Woody Allen, 84, is on the cusp again.
Because of the "sexual assault" scandal without a real hammer, because the #Metoo movement was in full swing, Woody Allen was experiencing his own "darkest moment".
The new film "A Rainy Day in New York" was hidden by amazon, and it was difficult to screen in France without actors attending, and several leading actors expressed regret that the film was filmed.
Almost overnight, once an iconic figure in New York's cultural scene, he became a Hollywood street rat, even though Woody Allen never drew a line with Hollywood.
There is one exception.
A few days ago, Scarlett Johansson publicly supported Woody Allen, and he himself responded positively to what he had suffered over the past year:
"For years, I've been working with women, hiring women for the highest positions, in various positions, and we've been paying them the same amount as men. I've done everything the MeToo movement wants to achieve. ”
There is no doubt that no matter what happens, it cannot be denied that Woody Allen is a symbolic figure in American film culture, and as the French put it, he is definitely the "only intellectual in the American film industry" who has drawn a clear line with the Hollywood industrial assembly line.
Today, I will take you to re-understand and understand this film master who has now suffered from wind and frost.
Woody Allen
"There are two popular legends about me: one is an intellectual, because I always wear glasses; the other is an artist, because my films don't sell for money."
Woody, whose original name was Alan Stewart Cornishburn, watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in theaters at the age of three and regarded it as a second home, and he preferred the witches in the film with unique tastes.
After graduating from high school, he studied at New York University, but was dropped out of school not long after, and the clever Woody found that self-taught was more suitable for him.
In 1964, at the age of nearly 30, Woody wrote the script for The Gentleman starring Warren Beatty, but Woody kept most of the wonderful lines to himself, and Warren left the group in anger.
This experience made him understand that only by being a director himself can he strictly prohibit others from interfering. In 1969, he created the pseudo-documentary form, self-written and self-directed "Fool in Prison", which began the author's path of directing.
Woody Allen's films are his own director and screenwriter, and most of his film stories take place in New York and are inspired by personal experiences.
In the film, he portrays a variety of New York intellectuals, more or less involved in the fundamental problems of human existence: faith, gender, guilt, doubt, and death. These characters, which make the audience laugh and break their intestines, always lead us to the attention of human tragedy.
Woody is very good at making films with a cost of less than $18 million, and because of the small budget, he has been able to retain complete control of the film.
Under Woody's seemingly thin appearance, there lives a "literary fighter" with strong willpower. Because of his overall control, the work was not limited to the simple subversion of satirical imitation, but began to create Woody's own film characters and film worlds.
Stay away from Hollywood and reject the Oscars
"My relationship with Hollywood is not love and hate, but love and contempt."
In 1977, Anne Hall won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress, but he did not accept the awards, but performed clarinets at a club.
Woody has been nominated for an Oscar 24 times, breaking Billy Wilder's record of 19. His only Oscar appearance dates back to 2002.
In honor of New York City, which was devastated by the "911" incident, the awards ceremony will show a short film remix set in New York, and Allen, the old New York, is the best person to introduce.
In the same year, he also attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Woody has been nominated nearly 200 times for major film awards, more than the total number of Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.
In 2012, when old partner Diane Keaton gracefully took over the 71st Golden Globe Awards Lifetime Achievement Award from the host in place of Woody, our geek was sitting at a broadway theater in New York to watch the premiere of the cabaret "Beauty" and was said to be in a great mood.
Earlier, he even intended to reject the award altogether. But he was persuaded by his friends because accepting the award was good for his film's publicity.
"I hate winning awards." Woody Allen said, "But if I don't have to go to the awards ceremony or attend, then they're free to do whatever they want." ”
In his eyes, art is subjective and cannot be measured by one standard. If a filmmaker falls into this trap, he will unconsciously create according to the rules of the game, thus losing his creativity.
Woody Allen-esque films
"I make movies just for myself, and I don't care if they're shoved down the toilet and washed away after I die."
Beginning with Anne Hall, Woody has only used a font called "Windsor" as the opening credits. In conjunction with jazz, the list of staff is presented page by page.
Almost all of his films are single-eared sound sources, not stereo. He never participated in the production of dvDs of his films, refused to record any tidbits and comments, and did not have a minute of "abridged clips" to record.
When shooting dialogue, Woody often used medium-shot sports long shots instead of traditional front-and-back shots. On average, each shot lasts more than 10 or even 20 seconds, and he even uses a handheld camera to film scenes of husbands and wives arguing in "Husband, Wife and Lover".
"I didn't have the patience to shoot two-person close-ups of hours of dialogue and then shoot individual shots separately. I like to shoot as many shots as I want. ”
The surreal visual elements of Woody's films are essential: the mysterious visitor who parachutes in "Deconstructing Harry", the hypnosis in "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", the psychic summoning ghosts in "Magic Moonlight";
In "The Purple Rose of Cairo", the heroine and the male protagonist who walked off the screen talked about a "crossing" love is the most impressive. Who wouldn't want to fall in love with a "dream lover" who came out of the big screen?
Woody is also interested in murder.
"The End of the Race", "Sin and Mistake", "Bullets Flying on Broadway" and other films are all involved. Woody said, "I've always been very interested in murder. I like to think about the dark side of human nature, where murders often bring human weakness to the extreme. ”
In addition, Woody Allen is very serious about his right to reputation.
He has accused a ready-to-wear company of infringing on portrait rights and is seeking $10 million in claims. It was an American apparel company headquartered in Los Angeles with a global presence.
In 2016, without anyone's authorization, it used stills from the 30-year-old movie "Anne Hall" on The Advertising Boards and websites in Hollywood and New York, and Woody was furious and claimed $10 million from the apparel company.
In addition, when his films were replayed, he never allowed airlines and television stations to re-edit his films.
In 1999, Woody also sued michael Parkinson, a British interview reporter, for his excessive and even morbid attention to Woody's private life, and the questions thrown out in the interview were all about the scandal that he and his ex-wife fought for custody of the child, which shows how much the so-called "pedophile" rumors hurt Woody.
Scribble Woody Allen
"I never write for an audience, and I guess they're as smart as I am, even if I'm not."
At the age of 15, he wrote jokes for local newspaper columns under the name "Woody Allen" and made two hundred dollars a week. From the age of 16, Woody used his after-school bus time to create jokes, as long as he walked through the streets and saw crowds, inspiration poured into his mind one by one, and 50 jokes a day were not in the question.
As an adult, his contributions were actually more than his parents' combined wages. He then sent his strips to Broadway writers, who were appreciated by writer Abe Burrows.
At the age of twenty, Woody was invited to work for NBC and began his career as a full-time stand-up writer. He works with almost all mainstream talk shows and works fifteen hours a day. Although he was paid $1,500 a week, he felt it was a waste of life.
In 1960, Woody wrote an outline for the burlesque drama "From A to Z." In 1966, Woody's first stage play, Don't Drink That Water, was performed on Broadway for two years and 598 times. In 1969, he wrote and starred in the stage play "Play Again, Sam", which was a sensation on Broadway for 453 consecutive performances and was nominated for a Tony Award.
In 1981, woody's childhood play "Floating Light Bulbs", written based on woody's childhood, was commercially unsuccessful, but it was unanimously praised by critics.
In 2003, he directed his first one-act plays Around the River and Old Sailbrook, and the following year directed Secondhand Memory, which was performed at a small theater off Broadway.
In October 2011, his one-act play "The Honeymoon Hotel" and Ethan Cohen's play competed on Broadway. It can be said that stage drama allowed Woody to open up another career outside of the film.
Comedian Woody Allen
"I'm a star this year, but next year, it's an endless black hole."
Woody had a bad childhood, his parents didn't get along well, and he was bullied by his classmates at school. Growing up, honed by ten years of television choreography, the economist at the time persuaded him to go to a nightclub in San Francisco to do a one-man comic show.
At first, he was so nervous that he threw up, afraid to face the audience, and would even cover his ears when telling jokes. The agent was convinced that Woody would break out of the sky, so he dragged him to the stage every day. The low voice and casual dress are in stark contrast to the traditional comedians, the content of the show has nothing to do with current affairs and politics, and the refreshing style captures the hearts of the audience.
Woody ranked fourth in Comedy Central's "100 Greatest Stand-up Comedians," behind stand-up pioneers Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Laney Bruce.
In 1967, Woody showed his comedic talent by starring Jimmy Bond in the spoof film 007 The Royal Nightclub.
Since then, he has often appeared in his films as a male protagonist, most often playing writers, directors, and producers.
With clumsy black-rimmed glasses, fluffy reddish hair, and a sharp Brooklyn accent, he created an intellectual manic, nervously ready to speak. This is very different from his real-life personality.
2012's "Love in Rome" is Woody's last self-directed film to date. Kubrick had considered woody playing the male number two when preparing for "Eye Opener".
In 2003, ferrari brothers' "Close Brothers" wanted to find Jim Carrey and Woody to work together, but Woody still refused. In an interview in 2013, he revealed: "I am too old to be the male lead of romantic movies. ”
Musician Woody Allen
"If I had the opportunity to choose again, I would choose to be a reed performer instead of a film director."
Woody is a die-hard fan of jazz, and his stage name "Woody Allen" is derived from the name of the famous jazz player Woody Herman.
He likes Broadway composer Cole Porter and Uruguayan singer and songwriter Alfredo Zitarrosa. He learned black pipes as a child and began performing in public in the late sixties.
Every Monday night, Woody takes time off at the Carlisle Hotel in Manhattan to play jazz from the early 20th century with the New Orleans Jazz Band.
In 1996, director Barbara Carpenter and his band toured Europe to shoot the documentary Mad Men's Blues, and they also released two jazz records. In 2008, he and the band also performed two nights at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Woody, who has a professional taste in music, certainly has a wonderful soundtrack in his films.
In Manhattan, george Gershwin's classical jazz is permeated everywhere; in "Exclusive", the music of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" runs through the story of the beautiful woman seducing the murderer; in "Kassandra's Dream", the jazz and Schubert quartet are mixed with the narrative to form a subtle and textured combination.
From Once Upon a Time in Stardust to Twins Merlenda, Woody has frequently worked with jazz composer Dick Hyman on post-music work. Allen never composed music for his original films, and most of the soundtrack came from records from his private collection.
After completing his first musical theater film, Everybody Says I Love You, he said he would compose music for a future film soundtrack, but this promise has not been fulfilled.
controversy
"I've worked with hundreds of actresses, and none of them have complained about me, not even one." In January 1992, Woody Allen's then-girlfriend, Mia Farrow, stumbled upon nude photos of her adopted daughter, 21-year-old Song Yi, at his home. At this time, Mia realizes woody and Song Yi's underground affair, which also leads to the rupture of Mia and Woody's long-term relationship.
Song Yi was born in South Korea in 1970 as the daughter of Mia and her former husband, Andrei Privan, a conductor. Her biological mother abandoned Song Yi on the slum streets of Seoul shortly after she was born, and was only adopted by Mia at the age of seven.
After Mia and Woody break up, Song Yi moves in with Woody. Since Mia and Woody did not have a substantial legal marriage relationship, he was not Song Yi's stepfather.
Woody Allen, Song Yi, and adopted daughter
In 1997, the young and old married and adopted two daughters at the same time. Whenever there is a movie premiere, Woody and Song Yi will attend in pairs. It is said that "Blue Jasmine" is based on an interesting story told by Song Yi to Woody, and the heroine of the film is Song Yi's acquaintance.
Last year, Ms. Song broke her silence and spoke in an interview with New York Magazine about her childhood, saying her life with Mia and her then-husband, Andrea, was unstable.
She also said that Mia was not "motherly" and traumatized her when she first bathed her, when she was about 5-7 years old, "Mia threw me directly into the water." ”
Song Yi told the media that Mia was very strict with her. "Mia used to write words on my arms, which was humiliating, and I could only wear long sleeves often, and she tied me upside down and grabbed my feet so that the blood was all concentrated on the head. Because she didn't know where to read it, she thought I would be smarter if the blood was all in her head. ”
What's more, she also talked about her relationship with Woody Allen. Before going to college, the relationship between the two was purely Platonic, she recalled that after going to college, the two people began to interact, "the two of us are like magnets attracting each other", she admitted that woody chased her, "I felt that I was valued." ”
Song Yi also remembers the scene where the nude photos were found, "Mia came home and asked me about it, and my desire to survive made me deny it at first," she continued, "but Mia said she had a picture, I knew I was finished," she said, "Mia smoked her mouth."
"When Woody came, she screamed at him, when Dylan (adopted daughter) and Ronan (biological son) were at home, one 6 years old and one 4 years old, and they heard their mother calling for hours in the middle of the night."
Of course, Dylan and Ronan are still on the side of Mia Farrow, saying that Song Yi's statement is slander and attack.
Another blow to Woody Allen's reputation is the "sexual assault" of adopted daughters.
Former Woody Allen and Mia Farrow
After breaking up with Woody Allen in the '90s, Mia accused him of sexually assaulting his seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan. The case was withdrawn in 1993 for lack of substantial evidence. Mia eventually gained custody of her three children, and Woody was denied the right to visit Dylan.
The adopted son, Moses, became estranged from Mia as an adult and reconnected with Woody. Moses said that Mia had gone to great lengths to discredit her father for Song Yi's affairs. In 2018, he posted Woody on a blog, saying that Mia and Dylan had lied that year.
In early 2014, Woody and Mia's adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, published an open letter in The New York Times saying that Woody had sexually assaulted her when she was 7 years old, and Woody's response was also through the New York Times, writing an article denying the matter.
Woody shows that Dylan's "sexual assault" is said to have been instigated and instigated by his adoptive mother Mia, and that sexual assault is a figment. In March 1993, after several months of investigation, the Child Sexual Abuse Center declared that it had failed to find evidence of Dylan's sexual assault.
The two sides have their own opinions, and so far they are incompatible.
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