Chico Marx plays piano

[Tarantella]

ID, Woody's directorial career has been somewhat patchy since "Hannah". I prefer the Commedia-style, neurotic characters with their wicked one-liners, reminiscent of the old stand-up days ("the early, funny ones" is how he once described these). Not only that, his love of music is so powerful that it always gives his New York films an added piquance. Jerome Kern was one of the composers in "Hannah", too, and that scene where the architect takes the two sisters on a tour of the city was an act of love from the Director.

I can't think of many other Directors for whom films were an Ode of Love for a city as Allen's film are for New York.

I have a CD of Allen's comedy routines for stand-up and these are absolutely side-splitting. One of the funniest scenes in his films is "Annie Hall" where his mother takes him, as a child, to a psychiatrist because he says "the universe is expanding" and it's making him depressed. His termagant mother looks angrily at him and, in that uniquely Jewish accent, barks "how is THAT your business"? A funny response to a child at any time. And they live under the Coney Island Big Dipper. Hilarious.

[IsaacDavid]

Originally Posted by Tarantella

ID, Woody's directorial career has been somewhat patchy since "Hannah".

That must be a major reason why I fell out of love with his films in the 1990's. The thing is, tastes change. My newfound appreciation for Mozart hasn't diminished my love of Shostakovich, but I my sense of humour has definitely changed. I used to watch Frasier avidly, but if I see an episode now, it just feels like a part of history which has gone.

Allen's early films are funny, and I can remember Sleeper being the first of his films I saw at the cinema when I was a teenager, where I wept uncontrollably with laughter, but you have to wonder whether his change to an increasingly serious style was always likely, especially when you consider a scene like this:



Many a true word...? Of the films that came after Stardust Memories (the source of your "earlier, funnier" quote), Hannah is probably the most successful in balancing the humour and seriousness, but I think his attempts at really serious, reflective filmmaking were probably better left to Bergman and Tarkovsky.

As for his other material, I did read one of his books in the 1980's, but a friend of mine who gave me a lift in his car almost banned from reading it while he was driving, because my outbursts of laughter distracted him too much.

[IsaacDavid]

I just read a review of Deconstructing Harry and saw a reference to the out-of-focus actor played by Robin Williams. I've already seen this film and I totally forgot!