the so-called New York trilogy, which concludes with "Stardust Memories" in 1980.
Woody Allen had been in a relationship with actress Mia Farrow since 1980. She played the leading role in many of his films between 1982 and 1992. Including in "Hannah and Her Sisters", his greatest triumph of the 80s. In 1987, Woody Allen received his third Oscar in the Best Original Screenplay category for his film about the relationship turmoil of a New York family of artists.
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow were together until 1992. The couple had two adopted children, Dylan and Moses, and a son, Satchel Farrow. From her marriage to the pianist and conductor André Previn, Farrow brought her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn into the marriage. She was the reason for the dramatic separation: in 1992, Farrow discovered nude photos of the then 22-year-old Soon-Yi Previn taken by Woody Allen. Allen then confessed to having an affair with her adopted daughter.
Working for Woody Allen was long considered an honor
Woody Allen's affair with his partner's adopted daughter became a scandal in the USA, and Allen was considered persona non grata for a time. The court described Allen's behavior towards the children as "abusive and insensitive". As a result, the director filmed outside his home city of New York for the first time in 21 years in 1996. The musical film "Everybody says: I love you" is set in Venice and Paris, among other places.
Even though he was unable to pay high fees, he was able to get the most sought-after actors of the day for his films. For a long time, it was considered an honor to work for Woody Allen. Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn and Drew Barrymore all played in his films. Two years later, he was able to recruit Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Melanie Griffith, Winona Ryder and Kenneth Branagh for his film "Celebrity". His reputation as an artist had not yet been tarnished.
That was to change over time: In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Kate Winslet, who had shot the film "Wonder Wheel" with Allen as recently as 2017, distanced herself from the director. The publication of his autobiography "Apropos of Nothing" (German edition: "Ganz nebenbei") was also accompanied by dissent.
In his private life, however, Allen seems to have found happiness: In December 1997, Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn married and the couple adopted two children, Bechet and Manzie, named after the jazz musicians Sidney Bechet and Manzie Johnson. The family lives in a posh townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
A new start in the old world
Artistically, there is no sign of the filmmaker flagging in his late work. After making two classic New York films in 2003 and 2004 with "Anything Else" and "Melinda and Melinda", he ventured a furious new start in the Old World in 2005: Woody Allen reinvented himself once again with "Match Point". Inspired by his new muse Scarlett Johansson, he made a dark thriller that won over critics and audiences alike. Further London films followed, including " Scoop", "Cassandra's Dream" and "I See the Man of Your Dreams".
Even in old age, Allen did not slow down in his pace of work and shot an average of one film a year. And time and again, masterpieces emerged. These included the witty time travel comedy "Midnight in Paris" with Owen Wilson, for which Allen received his fourth Oscar in 2012. His film drama "Blue Jasmine" was also honored at the Academy Awards. Cate Blanchett won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of a woman who undergoes a dramatic fall from high society lady to homeless person.
This is precisely the reason why actors love working with him: Allen helps them win awards and trophies. Despite the allegations of abuse from his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, the director is still able to attract high-profile stars to work with him. In "A Rainy Day in New York", these included Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law and Rebecca Hall, to name but a few. His 2020 film "Rifkin's Festival" starred Oscar winner Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon.
Woody Allen's last film - or not?
He presented his 50th film in Venice this September - and it will probably be his last. In a sense, it is also his debut: set in Paris, "Coup de Chance" is the filmmaker's first French-language production. "I think it's a good time to stop," the director told the Spanish newspaper "La Vanguardia" in 2022. A statement that Woody Allen retracted shortly afterwards.
However, it is unlikely that he will add more films to his oeuvre: Woody Allen says he is alienated by the changed media landscape: "I don't like the idea of making a movie and two weeks later it's on TV or can be streamed," he said in an interview with the industry magazine "Variety".
For his fans, however, this is a stroke of luck: they can still watch his films even after the director has long since retired.
Read also:
- "A Rainy Day in New York": emotional chaos on the ship of fools
- 'Match Point': A new start in the old world
- "Scoop": The magician and the girl
- "Crisis in Six Scenes": Woody Allen's first series
Lesen Sie auch:
- Woody Allen's exploration of deep themes in his film "Love and Death" demonstrated a departure from his early comedic works, drawing influence from sigmund freud's psychoanalytic theories.
- New York city has been a significant backdrop in many of Woody Allen's films, including his renowned works "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan", reflecting his deep connection with the city.
- Mia Farrow, an actress known for her work with Woody Allen, appeared in several of his films, including "Hannah and Her Sisters", which was a major success in the 1980s.
- Although Woody Allen faced controversy in the late 90s due to personal scandals, he continued to attract high-profile actors to work with him, showcasing his enduring reputation as a talented director and award-winner.
Source: www.stern.de
