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Woody Allen: A Documentary More at IMDbPro »

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14 reviews in total

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10 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Treat for Movie Buffs, 27 September 2012

Author: Larry Silverstein from United States

I've just seen the DVD version of the documentary, which originally aired on PBS, on American Masters. The DVD is 2 parts in total of about three and a half hours.

This wonderful documentary, directed by Robert B. Weide, traces the life and career of the movie master Woody Allen. The early footage of Allen's stand-up comic days is extremely funny, as are the archival clips of Allen as he began to appear on national shows such as Steve Allen, Johhny Carson, and Dick Cavett. As he progressed into movies, the film tracks the stages of his early comic movies such as "Take the Money and Run"(when I first noticed Allen) and "Bananas", into more serious fare such as "Hannah and Her Three Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors", as well as his more recent movies made in Europe such as "Match Point", "Wimbledon" and "Midnight in Paris"

What I found particularly interesting was Allen explaining why he did certain movies, the great as well as the clunkers. He explains what his thought processes were, how he writes them, and what goes into directing them. The film is also chocked with interviews of fellow writers and collaborators, actors and actresses he has worked with, and certain film critics. Also, there is a good amount of time devoted to hearing from his sister, as to what Woody was like as boy and their relationship today.

I've followed Allen's career for decades, the good and the bad,and I felt this film gave me a real insight into what makes Woody Allen tick. Plus it is so packed with vintage footage of TV and film that I was engrossed despite the length of the movie.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Deligthful, 31 March 2013
Author: Harry T. Yung (harry_tk_yung@yahoo.com) from Hong Kong

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Just as people either love or hate Woody Allen, they would, I imagine, either love or hate this documentary about Woody Allen. But let's get the logics straight. I'm not talking about people who hate Woody Allen; they simply won't watch this film, period. As to people who love him, I am just giving it the benefit of the doubt that, maybe, 0.00001% of those who have watched this film would hate it. But certainly not more.

This is a simple, endearing documentary that follows Allen's life from childhood to the present, rich with anecdotes from a rich assembly of people who know him (from intimately to not-so-intimately). As expected, there are lots of clips from his forty directed movies to-date, funny and poignant, but mostly funny. No surprises; just two hours of delightful time with the auteur who never even tried to be one.

The background music is also beautiful, with languid Moonlight Serenade (from his "Stardust memories") with a reprise later, cheerful Begin the Beguine, and the most romantically rousing passage from Rhapsody in Blue (as heard in the poignant conclusion of "Manhattan").

There are of course quotes from Allen aplenty: witty, insightful to outright silly. The one that I like best, profound in the simplest way, is his honest view about film awards, which he suggests are more about "the most favorite" than "the best". With track and field, he cites as example, you can easily identify the best because results are quantifiable. No so with a piece of work of art.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
A truly superb look into the life and career of Woody Allen., 15 February 2013
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I found this on Netflix streaming movies, I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with his movies, I really love some of them (e.g. 'Purple Rose of Cairo' and 'Midnight in Paris') but really, really hate most of the extended slapstick films (e.g.'Bananas' and 'Sleeper'). Part of my dislike was because of Woody's persona, most of his films I like don't have him in them, and I viewed characters he played as just an extension of himself.

But this documentary cleared a lot of that up. The Woody we see in character is Woody the actor, in reality quite different from the relaxed Woody we see in interviews. In real life he appears to be a lot less neurotic, and actually quite friendly and charming.

The film has a number of contributors, including many actors who have been in his movies over the years. But the two main contributors are Woody Allen himself and his sister, producer Letty Aronson . It is clear they have a good relationship.

If I were to summarize Woody Allen very briefly, he grew up as a naturally funny person who loved the stage and the movies, grew up wishing he could do that himself, then when he got a break went out and did it himself. He enjoys the process, conceiving an idea, writing the story, and making a film. He doesn't read reviews, in fact the movie being in theaters seems to be of little interest to him, as well as whether it makes any money or not. He just enjoys the process.

As he speaks of his own movies, he has no illusions of grandeur. Of his New York movies he says the future lasting value they will have is providing interesting scenes around the city. He doesn't mind making a failure, in fact he expects most people will not like most of his movies. 'Manhattan' was his first big hit, 'Midnight in Paris' his most recent hit, yet he didn't have any particular expectations of either.

One of the most telling scenes in the entire documentary was of Woody playing clarinet with the band in his usual Monday night gig at the restaurant. He played jazz with typical reckless abandon and, when the music stopped and the audience applauded, all Woody did was hold his instrument and sort of look downward at the floor. He wasn't acting, he was not playing for any anticipation of audience reaction, he just plays because he enjoys the process. It is the same way with his movies.

Here is a film portrait of a man who has pretty well lived his life doing exactly what he wanted to do and is content in his old age. However, since his parents both lived to very old ages, and Woody takes care of himself, we may be treated with his one-movie-a-year habit for another 20 or 30 years.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
A revealing and entertaining portrayal, 6 November 2012

Author: Jafar Iqbal from United Kingdom

When the history of cinema is written a hundred years from now, Woody Allen's name will pop up quite a few times. Actor. Writer. Director. Comedian. The quintessential Jewish-American man. From Seinfeld characters to Family Guy to The Simpsons, so much of American pop culture is littered with characters based off the persona that Allen immortalised.

But in Woody Allen: A Documentary, documentarian Robert B. Weide seeks to get inside the mind of this endlessly parodied, forcibly stereotyped individual. Allen is his usual self-deprecating Jewish-American self, but it's the supporting cast – Diane Keaton, Naomi Watts, Scarlett Johansson, et al. – who really paint the best picture. We learn about Allen's directing techniques; what made him such a magnetic 'leading man'; and how his personal life affected (or didn't, really) his professional life.

As all movie fans will know, Allen is responsible for some of the greatest movies of the modern era. Annie Hall is constantly cited as a great Hollywood classic, as are other accomplishments like Hannah And Her Sisters and Manhattan. The documentary moves chronologically through his back catalogue, discussing his intentions about each movie, the filmmaking process, and the critical reception. You listen to the cast, his family, and Allen himself discuss just how much of himself was present in his movies. What I loved most about the film is that it doesn't pander to Allen. Yes, this is a documentary about the man, so it does celebrate his brilliance as an artist. But Weide doesn't hold back in exploring the mistakes he made, both in his personal and professional life. In particular, his relationship with cinematic muse Mia Farrow is chronicled, painting Woody as a very conflicted and somewhat selfish man.

What you take away from this documentary is appreciation for what Allen has achieved, and what he has brought to modern cinema. To continue to beat to his own drum at a time when studios have pigeonholed directors so much is admirable, especially when he's making one film a year. It's so easy (and so romantic) to see cinema as an artform. Woody Allen shows that it is a skill, a technique constantly being honed. Good stuff.

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5 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
The best of Woody Allen, 23 July 2012

Author: Red-Barracuda from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

This documentary may not go too far below the surface of Woody Allen's persona but for fans of his films it offers a lot to enjoy. It looks at his career from his earliest days as a joke writer via stand-up comedian on to his film career up until his biggest commercial success Midnight in Paris. It was interesting to see the young Allen, who looked surprisingly ungeeky it has to be said. And it was good to see the path that led to his talents ending up in cinema. But the real pleasure of this documentary is in simply revisiting so many of his films. Virtually all of his movies from the period that covers Take the Money and Run to Shadows and Fog are represented with clips. While, several other key movies after this are featured too, although perhaps though it would have been better if more of his unsuccessful films were shown as a point of comparison. But time restraints do limit things I guess – I saw the shorter theatrical cut – and it was really just fun revisiting the good ones to be honest.

For the reasons mentioned above, it would probably be fair to say that this is a documentary primarily aimed at people who are Allen fans to begin with. The wealth of well-chosen clips really is very good, while the selection of talking heads add good value. It's basically a pure celebration of Allen's work and it does well to show the sheer volume of quality he has produced over the years. Very enjoyable.

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3 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Personal, not too long, funny and interesting, 15 August 2012

Author: Niklas Pivic from Stockholm, Sweden

A long - the three-hour version must surely be better than the shortened edited-for-cinema version - but engaging and well-made documentary about Woody Allen, one of my favourite directors. It makes chronological little jumps, but all good, delving from his growing up in New York to where he is today, from being a joke-writer for US columns to doing his own stand-up comedy (for which he is still grossly underestimated), to script-writing, acting and directing. The bit about him being an "actor's director" is really inspirational. He's had ups and downs, his marriages and scandals are a bit on display; him being married to his "former" daughter is toned down. His writing process is envisaged, actors and producers interviewed and it's all personal, never showy. Allen found out that "Manhattan" had won the Oscar for best film by reading about it in the paper the day after. So, all in all, very nice and recommendable.

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0 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Entertaining quasi-biography that praises and whitewashes Woody Allen, 25 March 2013

Author: jm10701 from United States

I enjoyed this very much more than I expected to. Although I've seen many of his movies, and although I share his great love of New York City, I've never been an Allen fan (I'm not a whole lot younger than he is, so I've known of him in his various careers almost from the beginning), and I've actively despised him since he did what he did to Mia Farrow and her children.

I still don't think he's the movie-making genius his fans see and this production promotes, and it really does make out like his abominable conduct 20 years ago was just media hysteria, which is appalling. But this is a fascinating and almost always entertaining production, and the 3+ hours flew by.

The few parts that were nearly unbearable did not involve Allen himself but two of the other talking heads who sing his praises (Allen himself comes across as relatively humble, which may or may not be genuine): One is the famous movie critic Richard Schickel, who appears periodically throughout both episodes; his worship of Allen is so creepy that it seriously undermines not only his credibility as a critic but any pretense of objectivity this production has. The second is an extremely smug and obnoxious woman named Annette Insdorf, who is identified as a Film Professor at Columbia University; but (Thank God) she makes only one appearance in each episode, and only for a few minutes at the beginning. She's more obnoxious than Schickel but less creepy.

Allen fans don't have to be encouraged to watch this paean to and whitewashing of their hero; but even some, like me, who are not fans at all may be entertained.

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3 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Fascinating portrait of a genius comedian and filmmaker., 26 September 2012

Author: chernobylpants (chernobylpants@live.com) from Oegstgeest

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I'm a huge WA fan and will watch every film he puts out, sometimes up to 3 or 4 times. I found this a very fascinating look into his life and stylistic methods. Told through clips, interviews with actors, and WA himself, you get a very up close look into his person. Even the Mia Farrow-Sun Yi scandal are covered and while it doesn't try to absolve him, you do get some of his side of the story. I believe he adopted two daughters (one Asian) when they were at a young age. This still doesn't make it any less suspicious and creepy. Why would they let him adopt when he's a well known rapist? I find it interesting that he manage to have a child with Mia Farrow, but did not with Soon-Yi. He may have just planned ahead by adopting two daughters. There is no cure for pedophilia. I'd bitch slap his old ass! hand lookin like the man's off of scary movie 2 ....

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4 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Good, 21 June 2012

Author: Cosmoeticadotcom (cosmoetica@gmail.com) from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I watched the recent PBS American Masters documentary on Woody Allen, Woody Allen: A Documentary, online, and it was surely a disappointment. It covered, in its three and a half hours, many of his films, his early life and break into show business, but it offered almost nothing of depth- oddly recapitulating the flaws of Barbara Kopple's 1998 documentary on the same subject, Wild Man Blues. In a sense, the film gives the best representation of the critical cribbing that is killing most film criticism, by having vapid and flat out bad critics opine on subjects they do not understand, but it does little to give one a better understanding of the filmmaker, for the so-called talking head 'experts' it relies on are the dense and pretentious film professor Annette Insdorf, the lifeless hack film critic Richard Schickel, the ebulliently vacuous film critic Leonard Maltin, a film critic priest named Robert Lauder, who utters…well, nothing of value about Hannah And Her Sisters, a number of Allen's co-stars and actors, who burble on cluelessly, and, worst of all, utterly unknown schlock filmmaker and critic, F.X. Feeney, who displays he has absolutely no clue about films, in general, much less Allen's, in particular. The much better insights into Allen's life and art come from his non-screen cohorts: comic and talk show host Dick Cavett, managers Jack Rollins and Charles Joffe, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and co-writers Mickey Rose and Marshall Brickman. The only other filmmaker of note to appear on screen is Martin Scorsese and he mostly rambles on about how his New York and Allen's are like visions from two different worlds. Well, duh, Marty. Exactly how and why is that is never broached by Weide.

Nonetheless, there are worse ways to spend 210 minutes. The problem is, there are almost as many ways to better spend such time. I recommend the latter option, especially with the knowledge that most Allen films are crisp enough that almost three full features of his can be squeezed into that same timeframe. My recommendation? Try Stardust Memories, Another Woman, Crimes And Misdemeanors, and, for dessert, Allen's truly greatest comedy: Radio Days. You can thank me later.

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1 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
This is really sick, 10 February 2013

Author: Shankru_Spam_Begone from Upmarket Residences of Rajagiriya

For a documentary that lasted two episodes, I didn't feel like I learned as much as I could about Woody Allen. A superb documentary about a comic genius. I can't wait to go back and catch some of his work from the last seven years. That said, for as much as he is a great filmmaker, it reminded me that a person can still have a car wreck of a personal life while being busted for molesting others for example Soon Yi in the 1980's, his 7-year old daughter Dylan too but the charges were dropped. 3. Woody Allen had naked photos of a 21-year old Soon Yi. Not a pedophile. 4. Woody Allen and Soon Yi got married when she was 27. Not a pedophile. Maybe a weird dude, but nothing illegal. How he is still a free man is beyond me. This mans name is synonomous with pedophilia but he can adopt n live a free life! I wouldn't leave my Chinese poodle around this perv. He goes to these Asian Countries, because they'll let his old nasty white ass get away with it.

His unusual lifestyle choices aside, I think he is a genius.

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