Woody Allen was born in 1935 in New York. In those days, the phrase "intellectual comedy" was strange and more unusual for the elite. If we turn to history, we will see that all the comedies that were shot at that time were simple and understandable to everyone, regardless of the level of education. For intellectuals, they shot a smart, but rather boring movie. And this was understandable, because joking, talking about the "high", was not accepted. For this reason there was not a single comedian. And this continued until the talented, but at the same time nondescript and a little clumsy Woody Allen appeared.
Woody Allen's childhood
Woody Allen grew up in a Jewish family. His father worked as a waiter and engraver of jewelry, and his mother worked as an accountant in a candy store. In school years, the humorous nature did not particularly show itself. Woody Allen, while Allen Stuart Konigsberg, was fond of baseball and card tricks. His talent will appear later, but already in his early years he came up with a well-known pseudonym. He claims that he called himself because of the constant beatings in international summer camps (Woody translates as wooden). But most likely, the pseudonym appeared thanks to jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Woody Herman.
Carier start
Looking at the current intellectual Woody Allen, itâs hard to believe that he began with compositions of gags in the style of the Marx brothers (a comedy quartet in the USA that specialized in ârude comedyâ with fights, slaps, falls, flirting). But at the beginning of a career, you didnât have to choose much, because you had to make your way further and somehow survive in this complex world.
Life in New York
Now Hollywood loves Woody Allen, forgiving him the constant malice, relentlessly nominating for the Oscars. But to the general recognition of Woody Allen walked for a long time. Having moved to New York with a twenty-year-old young man with a 16-year-old wife, he had no money, no connections, no education. Parents did not approve of such a move and resolutely refused to help the young family. So I had to start not with the filming of the film, but with the creation of jokes for the then-popular comedians - Bob Hope and Buddy Hacket.
Hard work helped achieve a boost, and in 1957, Woody Allen became the editor of the television show. Now he not only composed texts, but also acted as an actor. The first success came to him at performances in expensive restaurants. The witty and taunting jokes of a plain-looking young guy appealed to the public. He stood as if he had accidentally hit the stage, and all his remarks were impromptu. Inexperienced viewers did not realize that all the performances worked out to the smallest detail. In real life, Allen has never been indecisive. On the contrary, he has a solid, and even tyrannical character. One can imagine how disappointed was the wife of Woody Allen, who demanded from her sterile cleanliness in the house, a certain menu. To all this, she constantly had to listen to vicious comments regarding everything she did. The result was obvious - in the late 60s, Harlin filed for divorce, demanding material compensation for constant ridicule.
First fame
By this time in the cinema, many already knew who Woody Allen was. The filmography consisted of several films in which he participated as a screenwriter or actor. We are talking about such films as âCasino Royalâ, âGrab Money and Run.â All these are parodies of famous films about bank robbers. Allen did not try to find himself in other genres, because he always knew that his mission was to create comedic and ironic paintings.
Peak career - 70s
The next decade for Allen became a period of parodies. At this time, came out such paintings as âLove and Deathâ, âSleepingâ, âEverything you always wanted to know about sex, but were afraidâ. Of course, the films quickly found their audience, and many were eagerly awaiting new work. And the famous screenwriter did not make his fans wait long, as a result of which the list of Woody Allen's films was rapidly replenished. It seemed that he lives on the set and has no personal life or other interests.
Personal life
But Allen had enough time for everything: to shoot, and to play the clarinet, and to constantly sort things out with her wives, of whom there were quite a lot. After Harlin left, free space was taken by Paulina Kael, a big fan of his work and a well-known critic of the cinema at that time. But her patience was only enough for a few years, after which she broke up with Woody Allen with a scandal. She did not appreciate his talent, because in return he did not give her anything. Allen, in turn, quickly enough began a relationship with actress Louise Lasser (photo below).
Despite the fact that she tried to indulge all his interests, create comfort at home, not cause discontent and ridicule, after some time he still went to another woman - Diane Keaton. He did not appreciate Louiseâs efforts and, moreover, was not interested in her as a woman. It is likely that it was with Diane Keaton that the best films of Woody Allen appeared - âInteriorsâ, âAnnie Hallâ, âManhattanâ.
The picture "Annie Hall" was not just a parody, but an ironic reproduction of her own life. It was from this film that the director had his own style, as they call it âHollenismâ in Hollywood. All subsequent paintings were recognizable by his "handwriting", while none of them looked like the other. Not all directors know how to do this - to create pictures in their own style, while not repeating themselves.
The film academy was conquered, because Allen immediately received three Oscars, and Keaton received an award for the main female role. But the director did not appear at the ceremony, as he was engaged in a more interesting case - playing the clarinet.
Loud scandal with Mia Ferra
The affair with Diana lasted eight years, until she went to the attractive Warren Beatty. Allen calmly endured the breakup and almost immediately began to look for a new muse, which became Mia Ferra.
Mia even before meeting with Allen completely disappointed in men. All her previous marriages and divorces caused a noisy discussion in the press, and any step immediately became known to everyone. As the actress herself admitted, she considered meeting with Woody proof that men can be trusted. But how could it be otherwise if he constantly admired her personality, beauty and talent. From this moment, the new Woody Allen appeared. The filmography was replenished with 13 paintings, including Cairo's Purple Rose, Zelig, Hannah and Her Sisters. The couple's civil marriage lasted 11 years, and Mia even put up with Allen's many shortcomings.
So, they rented different apartments, but not far enough from each other. The idyll was broken when Mia arrived earlier than the appointed time and entered the apartment herself. She did not find Allen with her mistress, as is the case in the classics of the genre. Examining the documents on the table, she found photos of her eldest adopted daughter Song-I, who was filmed in indecent poses. Allen did not even think about unlocking, and even cynically suggested that he remain friends and continue cooperation. But Mia, for obvious reasons, did not want to know the former lover. Finishing up in the film "Husbands and Wives," she refused the role in the film "The Mysterious Murder in Manhattan."
But the anger at her ex-husband did not fade away so easily, because of which Mia sued Allen, accusing him of molesting her five-year-old daughter, after which she tried to deprive him of his parental rights to his own son. All these attempts were unsuccessful. Gradually, the anger subsided, and Mia stopped trying to harm Allen. Woody himself easily got out of this unpleasant story. A few years later he married Song-Yi, tied up with psychoanalysis.
According to him, he found his love and now does not need help. As a screenwriter and director, he is still prolific. Despite such scandals, Hollywood did not delete the name âWoody Allenâ from his list. The filmography was still replenished, and many actors were ready to star with him for free. The situation has not changed today. Unlike many directors of the 70s, Allen "did not run out of steam" in creative terms and did not lose originality, sense of style and original humor.
Allen's comedies - his characteristic
He is no longer young, but still occupies the position of king of copyright and non-profit films. For the West, the icon of this genre is precisely Woody Allen. The best films, he said, were made about him. Moreover, many heroes are completely different from him. But if you look at one of his last films - âSweet and Despicableâ, then in the main character you will see many features that distinguish Woody Allen. Filmography for all the years of his work totals more than 50 works. Of the latter, one can name such paintings as âBlue Jasmineâ, âRoman Adventuresâ, âMidnight in Parisâ, âYou Will Meet a Mysterious Strangerâ, âWhatever happensâ, âVicky Cristina Barcelonaâ.
Interesting Facts
- In 1969, Allen was recognized as the best comedian in America, and the popularity was so great that his photo appeared on the cover of the famous Life magazine.
- In 1977, the picture "Annie Hall" was awarded four Oscars.
- In 1978, Allen was awarded the O`Henry Prize for the story "The Case of Kugelmas."
- In 1986, Allen received the Golden Globe Award for Cairo's Purple Rose.
In addition to numerous awards, there were other interesting awards that Woody Allen received. The best that could prove his talent was the recognition of one of the best comedians of all time. According to the results of the vote, he took third place after Peter Cook and John Cleese.
In addition, in 2007, a monument to Woody Allen was unveiled in Kaliningrad. The sculpture in the form of a directorâs glasses was installed in the lobby of one of the cinemas.
Filmography
In addition to many directorial works, over the years of creativity, Allen took part as an actor in a large number of paintings. So, the last film by Woody Allen is âBarcelonaâ, shot in 3D format. The movie will be released in 2014.
Other films featuring Woody Allen filmed in the new millennium:
- "In pieces", 2000.
- "Little scammers," 2000.
- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, 2001.
- The Hollywood Finale, 2002.
- âSomething Else,â 2003.
- "Sensation", 2006.
- Roman Adventures, 2012.
- âUnder the mask of a gigoloâ, 2013.