2 + 2 = 4 (unless you’re living in an Orwellian dystopia)
AND
A neurotic Jew in thick glasses + New York + an existential crisis = a Woody Allen film.
WORDS : MARK FOUNTAIN
I love Woody Allen. Annie Hall is my favourite film of all time, bar none. In fact, I hold it in such high regard that I use it as a measure of potential friends and girlfriends. There comes a crucial point in any new relationship when I casually slip in, “so what do you think of Annie Hall?” And if their review is less than glowing, I slowly but surely phase them out.
A similar thing happened with a former girlfriend when I sat her down to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, another personal favourite. She fell asleep within the first twenty minutes and it was one of those moment when I realised, contrary to the fluffy pillow-talk, that we wouldn’t be together forever.
Yes, like Rob in High Fidelity I think that ‘what really matters is what you like, not what you are like’. However, I also genuinely believe that Woody Allen is a filmmaker who can appeal to anyone, but just like peace you have to give him a chance. So ahead of the release of his new film Whatever Works, which stars Curb Your Enthusiasm genius Larry David, I though it would be a good time to have a flick through uncle Woody’s back catalogue (and no, that’s not a euphemism).
But before you all rush to the comment box to complain in ALL CAPS, ‘how the tits could you leave out Hannah and Her Sisters!?”‘or ‘you’re a douching twat head for not including September‘, let me clarify that this is NOT a definitive list of Woody Allen’s ‘best’ films, it’s just a few personal favourites selected to show that there is a Woody film for all seasons, and that whatever your taste, this speccy New York Jew can cater for you.
Slapstick – Take The Money and Run (1969)
With physical comedy to rival anything Chaplin ever twitched his moustache at and a silliness not seen again until Airplane, this faux documentary follows the rags-to-rags tale of Virgil Starkwell, an inept bank robber. The scene when Virgil plays the cello in a marching band is one of the best visual gags in cinema.
Theatrical – Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
John - High Fidelity - Cusack stars in the Woody Allen role as a struggling Broadway playwright. Comedy and drama merge perfectly in this much overlooked Allen effort where, as with all his best work, a central philosophical issue is sandwiched between the laughs. In this case that issue is, what does it take to be a true artist and how much would you sacrifice for your art?
Romantic – Annie Hall (1977)
The jewel in Woody’s crown, a subtle but hilarious observation of relationships that will tug on the heartstrings of anyone who’s loved and lost. For me a box of tissues is essential for the final scenes.
Intellectual – Manhattan (1979)
With jokes referencing everything from Noel Coward to Fellini and Kafka this is really one for the poets, art students and would-be philosophers among you. The line ‘when it comes to relationships with women, I’m the winner of the August Strindberg Award’ flew over my head when I first heard it, but after some cultural research I got the joke, and LOLed. The intellectual masturbation in this film is very satisfying if you like working for your laughs, but if not then just watch it for the stunning black and white New York scenes, especially in the epic opening sequence.
