Male: He is one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers with more than 40 movies to his name, but Woody Allen doesn’t find it and even post it.
Woody Allen: You know I'm not a great social person in general. I’m awkward socially and I don’t enjoy it, so when I interview actors for job, I keep it down to an almost surreal minimum. They come in and I say to them I’m doing a film in the summer or in the fall and my casting director Juliet Taylor thought you might be right for one of these parts so I just wanted to meet and say hello. Don’t sit down and—.”
Male: Born as Allen Konigsberg in Brooklyn, New York in December 1935. The life long jazz band took his stage name from the renowned Clarinet player, Woody Herman. His passion for jazz is well known and he can usually be found every Monday evening playing the clarinet with Manhattan’s Carlyle Hotel but that is his hobby. His bread and butter of course is comedy and it is as the writer and performer of comedy that he can truly lay claim to being one of the greats.
In the 1950s Woody began writing a material for stars like Sid Caesar and Ed Sullivan. His only unique style of self deprecating stand up follow, and before long he was working in films. His early movies were highly popular snap street affair like “Bananas” in 1971 and “Everything You Wanted to know about Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)” made the following year.
In 1977, he had a mock change of style when he produced the biggest hit of his career to date. Annie Hall written for and starring Diane Keaton and based in part on the relationship between the filmmaker and his leading ladies were still hilariously funny, but it was the most sophisticated fun comedy with greatest psychological insights and several references. The film was a great success when winning four Oscars.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Woody was less influenced by people like Max Shulman, Lenny Bruce than he was by the great authors of European cinema, directors like Bergman and Fellini and this began to show them his worth when he constantly wrote themes throughout what were extensively comic films.
In the 30 plus years since Annie Hall, Woody’s film output was being remarkably consistence. The most of that time is made the film a year shot with his beloved New York but perhaps the most surprising is not the consistency of Woody’s film career is that of he didn’t seem to be affected by the course of 1992 when his personal life suddenly made headlines across the world. His 12 year relationship with leading lady Mia Farrow ended after she found naked photographs who have taken out her adopted daughter Soon-Yi who was 22 at that time.
In 1997, he married Soon-Yi and the couple adopted two daughters while many eyebrows would raise to Woody’s personal life choices, the film industry has consistency honored his works and he was being personally nominated for 21 Oscars, box office performance and critical response had been less consistent however. Woody is typically pragmatic. He even incorporates his experiences into his films. In standup amendments his filmmaking characters told by Olden Sanders including group of physically alien but they like his films especially the early funny ones although well in to the 60s Woody is not interested in belling up from show business.
Woody Allen: I don’t think about it. I don’t feel that one I do is anything to retire from. It’s not worth for me. I mean if I was retired I’ll get up in the morning and write because I like to write, so it’s not that I’m working repairing sinks or television set or something in I want to finally say enough is enough. I like writing and I’m getting this as I’m getting paid for a baseball.
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