Ten From Woody
Dec 10 '05
The Bottom Line A belated 70th birthday tribute to some of Woody Allen's finest moments.
In an entertainment career that has spanned over half a century, Woody Allen has done many things. He has written gags for both newspapers and television. He's been a short story writer and a playwright. He's done stand-up comedy and played jazz clarinet. Over the course of the last forty years, Allen has become best known as a successful screenwriter, actor, and director. Many of his films have received acclaim. and he has win three Oscars for his film achievements. While he's had many fine moments in the world of film, I have compiled this list of ten of the best Woody Allen works from his film career.
1. What's Up Tiger Lily. In 1966, Allen wrote comic dialog to a Japanese film called Key Of Keys, turning the spy action film into the search for a missing egg salad sandwich recipe. The concept is absolutely sophomoric, but Allen knew how to make sophomoric funny. He and then-wife Louise Lasser were both writers and voice artists on this film. The soundtrack is provided by the Lovin' Spoonful, which gives the movie a perfect mid-sixties American film feel.
2. Bananas. One of Woody's earliest films as a director, he plays Fielding Mellish, who becomes an activist to impress a woman (Lasser). In the process, Fielding becomes the leader of the Latin American country of San Marcos. Some of the political humor remains topical today as Fielding watches power go to the head of a rebel leader who succeeds in a governmental overthrow. Check out how Allen portrays then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, as well as the opening play-by-play sequence done by Howard Cosell and Don Dunphy.
3. The Front. This marked Allen's first film where he had no hand in either the writing or directing. He stars as Howard Prince, a restaurant employee in 1950s New York who agrees to put his name to the scripts of several blacklisted writers. He also makes friends with a blacklisted comedian named Hecky Brown (Zero Mostel). In the process, Howard not only plays a writer, but he also becomes a critic of their work. Director Martin Ritt and many other entertainers in this ensemble were themselves blacklisted. While Allen has many comic moments, Ritt and screenwriter Walter Bernstein showed how coldly and callously bureaucrats treated anyone they believed weren't entirely forthcoming.
4. Annie Hall. Had Allen won an Oscar for Best Actor (in his only nomination to date in that category), Annie Hall would have attained a rare Oscar "clean sweep" (It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress for Diane Keaton in the title role). Woody is Alvy Singer, a 40-year-old looking at his failures in love. Alvy is, in many ways, like Allen himself, a New York intellectual who's a great success as a comedian and writer. Alvy's story rambles through his adult life, but it is a long, humorous, and thoughtful ramble.
5. Manhattan. In this movie, Allen plays Isaac Davis, a TV writer who has woman trouble on many fronts. His lesbian ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) has written a tell-all book which Isaac finds unflattering. He not only finds himself in love with Mary (Diane Keaton), who prides herself on her intellect, but he's also in love with a high school senior named Tracy (Mariel Hemingway). Though Allen is a little more serious than he was in Annie Hall, he still finds time for plenty of laughs. The movie is also enhanced by Gordon Willis's beautiful black and white cinematography, as well as by many tunes from the Gershwin brothers.
6. Hannah And Her Sisters. In 1986, Allen made one of his best ensemble pieces with this story of a year in the life and the loves of three sisters (Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest). Allen also appears as a hypochondriac whose health worries are hilarious, as are his encounters with one of the sisters (He'd previously been married to another sister). He also questions the purpose of life, and ponders a conversion to Catholicism. Michael Caine plays a man married to one sister who becomes involved with another sister. Max Von Sydow also vies to keep the affections of one of the ladies. Caine and Wiest won Oscars for their work. Allen, who's drawn deserved praise for his portrayal of women, won his third Oscar for his screenplay.
7. Crimes And Misdemeanors. This 1989 film is often called Allen's most cynical picture. The central story involves a married opthalmologist (Martin Landau) trying to end a relationship with his mistress (Anjelica Houston), and turning to help from his brother (Jerry Orbach) for advice. Meanwhile, the doctor cannot save the eyesight of a revered rabbi (Sam Waterston). The rabbi's sister (Caroline Aaron) can't find the right man for her life. Her ex-husband (Woody Allen) is a film editor who works for a pompous comedian (Alan Alda), but hopes to make a documentary about a man he admires. Woody, in his role, also hopes to win the heart of a co-worker (Mia Farrow). Allen shows through his series of tales how bad things happen to good people, while the bad people catch breaks for their actions. It is both funny and dark at the same time.
8. Husbands And Wives. This film turned out to be Allen's final film with Farrow before their very acrimonious parting of the ways. In it, they play a married couple who re-examine their marriage when their best friends (Judy Davis, Sydney Pollock) announce they're separating, and they become involved with younger partners. In spite of the news, Woody, who plays college professor Gabe Roth, becomes involved with a young student (Juliette Lewis). It is another deft mixture of humor and drama from Allen - and may have hinted at the troubles that ended any friendship between himself and his co-star.
9. Deconstructing Harry. This 1997 film takes a look at a very bad day in the life of Harry Block, a writer whose fiction mirrors his life too closely, in the minds of the people he knows. As he goes to accept an award for his work, he has a disastrous encounter with a dead friend and an paid escort. The humor is dark and, in certain cases, about as profane as Allen has ever been. The ensemble is about as big as Allen has had. Judy Davis, Mariel Hemingway, and Caroline Aaron, who were featured in earlier films of his, have brief roles here. Robin Williams and Billy Crystal also get the chance to work with Woody. This is Allen's best film of the nineties.
10. Sweet And Lowdown. Allen's love of jazz music comes into play in this comedic mock documentary about Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), a jazz guitarist of the twenties and thirties who was considered second only to Django Reinhardt on the instrument. Emmet is a study in contrasts. He plays the guitar beautifully, but he loves to shoot rats for fun. He has a chance for love with Hattie (Samantha Morton), a mute woman he meets on a blind date. Emmet also plays from town to town to make his living. The movie cuts between the story and commentary from jazz historians and authorities, including Allen himself.
Most of Allen's other work is worthy of a look, so it would have been easy for me to have included films as 10A, 10B, et cetera. Even though he has been involved with film for four decades, Allen continues to make approximately one film every year (At this point, Woody has completed two more pictures that are not yet in release). It's been a pleasure to watch him grow from a gifted film comic to a gifted and insightful director who still has a strong sense of humor. Woody Allen has always known how to make people laugh. Along the way, though, he has developed a more serious side that has allowed him to become one of the best working American directors. Woody Allen may speak to a crowd who loves their humor with a degree of sophistication, but he also knows how to make a simple laugh speak for itself.
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Member: Pat Mills
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"Nothing in moderation." - Ernie Kovacs. Read and enjoy!
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