A Few Notes On The Woody Allen Documentary

This weekend I watched Robert Weide's two-part documentary of Woody Allen on PBS.

I have long been a fan of Allen's work and found the documentary fascinating.

I knew little of Allen's early career, especially the fact that he got his start writing for television, and was a late bloomer in New York's stand up comedy scene. I found it amusing that Allen was such a reluctant performer, considering how much natural ability he seems to have to entertain.

It's also amazing to reflect on how much control Allen got of his work so early on. Indeed, Allen has always relished creative control in his films, and you can tell by how bitter he still is about his first film, which was butchered by the studio. It is interesting then, how flexible he seems to be with his actors, allowing them to improvise, and offering little critique of their performances. These two practices, control and restraint, seem to fly in the face of one another.

I learned more about Allen's admiration for the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, and how his influences come from both high and low culture. Allen's body of work straddles these two extremes, from slapstick comedies like Bananas to mock-philosophical films like Love and Death. Allen himself seems to struggle with his identity as a filmmaker and writer. He really wants to be a tragedian but in fact his natural gift is comedy.

Allen's career has had ups and downs, as has his personal life. I was pleased to discover that, after the financial triumph of Midnight in Paris, he is feeling more confident in his abilities. It is unfortunate, however, that a man of such talent has never considered himself a success by his own standards. Perhaps that's the byproduct of being an artist. Filmmaking for Allen is a lifestyle, and maybe he will always chase the notion of a great film. I feel lucky, as a viewer, to be able to follow him on that journey.