Wild Man Blues Wild Man Blues

Wild Man Blues is a 1998 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple, about the musical avocation of actor/director/comic Woody Allen. The film takes its name from a jazz composition sometimes attributed to Jelly Roll Morton and sometimes to Louis Armstrong and recorded by both (among others). Allen's love of early 20th century New Orleans music is depicted through his 1996 tour of Europe with his New Orleans Jazz Band. Allen has played clarinet with this band for over 25 years. Although Allen's European tour is the film's primary focus, it was also notable as the first major public showcase for Allen's relationship with Soon-Yi Previn.

Woody Allen Letty Aronson Soon-Yi Previn Dan Barrett Simon Wettenhall John Gill Greg Cohen Cynthia Sayer Eddy Davis Nettie Konigsberg Martin Konigsberg John Doumanian

Cabin Creek Films

documentary

105 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • martinblank

    Review by martinblank ★★★★

    A documentary by Barbara Kopple (Harlan County USA, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing) about Woody Allen's European concert tour with his New Orleans-style jazz band. At times it's indistinguishable from Woody's own films in which he appears; we see him kvetching and obsessing about real or imagined crises. The famous Soon-Yi Previn is as level-headed as he is neurotic; we can see why they're inseparable. The biggest surprise here is that she's not the naive waif you were led to imagine back in 1992.

    We don't learn much about Allen that he doesn't want us to learn -- he knows he's being filmed and behaves accordingly. Still an intriguing companion piece to his movies, and it shows us what…

  • Frankie_L4_87

    Review by Frankie_L4_87 ★★★

    Documentary about Woody Allen's mid 90's European tour with his New Orleans jazz band. A very rare personal insight into Allen's life and a must watch for fans.

  • Daniel Gordon

    Review by Daniel Gordon ★★★★

    I got the soundtrack for this. Good stuff. Interesting encounter with Allen's parents at the end.

  • Jamestuddsworth

    Review by Jamestuddsworth ★★★★

    It's funny how Woody Allen seems to enjoy his music endlessly more than the process of making pictures. In Wild Man Blues, we follow Woody around several cities, as he tours with his old-school New Orleans Jazz orchestra, and he really is just as funny unscripted as he is in his movies.

    Really recommend it.