Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012) Reviews

• Treat for Movie Buffs

  larrys32012-09-27

  I've just seen the DVD version of the documentary, which originally aired on PBS, on American Masters. The DVD is 2 parts in total of about three and a half hours. This wonderful documentary, directed by Robert B. Weide, traces the life and career of the movie master Woody Allen. The early footage of Allen's stand-up comic days is extremely funny, as are the archival clips of Allen as he began to appear on national shows such as Steve Allen, Johhny Carson, and Dick Cavett. As he progressed into movies, the film tracks the stages of his early comic movies such as "Take the Money and Run"(when I first noticed Allen) and "Bananas", into more serious fare such as "Hannah and Her Three Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors", as well as his more recent movies made in Europe such as "Match Point", "Wimbledon" and "Midnight in Paris" What I found particularly interesting was Allen explaining why he did certain movies, the great as well as the clunkers. He explains what his thought processes were, how he writes them, and what goes into directing them. The film is also chocked with interviews of fellow writers and collaborators, actors and actresses he has worked with, and certain film critics. Also, there is a good amount of time devoted to hearing from his sister, as to what Woody was like as boy and their relationship today. I've followed Allen's career for decades, the good and the bad,and I felt this film gave me a real insight into what makes Woody Allen tick. Plus it is so packed with vintage footage of TV and film that I was engrossed despite the length of the movie.

• A revealing and entertaining portrayal

  jafar-iqbal2012-11-06

  When the history of cinema is written a hundred years from now, Woody Allen's name will pop up quite a few times. Actor. Writer. Director. Comedian. The quintessential Jewish-American man. From Seinfeld characters to Family Guy to The Simpsons, so much of American pop culture is littered with characters based off the persona that Allen immortalised. But in Woody Allen: A Documentary, documentarian Robert B. Weide seeks to get inside the mind of this endlessly parodied, forcibly stereotyped individual. Allen is his usual self-deprecating Jewish-American self, but it's the supporting cast – Diane Keaton, Naomi Watts, Scarlett Johansson, et al. – who really paint the best picture. We learn about Allen's directing techniques; what made him such a magnetic 'leading man'; and how his personal life affected (or didn't, really) his professional life. As all movie fans will know, Allen is responsible for some of the greatest movies of the modern era. Annie Hall is constantly cited as a great Hollywood classic, as are other accomplishments like Hannah And Her Sisters and Manhattan. The documentary moves chronologically through his back catalogue, discussing his intentions about each movie, the filmmaking process, and the critical reception. You listen to the cast, his family, and Allen himself discuss just how much of himself was present in his movies. What I loved most about the film is that it doesn't pander to Allen. Yes, this is a documentary about the man, so it does celebrate his brilliance as an artist. But Weide doesn't hold back in exploring the mistakes he made, both in his personal and professional life. In particular, his relationship with cinematic muse Mia Farrow is chronicled, painting Woody as a very conflicted and somewhat selfish man. What you take away from this documentary is appreciation for what Allen has achieved, and what he has brought to modern cinema. To continue to beat to his own drum at a time when studios have pigeonholed directors so much is admirable, especially when he's making one film a year. It's so easy (and so romantic) to see cinema as an artform. Woody Allen shows that it is a skill, a technique constantly being honed. Good stuff.

• Terrific Documentary on a Genius

  Michael_Elliott2011-11-21

  Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011) **** (out of 4) Remarkable documentary taking a look at the life and career of Woody Allen who just this year scored the biggest hit of his career. This documentary is pretty much the perfect timing as there's never been a time where Allen has been so popular in terms of a general audience so hopefully this film will have fans of MIDNIGHT IN Paris checking out some of his other work. Clocking in at 191-minutes, this mammoth documentary starts off covering Allen as a child and then moving to his first few writing jobs and then it's off to the TV, the stage and finally the movies. With such a large running time it's easy to say that this thing pretty much covers everything with only a few acting-only films like SCENES FROM A MALL not getting mentioned. I think this is an incredibly important film because as Allen fans know he's not a fan of "extras" so his films pretty much get released without the fan getting to know much but this documentary allows Allen to comment on most of the movies but we also get some nice behind the scenes footage, promotional interviews and all new interviews with the man himself. I think another major thing is that we get to hear from the majority of his actors with the one exception being Mia Farrow. Just about everyone else that you'd want to hear from are on hand including Diane Keaton who shares some great stories. The controversy about the Farrow situation and HUSBANDS AND WIVES is looked at in an open manor and this includes Allen talking about it. Some of his lesser quality films are mentioned as well but if you've seen the documentary WOODY ALLEN: A LIFE IN FILM then you already know that the director hates most of his movies so it's funny hearing him constantly put himself and his talent down. The documentary also gives us some insight with an interview from his sister and mother. One of the most interesting aspects of the film has Allen taking us to his hometown where he walks around pointing out his first home, his movie theater and various other places that eventually inspired bits and pieces of his movies. Fans of Allen are certainly going to enjoy every second of this documentary and if you're unfamiliar with him I think it's going to perfectly explain why the man is so special.

• Deligthful

  harry_tk_yung2013-03-31

  Just as people either love or hate Woody Allen, they would, I imagine, either love or hate this documentary about Woody Allen. But let's get the logics straight. I'm not talking about people who hate Woody Allen; they simply won't watch this film, period. As to people who love him, I am just giving it the benefit of the doubt that, maybe, 0.00001% of those who have watched this film would hate it. But certainly not more. This is a simple, endearing documentary that follows Allen's life from childhood to the present, rich with anecdotes from a rich assembly of people who know him (from intimately to not-so-intimately). As expected, there are lots of clips from his forty directed movies to-date, funny and poignant, but mostly funny. No surprises; just two hours of delightful time with the auteur who never even tried to be one. The background music is also beautiful, with languid Moonlight Serenade (from his "Stardust memories") with a reprise later, cheerful Begin the Beguine, and the most romantically rousing passage from Rhapsody in Blue (as heard in the poignant conclusion of "Manhattan"). There are of course quotes from Allen aplenty: witty, insightful to outright silly. The one that I like best, profound in the simplest way, is his honest view about film awards, which he suggests are more about "the most favorite" than "the best". With track and field, he cites as example, you can easily identify the best because results are quantifiable. No so with a piece of work of art.

• Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012)

  TheDelusionist2013-05-31

  Woody Allen is one of the most prolific and important filmmakers working today. His movies mostly revolve around the grand subjects of Life, Love and Art. Even when he puts out a sub par film, he is still interesting to watch: "There's always something about them", like Martin Scorsese himself puts it. The documentary opens with Woody Allen's trademark title names; written in the iconic Windsor font, with playful jazz music in the background accompanying images of Brooklyn shot à la Midnight in Paris. Next up are a series of interviews, alternated to scenes from Woody's films. The filmmakers managed to interview Woody's mother, his sister and manager and of course Woody himself, while also showing us opinions from actresses and actors that starred in his movies, mainly Diane Keaton (his first muse). His long time collaborators and producers also voice their opinion, mostly praise, and there's even a priest. The documentary does a good job, in that it is about Woody as a person and as an artist. He also has most of the screen time and rightfully so. The first half of the film is Woody's origin story, from writing jokes for the news paper and doing stand-up, to him constantly being on national television, getting a writing gig, over which he had no artistic control and then finally getting a chance to write and direct his first feature film on his own terms. The second half of the documentary focuses on his hits and misfires throughout his career, while ending on the upbeat note of his 2011 box office hit. Being a huge fan of his I couldn't help but love this documentary. It's fully of little trivia and tidbits you might not know about even if you're a loyal follower of his. I certainly learned a lot of new things about him. I didn't know much about his private life, I had only read a very confusing and mostly false expose on him (I believe it was in Time magazine), and so this was refreshing. It was great to hear the man himself discuss his work and learning that one of his favorite films (from his own catalogue) is Stardust Memories, inspired by Federico Fellini's masterpiece 8½, or how he really still uses a typewriter to write all of his scripts and many other fun little quirks. While it is interesting that they had a priest, he doesn't really get into any religious talk, which seems like a wasted opportunity, since most of Woody Allen's films ask big questions like "Is there a God?" and "Is there an afterlife?". The documentary is also very standard in its execution, which is not a fault per se, but it would be great to see a new vision for a change, especially in the visual department. All in all though the film succeeds in that it makes you want to re-visit Woody Allen's classics like Annie Hall, Manhattan and Husbands and Wives. I would recommend this documentary especially if you're a Woody Allen fan, if you're not there's still the great story of a self-made man being told. At the end of the day it's about his life and his art. In his own words: "Issues of what life is about and why we're here and why it's so painful and relationships between the human being and his experience and human loneliness, that never gets resolved, and so it's of constant interest to me".