Monday, April 14, 2008

by Ari

A couple days ago I posted some images from Woody Allen's new film, Vicky Christina Barcelona. It's probably my most anticipated movie of the last half of the year, or the "awards season", or whatever you want to call it. I love that Woody Allen is still working on his regular schedule, still capable of turning out at least one film a year. Francis Ford Coppola called Allen the great American filmmaker of the last three decades or so in a recent interview, praising his ability to make his movies so quickly, even if the quality isn't always amazing. As Coppola said, you get some poor work in the mix, but mostly you get good films, all of which have a personal edge to their stories. And it's true, Allen is easily one of the most personal filmmakers to work in the industry since his arrival in the late '60s/early '70s, up there with his peers such as Coppola or Scorsese. It's great to still have him around, even if Scoop isn't Annie Hall (or even Alice) or Cassandra's Dream isn't Match Point.

I go back and forth when I think of my favorite filmmakers, but I'm fairly certain there's no filmography that I find as pleasurable as Allen's. Scorsese will always remain my idol, but as far as being both moved and entertained by a filmmaker's body of work, it doesn't get much better than Woody Allen. His career has incredible range. Profound, hilarious, touching, beautiful, upsetting - it's all there. I don't think I've had as much fun going through a filmography as I did when I discovered his work. If it's written and directed by Woody Allen, there's a pretty good chance you'll see something special.

I think most people agree that Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors are classics, and I know I've mentioned that Hannah and Her Sisters is one of my ten favorite movies a few times on the site. How many filmmakers since the '70s have work that can match those four movies? Not many.

But there's also piercing drama like Husbands and Wives, Match Point, Interiors and the criminally underrated Bergman-inspired September. I love his nostalgic period comedies like Radio Days, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Bullets Over Broadway and Sweet and Lowdown. I love his more experimental comedies as well, films like Zelig and Stardust Memories. His early collaborations with Diane Keaton are essential (Love and Death, Sleeper), and I even enjoyed their reuinion with the lesser, but still fun Manhattan Murder Mystery. And I can't forget the classic Broadway Danny Rose, featuring one of the best Mia Farrow performances. There's also the underrated trio of Celebrity (how great is DiCaprio), Deconstructing Harry and the brilliant little Kafka/ expressionist oddity, Shadows and Fog.

It just amazes me.