REVIEWS
Woody Allen: A Documentary
Reviewed by Mark Adams
A delightful delve into what makes Woody Allen tick as a film-maker, director Robert Weide’s illu- minating, amusing and entertaining documen- tary offers a rare insight into a director usually very reticent about discussing his work, and leaves you wanting more. Woody Allen: A Documentary began life as a
two-part programme for PBS American Masters on US television, screening over two nights in November last year. But it works equally well as a one-off arts documentary and should also appeal to distributors as well as film festivals which may be keen on a tie-in with a retrospective. It is oddly refreshing to watch a biographical
documentary that favours the straightforward approach of starting at the very beginning. The early reminiscences of Allen’s school days and how he started writing gags for newspapers are fascinating, especially in the context of his youth in Brooklyn and early obsession with cinema and showbusiness, and the part these played in later films such as Broadway Danny Rose and The Pur- ple Rose Of Cairo. With comments from the likes of talkshow host Dick Cavett and Allen’s sister Letty Aronson, the
CANNES CLASSICS
US. 2011. 109mins Director/screenplay/ producer Robert Weide Production companies Rat Entertainment, Mike’s Movies, Insurgent, Thirteen’s American Masters International sales HanWay Films, www.
hanwayfilms.com Executive producers Michael Peyser, Brett Ratner, Fisher Stevens, Andrew Karsch, Erik Gordon Editors Robert Weide, Karoliina Tuovinen With Woody Allen, Letty Aronson, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Diane Keaton, Sean Penn, John Cusack, Naomi Watts, Owen Wilson, Larry David, Martin Scorsese, Josh Brolin, Julie Kavner, Louise Lasser, Martin Landau, Tony Roberts, Dianne Wiest, Mira Sorvino, Mariel Hemingway
filmfeatures footage of his early stand-up routines, where his on-stage nervousness initially bemused and eventually engaged audiences. And plenty of attention is paid to Allen’s main attribute — that he was always brimming with comedy ideas and was always writing. After seeing his script for What’s New Pussycat?
changed out of recognition, Allen’s determination to retain control led to a series of films — including Take The Money And Run, Bananas and Sleeper — that worked for audiences and confirmed his unique comedy vision. The film sees a series of writers, cinemato-
graphers, actors (including Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Roberts, Mariel Hemingway and
John Cusack) and film-makers (fellow New Yorker Martin Scorsese) offer up their views and experi- ences. The film also tackles — in a roundabout way — his controversial relationship with Soon-Yi Pre- vin, mainly through images and comments from others. Allen himself rarely talks about her. The most intriguing moments in the film are
when Allen speaks candidly about how he works. He talks with affection about the old manual type- writer on which he still writes all his scripts, and his “cut and paste” technique involving paper, scis- sors and staples. Engagingly, he also sits down in bed to sift through his stash of comedy ideas: bits of paper on which he has jotted down concepts and possibilities over the years.
JOIN US IN THE UK FILM CENTRE AT CANNES 2012
www.craftandtech.org
Digital Dilemma for Cinematographers Friday 18 May 3.15 – 4.15pm | UK Film Centre, Cannes
Top cinematographers discuss how digital has affected their craft and why some have recently chosen to shoot on film instead of digitally. Join us for this discussion about film vs digital as cinematographers debate creativity issues, and as formats shift and change, whether or not their work will be archived to last the test of time.
Presented by Skillset Craft and Technical Skills Academy as part of a wider events programme at the UK Film Centre at Cannes 2012.
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SS6059_CT_DigitalDilema.indd 1 n 20 Screen International at Cannes May 17, 2012 @craftandtech
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