Woody Allen

squirestarter

Ok so im a newcomer to his films but after watching 'Midnight in Paris' which i absolutely loved (for many reasons but mainly due to its themes of escapism, nostalgia, yearning for another era, combined with the subtle humour which i know anecdotally Allen is renowned for) I am dying to immerse myself in his other films.

He has made 41 films according to wiki so my question to proponents of Allen's work is.... where do i start? suggestions for his best?

Purple Rose of Cairo seems to be mentioned quite a lot when reading about Midnight in Paris so i guess ill start there.

Mickeroo

squirestarter wrote: »

Ok so im a newcomer to his films but after watching 'Midnight in Paris' which i absolutely loved (for many reasons but mainly due to its themes of escapism, nostalgia, yearning for another era, combined with the subtle humour which i know anecdotally Allen is renowned for) I am dying to immerse myself in his other films.

He has made 41 films according to wiki so my question to proponents of Allen's work is.... where do i start? suggestions for his best?

Purple Rose of Cairo seems to be mentioned quite a lot when reading about Midnight in Paris so i guess ill start there.

I've not seen all that many of his films but thought Midnight in Paris was great too. Out of his recent ones Vicky Christina Barcelona was good also.

I've only seen Sweet & Lowdown and Annie Hall out of his older ones, they're both very good, Annie Hall in particular is excellent.

johnny_ultimate

Purple Rose of Cairo is my favourite, and indeed riffs on themes and ideas Midnight in Paris revisited. It's a lot of fun and a glorious but bittersweet ode to cinema itself.

But there's loads that are pretty much vital viewing for any film fan. Manhattan and Annie Hall would be the two obvious starting points, and with good cause - they both showcase Allen's self-depreciating wit and mastery of form as good as any others. Then there's the famously 'early, funny' ones - Sleeper and Love & Death are probably the two most amusing and inventive of his early works. And as of his notoriously uneven 'later' films (and pretty much everything from the mid-80s onwards could fall into this category) the excellent ensemble comedy-drama of Hannah & Her Sisters, the existential oddity that is Crimes and Misdemeanors and the charmingly nostalgic Sweet & Lowdown are probably the three particularly worth seeking out.

roanoke

'Annie Hall', 'Manhattan' and 'Stardust Memories' are generally touted as being his masterpiece movies. So if you're just looking for a "best of" experience then I'd probably start with them.

However, if I was you though, I'd honestly watch them ALL in chronological order . Alternatively start with Annie Hall and work forward. The stuff prior to this (whilst still excellent in places) is fairly broad comedy and doesn't resemble his current stuff so it might not be what you're looking for. Annie Hall defo kick-started the "Woody Allen we know today" style imho.

If you want to pick one from his modern work then go for "Match Point" (starring our own Jonathan Rhys Meyers). It's really excellent and a genuinely surprising offering from Allen!

(oh and whatever you do skip "Whats Up Tiger Lily" . It's rubbish)

Technocentral

squirestarter wrote: »

Ok so im a newcomer to his films but after watching 'Midnight in Paris' which i absolutely loved (for many reasons but mainly due to its themes of escapism, nostalgia, yearning for another era, combined with the subtle humour which i know anecdotally Allen is renowned for) I am dying to immerse myself in his other films.

He has made 41 films according to wiki so my question to proponents of Allen's work is.... where do i start? suggestions for his best?

Purple Rose of Cairo seems to be mentioned quite a lot when reading about Midnight in Paris so i guess ill start there.

Not a fan of Purple Rose at all and poor you starting at the end of his career! Here would be five I rate very highly:

1. Annie Hall, in my top 5 films of all time, one great wisecrack after another plus an effective romantic story, his master piece.

2. Radio Days, nostalgic, sentimental and very funny look at a young boy growing up in 40s, Jewish New York loving the Radio. (basically him as a kid), love this.

3. Crimes and Misdemeanors, extremely effective mix of comedy and drama about a wealthy, respected Dentist who has his mistress murdered and the consequences (or not!).

4. Broadway Danny Rose, while slighter than Annie Hall and Manhattan etc its a hilarious look at a fifth rate talent agent with acts like a blind xylophone player and a man with a penguin who dresses as a Rabbi.

5. Husbands and Wives brilliant adult look at relationships, bit of comedy but mostly drama.

I'd also add pretty much everything else he made between 1968 and the mid 90s. Anything after that is very poor to average (like Midnight in Paris). I love the photography in Manhattan but him as a 40 year old having a relationship with a 17 yr old girl is too creepy for my liking!


Avoid at all costs:

The Curse of The Jade Scorpion, complete crap.

Edit: Just remembered, I watched Play It Again Sam recently for the first time in about 15 years, it is well worth a watch too, some brilliant lines in it.

SuperGrover

Technocentral wrote: »

Just remembered, I watched Play It Again Sam recently for the first time in about 15 years, it is well worth a watch too, some brilliant lines in it.

You have the most eyes I've ever seen on any person. :pac:

Technocentral

I'd also add that you should have a look at the recent excellent documentary about Allen, it has loads of clips from films encompassing his entire career and would give you a real sense of his mighty comic talent, personally I'd rate him in the top 2 or 3 American directors ever and the best ever American comic/comedy writer, when he was in his prime no one could beat him, sad that there is no modern equivalent who combines extremely intelligent comedy with brilliantly written drama.

Technocentral

SuperGrover wrote: »

You have the most eyes I've ever seen on any person. :pac:

Plus his friend who, wherever he goes, constantly rings up his telephone message service and says "I'm no longer at 4555666, I'm now at 6555444" or whatever the number is hilarious.

Table Top Joe

I cant stand Woody Allen,arguably the most irritating man on the face of the earth,hes the same annoying,neurotic prick with lame jokes in every film!!


Thats all,carry on

Technocentral

Table Top Joe wrote: »

I cant stand Woody Allen,arguably the most irritating man on the face of the earth,hes the same annoying,neurotic prick with lame jokes in every film!!


Thats all,carry on

For his first 30 years or so one of the few bona fide geniuses in comedic cinema. Maybe its an age thing, as his best work is well behind him, but everyone I know in their 40s love his films from the 70's - mid 90s at least, if you had only seen his later output I'd understand your sentiment, but I'd defy any intelligent person to watch Annie Hall and not laugh their holes off.

krudler

Annie Hall and Manhattan (even just for that superb opening sequence) are the best place to start. I'm not a big fan but he's made some great movies.

Technocentral

krudler wrote: »

Annie Hall and Manhattan (even just for that superb opening sequence) are the best place to start. I'm not a big fan but he's made some great movies.

After noir films of the 40's and 50s, it's my favourite piece of black and white cinematography, just magical with that Gershwin music.

AnonoBoy

Besides the great choices listed I'd recommend Bullets over Broadway, thought it was very very funny.

krudler

Technocentral wrote: »

After noir films of the 40's and 50s, it's my favourite piece of black and white cinematography, just magical with that Gershwin music.

It's great, one of the best love letters to New York on film, Ghostbusters being a close second :pac:

Tipsy McSwagger

Table Top Joe wrote: »

I cant stand Woody Allen,arguably the most irritating man on the face of the earth,hes the same annoying,neurotic prick with lame jokes in every film!!


Thats all,carry on

I think you mean Adam Sandler.

Halloween Jack

Would agree with most of the mentions on here, would add Deconstructing Harry and Mighty Aphrodite, two seriously hilarious flicks from the 90's. Zelig is also a very funny idea.

I love woody But I think he suffers by being too prolific. He seems determined to churn out at least one movie every year and most of them from the last 15 have been poor. That said I did enjoy midnight in Paris:)

catallus

Deconstructing Harry has the theme of escapism, it's a good film, very funny, kind of a weird drama, Allen himself is the lead.

Sweet and Lowdown is a funny and charming film, Sean Penn is the lead, but don't let that put you off, he's actually good in it.

King Leer

I love Woody Allen, and most his early stuff is really good, although I do think that 'Manhattan' is grossly overrated.
He's definitely one of the best writers still working today and one thing that really gets on my nerves is people who continue to diss on his more recent work. I still think that 'Whatever Works' from 2009 (with Larry David) is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger' and 'To Rome With Love' are also still genius in parts.

'Hannah and Her Sisters' from the 80s is fantastic, possibly a tie for my favourite with 'Annie Hall.' Michael Caine is some kind of wonderful.


And as somebody else has mentioned, that recent documentary about him is worth a look.

squirestarter

Op here.

Thanks for the replies, i think ive enough to go on now for a while! Somebody said that 'Midnight in Paris' is average for his output, if this is true i cant wait to get stuck in to the rest as i thought the aforementioned was fantastic!

I just happened to come across 'Manhattan Murder Mystery' in a friends collection so i guess ill be starting with that unwittingly.

Then its onto Annie Hall, Purple rose of Cairo and Manhattan followed by the rest.

I love when u find something new that totally takes you over and rekindles a passion in oneself. kinda reminds me of the excitement of discovering The Smiths when i was 19, thinking they had one good song and subsequently devouring their entire back catalogue which completely consumed me. Heres hoping Woody Allen will be a similar adventure

King Leer

squirestarter wrote: »

Op here.

Thanks for the replies, i think ive enough to go on now for a while! Somebody said that 'Midnight in Paris' is average for his output, if this is true i cant wait to get stuck in to the rest as i thought the aforementioned was fantastic!

I just happened to come across 'Manhattan Murder Mystery' in a friends collection so i guess ill be starting with that unwittingly.

Then its onto Annie Hall, Purple rose of Cairo and Manhattan followed by the rest.

I love when u find something new that totally takes you over and rekindles a passion in oneself. kinda reminds me of the excitement of discovering The Smiths when i was 19, thinking they had one good song and subsequently devouring their entire back catalogue which completely consumed me. Heres hoping Woody Allen will be a similar adventure

I don't think Woody Allen is a better writer than Morrissey, but then again, who is?
But seriously, they do share a very similar, dark, witty, cynical sense of humour; my favourite director and band too!

'Manhattan Murder Mystery' is pretty good, Diane Keaton is as wonderful as she is in all Woody Allen films. However, it's not one of his funniest or anything; definitely what you'd call a comedy/drama. A bit absurd and Allen's character, as always, wonderful.

Enjoy

ezra_pound

Take the money and run was good fun.

Sleeper was so original and fun too. Then all the big classics Annie halL Manhattan etc.

Everything you wanted to know about sex but... Was good I think.

I really liked mighty Aphrodite.

pookiesboo

Has anyone mentioned Hannah and her sisters? Thats a good one. Midnight in Paris is lush

adox

Zelig is a fantastically stupid and entertaining mockumentary.

A Disgrace

I honestly don't think Woody Allen has made any truly bad movies, even The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a bit of fun.

I always recommend to friends to start off with Annie Hall as it's easily his most perfect film, and take it from there.

Stuff like Everyone says I love you (essentially a musical), Small Time Crooks and Anything Else are always compared to his great works and naturally didn't hold up as well, but they're still worth a watch. I'm not a huge fan of Match Point or indeed Cassandras Dream (his weakest film imo) but some from that era are quite good (Scoop and Hollywood Ending have their moments)

If Woody himself is in the film, it's generally pretty good, same with Mia Farrow and Diane Keaton. I even think Whatever Works could have been one of his best if he starred in it

Also don't forget his segment in New York Stories, which is easily the best one of the three parts.

I wish I was only getting into his films again, you're very lucky to have all these films to look forward to!

FlashD

Annie Hall is the benchmark Allen film but there is a huge catalogue there with so many great films. The guy is a legend!

Yeah, Midnight in Paris was one of my favourite films of that year, it was great to see a return to form.

Marion Cotillard's finest moment on screen IMO.

trishasaffron

I watched the documentary recently and it reminded me of happy days seeing my own modest neurosis writ large on the cinema screen for the first time. I think its a quote from one of his films but I laughed out loud at the extract where large ladies came up to him saying "I love your films, especially the earlier funny ones".

I am uneasy at some aspects of the more recent films where young women seem to be magnetically attracted to ugly, intelligent, middle-aged men. "Oh, so that's how the world works".:rolleyes:

tommyboy2222

Annie Hall - the Christopher Walken scene had me in stitches !!

King Leer

trishasaffron wrote: »

I am uneasy at some aspects of the more recent films where young women seem to be magnetically attracted to ugly, intelligent, middle-aged men. "Oh, so that's how the world works".:rolleyes:

I actually find that element quite humorous in 'Whatever Works' and 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.' I think it's more self-parody than anything else.

roanoke

trishasaffron wrote: »

I am uneasy at some aspects of the more recent films where young women seem to be magnetically attracted to ugly, intelligent, middle-aged men. "Oh, so that's how the world works".:rolleyes:

That's how it works for Woody Allen.