And The Loser Is... #13- An island unto himself

Back in ATLI... #4, I began to take a look at the Academy Awards successes of my all-time favourite filmmaker, Woody Allen. I'm going to continue that here, starting with what I consider to be the finest of all his movies, Manhattan (1979).

This was actually my introduction to Allen's work, and I can't really think of a better one. The opening sequence, featuring the film's protagonist, Isaac Davis (Allen), reciting the opening passage of his new book over a series of stills of New York City, in many ways encapsulates Woody's work in general, and tells you everything you need to know about how he operates as a filmmaker, and an on-screen persona. Consider the content of the narrative, establishing at once the sexual voraciousness of the Allen persona, his moral values, including his reverence of the common New Yorker, his brand of self-deprecating humour, and, perhaps most importantly, his adoration of New York City. The sequence also establishes Allen's artistic sensibilities, through his choice of the George Gershwin piece, 'Rhapsody in Blue', as well as through Gordon Willis' black and white photography.

The film itself is one of Allen's funniest, and most romantic, as well as one of his most optimistic, albeit cautious optimism. Isaac, a writer, has an ex-wife who is writing a tell-all book on their marriage, and a 17-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (played by Mariel Hemingway, who was nominated for the best supporting actress award in 1980). He is unsettled by the 25 year age difference between them, and, when he meets Mary (Diane Keaton), his best friend's mistress, he finds himself falling for her. I talked last time about the way Allen depicts intellectualism in his films, which is largely very critical, and we see this again here. Mary is very intellectually agressive, very forceful with her opinions ("I'm honest, whaddya want? I say what's on my mind and, if you can't take it, well then fuck off!"), which is in stark contrast to the very sweet, besotted Tracy. It is this that, upon their first meeting, turns Isaac off Mary, but eventually he sees her as a woman, not only closer to his own age, but also who can offer him more on an intellectual level. As is the case in so many Allen films, though, this intellectualism is ultimately shown as being self-destructive, and a sure path to unhappiness.

This film is really interesting in terms of how the Allen persona reacts in relationship to a more intellectually-dominant female. We see an Allen much more connected to his humble beginnings in Brooklyn, much more connected to the streets of New York. In one scene, a guest at a party talks about the Times running a 'devestating' satirical piece about an upcoming Nazi march, prompting Davis' response of "Well, a satirical piece in the Times is one thing, but bricks and baseball bats really gets right to the point". In other scene, Mary talks about her genius ex-husband, to which Isaac replies, "Oh really, he was a genius, Helen's a genius and Dennis is a genius. You know a lot of geniuses, y'know. You should meet some stupid people once in a while, y'know, you could learn something." These scenes show a disconnect between Allen and the true New York intellectual, but there are instances where he is betrayed by his own love of high art, which separate him from men of his class (such as referring to Mary's friends as being "like the cast of a Fellini movie"). The Allen persona, as stated by Alvy in Annie Hall, really is an island unto himself.

Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan.

In the end, Isaac sees that he was only truly happy when he was with Tracy, which leads to one of the most hopeful conclusions to an Allen film. It isn't exactly a fairytale ending, as Tracy is leaving to study in London, but her, and the film's, final words of "not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people" are a clear message that happiness is attainable when you free your mind of cynicism. Hemingway is a revelation as Tracy, and I think she deserved the Oscar over Meryl Streep (who also features in Manhattan, but won the award for her performance in Kramer Vs. Kramer).

Manhattan is sweet, funny, and has some beautiful cinematography, and is an easy 5 star film.

One of Allen's most successful films as the awards is the 7-times nominated, 3-times winner, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Woody was nominated for best direction, and the film also picked up a best picture nomination, but was pipped in both categories by Oliver Stone and Platoon. This is a superior film, and is also one of the best directed of all of Allen's films, as he deftly weaves together a multi-threaded story, part-comedic, part-dramatic, about three sisters and the extended family that surround them.

Supporting stars Diane Wiest and Michael Caine both picked up awards for their performances here. Caine plays the husband of Hannah (Mia Farrow), who is secretly in love with Hannah's younger-sister, Lee (Barbara Hershey). The dynamic between the sisters is very similar to that between the sisters in Interiors (1978), with Hannah as the ultra-successful to the point of being annoying sister, and Wiest as the sister who just can't seem to find a way to express herself. Allen takes more of a supporting role, as the ex-husband of Hannah, who believes that he is dying and wants to find some inner-peace to help him cope.

We are family...

This was an ambitious undertaking from Allen, more known for intimate works, and has a different tone to much of his earlier work (in large part due to the shifts in focus from character to character, as well as the blending of the comedic elements, which generally feature Woody himself, and the dramatic elements). Allen assembled one of his most impressive ensembles for the film (it must have been a thrill to work with Ingmar Bergman mainstay, Max von Sydow), and the camerawork from Carlo Di Palma is some of the most assured you'll see in an Allen film. This is truly intelligent filmmaking, and I give the film 5 stars.

Jumping forward now, to the last Woody Allen film to gain the attention of the Academy, 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This was part of Allen's late-career tributes to the great cities of Europe, which also includes Midnight in Paris (2011), and his various London-set films, including 2005's Match Point, which also featured Vicky Cristina Barcelona star, Scarlett Johansson. This is also the film which, at that point, I considered to be the best of Allen's so-called comeback years.

Vicky and Cristina (Rebecca Hall and Johansson, respectively) are two friends who take a trip to Spain and attract the attention of a sexually aggressive artist, Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem. Vicky is conservative in nature, and holds herself back from being romanced by the mysterious stranger, but the adventurous Cristina jumps into an exciting affair, which is soon complicated by the arrival on the scene of Juan Antonio's tempestuous ex-wife, Maria Elena. Penelope Cruz won the best supporting actress Oscar in 2009 for her portrayal as Maria Elena, and thoroughly deserved it was too. Slipping effortlessly between English and Spanish, Cruz is electric, playing Maria Elena with a wild, unabashed sexuality which brings to mind Beatrice Dalle's performance as the titular heroine in Betty Blue (1986).

Hall and Johansson are both weak in their roles, so it isn't until Bardem and Cruz hit the scene that this really gets rolling. But when it does, it's as sexually charged and exciting as anything Woody has ever done. It also looks great, the sun-drenched Spanish setting a far cry from the typical grey/green tones of Allen's New York-set films. It seems nowadays that Allen has found a new niche for himself, away from the comedies on which he made his name, and even the intellectually-based Bergman-inspired drama of his 1980s work. The best Allen films now are slightly unrestrained, where characters have a hard time keeping a hold of their emotions, and are all the better for it. It's like going abroad opened up a different side to Woody, and it's interesting to see him explore this side- certainly as long as the results are this good. 4 stars.

It was my oroginal intent to cover all of Allen's career in two parts, but it seems I will have to extend this into another blog, so look for part 3 at a later date. Until then, here's looking at you.