Woody Allen Essentials

[white_tea]

I am ready to delve deep into Woody Allen's catalog. I have only seen maybe a handful of the films he has directed (bolded here) but want to get at what would be considered his best. But since he seems to have averaged about a movie a year, that's a pretty big task. Any help on what to check and what to skip is greatly appreciated. I am pretty sure that Deconstructing Harry and Manhattan are highly rated but what else should I look for?Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Cassandra's Dream (2007) Scoop (2006) (didn't really like this one)[/b] Match Point (2005) (I loved this movie)[/b] Melinda and Melinda (2004) Anything Else (2003) Hollywood Ending (2002) (thought it sucked but Kelly Kapowski helped a little)[/b] The Concert for New York City (2001) (TV) (segment "Sounds from the Town I Love") Sounds from a Town I Love (2001) (TV) The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) Small Time Crooks (2000) Sweet and Lowdown (1999) Celebrity (1998) (decent)[/b] Deconstructing Harry (1997) Everyone Says I Love You (1996) Mighty Aphrodite (1995) Don't Drink the Water (1994) (TV) Bullets Over Broadway (1994) Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) Husbands and Wives (1992) Shadows and Fog (1992) (caught part of it on TV -- looked cool)[/b]Alice (1990) Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) New York Stories (1989) (segment "Oedipus Wrecks") Another Woman (1988) September (1987) Radio Days (1987) Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Zelig (1983) A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) Stardust Memories (1980) Manhattan (1979) Interiors (1978) Annie Hall (1977) (awesome)[/b] Love and Death (1975) Sleeper (1973) (I can't remember?!?)[/b] Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) Bananas (1971)

Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1971) (TV) Take the Money and Run (1969) What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)

 

[sabadabada]

Love and Death.


Boris: Oh, if only God would give me some sign. If He would just speak to me once. Anything. One sentence. Two words. If He would just cough.

Sonja: Of course there's a God! We're made in His image!

Boris: You think I was made in God's image? Take a look at me. You think He wears glasses?

Sonja: Not with those frames.

 

[DustedDon]

pretty much his 70s and early 80s output is the classic stuff.

"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask" is very funny...

 

[CousinLarry]

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)
Stardust Memories (1980)
Bananas (1971)
Manhattan (1979)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Annie Hall (1977)
Love and Death (1975)
Sleeper (1973)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

These are my favorite.

 

[onetet]

I credit Woody Allen's films with making me realize movies could be more than just entertainment; as a kid I loved his early comedies, but his more "adult" films woke me up to the concept of film as art.

these are the ones I'd consider "essentials"


Husbands and Wives (1992)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Zelig (1983)
Stardust Memories (1980)
Manhattan (1979)
Annie Hall (1977)
Love and Death (1975)
Sleeper (1973
Bananas (1971)


these are the only ones after Husbands and Wives that I can recommend without major disclaimers:

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

I'll always check for his new films out of morbid curiousity, but he's let me down too many times lately to be hopeful. IMO Match Point, Vicki Christina, Deconstructing Harry, and basically all the ones that have gotten shine in the past 15 years are majorly overrated.

I've been trying to see this for years, PM me if you got a copy...

Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1971) (TV)

 

[sabadabada]

 

[white_tea]

Thanks, dudes. This should keep me busy for a while. Just moved Love and Death to the top of the queue -- could use a nice take on Russian literature in these cold, winter days.

I agree that his recent stuff is overrated to a certain extent. In the case of Match Point, I just thought it was pitch-perfect, a really good genre film.

 

[Deegreez]

BROADWAY DANNY ROSE.


THE BEST.

 

[onetet]

Thanks, dudes. This should keep me busy for a while. Just moved Love and Death to the top of the queue -- could use a nice take on Russian literature in these cold, winter days.

I agree that his recent stuff is overrated to a certain extent. In the case of Match Point, I just thought it was pitch-perfect, a really good genre film.

Match Point worked for me until the end, but the end felt laughably bad to me and retroactively tainted the rest.

I was up late the other night (maybe even Christimas night after visiting the folks) and Annie Hall came on TCM. I've probably seen the film 50 times -- so many times, anyway, that I've been avoiding it for quite a few years due to overexposure. The first 15 mins or so weren't working so well for me, felt kinda rusty, but by the time Walken showed up I was hooked, and I stayed up til 4 finishing out the film. Still so very very good.

 

[white_tea]

I suppose I can see how the ending might have messed it up a tad.

As far as Walken, I have Duane's quote under "favorite quotes" on my Facebook page. Shit is priceless, and then they immediately cut to them driving with Woody having a very "shook" look on his face. I love that scene so much.

 

[tomasl]

THE FRONT

 

[pppp]

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

That's his best, in my opinion. Has all of the comedy of the obvious essentials plus a well-thought out, deep look into morality and religion, which I found really engaging. Plus, Martin Landau is incredible, and Alan Alda is hilarious. This one has it all.

Aside from Manhattan - this is the most essential.

 

[SoulOnIce]

It just so happens that I caught a few later Allen films that I had never seen
before on cable in the past few weeks. Celebrity, September and Alice.

All of them were decent, Celebrity is alot of fun and better than I expected - Kenneth
Branagh doing a straight Allen impression is actually quite enjoyable and easier to watch
than Woody himself. Alice was also a ton of fun, although it was on very late at night
and I missed the last 3rd of it, I need to see it again so I can see the end, and September,
while rather morose and ultra-serious, had some fine performances and was certainly watchable.

 

[deanosounds]

my favorites are:

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
New York Stories (1989) (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Manhattan (1979)

But I would not recommend these:
Casino Royale 1967
Sleeper (1973) (I can't remember?!?)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Pretty much anything where Woody goes Sci Fi is bad!!

 

[sabadabada]

But I would not recommend these:
Casino Royale 1967
Sleeper (1973) (I can't remember?!?)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Pretty much anything where Woody goes Sci Fi is bad!!

BAN!

 

[Okem]

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)


Anyone else seen this one yet?


I felt it was a bit, 'ageing man' making his sexual fantasies, into a movie.

It's just weird that, way too many, of the actors in his recent films seem to be doing strange impressions of him. (Is the woman meant to be him and the dude is the strong masculine man, he always dreamed would sweep him off his feet. Or is it his fantasy self making love to his other fantasy self??)

 

[onetet]

my favorites are:

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
New York Stories (1989) (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")
Manhattan (1979)

But I would not recommend these:
Casino Royale 1967
Sleeper (1973) (I can't remember?!?)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Pretty much anything where Woody goes Sci Fi is bad!!

ouch, I hope this was a joke post, this is some bizarro-world advice best avoided at all cost.

Jade Scorpion is probably the worst thing Woody's done, and his contribution to New York Stories isn't much better. True, Manhattan's a deserved classic, but Casino Royale's decent Sunday-afternoon fodder, and Sleeper's fantastic.

 

[dwyhajlo]

Broadway Danny Rose for sure. People don't seem to know this one very well, but it's definitely one of his best.

 

[DB_Cooper]

In addition to what's been mentioned here, I liked Radio Days and What's Up Tiger Liliy?

 

[fauxteur]

kind of off topic, but check this out ... a "lost" interview from 1971 ripped by kezzy

Talk about rarities - this is as rare as you can get. This is never-broadcast footage of Woody Allen being interviewed by Granada TV in Manchester in 1971 while he was in the UK to promote 'Bananas' - and it's very funny.


The Granada TV show 'Cinema' broadcast about five minutes of the interview in 1971. What we have here is the unused rushes from the rest of the interview.


When I was working at Granada in the 1980s I came across these raw rushes of the Woody Allen interview in the archive library. You can imagine how excited I, as a Woody Allen fan, was: here were about forty minutes of vintage, 'funny-period' Allen that no one - NO ONE - had ever seen. And when I watched it I wasn't disappointed: Allen deliberately undermines the entire interview process, giving deadpan faux-depressive answers to every question, while the hapless off-screen interviewer struggles to figure out whether Allen is being serious or not. He ends up in fits of suppressed laughter.


I tried to persuade Granada to release the interview on VHS along with Allen's one-off stand-up show which he did for them in 1965, but they weren't interested. So I just kept a copy for myself. Now, I've just been unpacking some old boxes in the attic and found this tape. It's a unique piece of Alleniana, and I'm pleased to be able to share it with you.

http://rapidshare.com/files/58485591/alleninterview.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58491560/alleninterview.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58495390/alleninterview.part3.rar