Woody Allen: A Documentary
2011 Directed by Robert B. Weide
Synopsis
Comedy is easy. Dying is hard.
A documentary on Woody Allen that trails him on his movie sets and follows him back to Brooklyn as he visits his childhood haunts.
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Extremely detailed, hit upon almost every one of his films (with the exception of Radio Days, Another Woman, Celebrity and everything between 2000 and 2004), but I felt it may have pulled some punches when it came to his fallout with Mia and that whole thing (which, c'mon, after 2 hours I think I'm entitled to some juicy gossip). Solid talking heads, it had all the faces you'd want to see and then some. If I didn't have a life outside of films I'd have watched all 195 minutes in one sitting.
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Love him, loathe him or just find yourself totally indifferent to him, there’s simply no denying that Woody Allen is one of cinema’s most accomplished directors and writers. With well over forty films to his name and having pointed his neuroses, paranoia and wit at every genre from slapstick to thriller, from romance to drama and even the supernatural, it is utterly impossible to cram his life into any documentary, even one such as this which comes in at over three hours in length. As a committed fan of the man’s work – though not, it must be said, without criticism or reservations – a documentary about Allen was always going to have some appeal to me, particularly one…
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Engrossing, career-spanning examination of Woody's career - strikes a great balance between providing an informative overview for the more casual fan while delivering real insight and rare behind-the-scenes footage for the more dedicated Allen lover. Unsurprisingly it focuses more on the highs than the lows of Woody's life and work, but that's fine - there's plenty worth celebrating.
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A lot of the early stage comedy stuff is appreciated. I doubt it has much, if any, info that die-hard Allen fans wouldn't already know aside from some anecdotes. It is a total talking-heads piece which allows it to avoid becoming sentimental in any way, but as a result doesn't probe any controversial subject matter (not just personal, but his artistic choices). Everyone is allowed to speak and explain their rationale. Technically, it's a pretty shoddy doc featuring some mega-corny photo album animations that I'm sure I've seen on stock animation sites for $14 and clumsy camerawork. But it's meant to serve as a recording of Allen words on his early career and maturing as an artist, and in that regard, it does its job.
EDIT: Originally criticized it for ending at STARDUST MEMORIES - just realized it is in two "episodes" on Netflix.
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Solid overview of Allen's career that gets less interesting as it goes along. (There's a joke here, but I'm not going to make it.) It's admiring without being fawning, which helps a lot. Best parts: All the early stuff with archival footage of Allen early in his career.
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Final thought- I will probably give up like a vital organ if it means I get to meet Woody.
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I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan but I really enjoyed this documentary, which was basically a retrospective of his career. Once you've finished watching it you'll want to go back and look at all his work.
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Extremely detailed, hit upon almost every one of his films (with the exception of Radio Days, Another Woman, Celebrity and everything between 2000 and 2004), but I felt it may have pulled some punches when it came to his fallout with Mia and that whole thing (which, c'mon, after 2 hours I think I'm entitled to some juicy gossip). Solid talking heads, it had all the faces you'd want to see and then some. If I didn't have a life outside of films I'd have watched all 195 minutes in one sitting.
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Gave an interesting insight into the director, but was a bit drawn-out.
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Now all I want to do is watch Woody Allen films.
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For those with either an interest in Woody Allen or for anyone who pursues a creative life, this well-made documentary is both an inspiration and a pleasure. No great feats of filmmaking here, just a lovely celebration of a great filmmaker.
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Thorough.
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Mostly puffery, only accidentally interesting really. But how about that devastating bit where his sister rhymes off the names of some recently departed friends and he nearly collapses with melancholy?
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A documentary that explores the early life and brilliant career of Woody Allen. The documentary is full of interesting anecdotes from Allen's early childhood and his experiences working on a set. This documentary is also great in giving Woody Allen an opportunity to express his opinions of his own work. A bit lengthy but fittingly so due to Allen's remarkably long spanning career as a filmmaker.
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A lot of the early stage comedy stuff is appreciated. I doubt it has much, if any, info that die-hard Allen fans wouldn't already know aside from some anecdotes. It is a total talking-heads piece which allows it to avoid becoming sentimental in any way, but as a result doesn't probe any controversial subject matter (not just personal, but his artistic choices). Everyone is allowed to speak and explain their rationale. Technically, it's a pretty shoddy doc featuring some mega-corny photo album animations that I'm sure I've seen on stock animation sites for $14 and clumsy camerawork. But it's meant to serve as a recording of Allen words on his early career and maturing as an artist, and in that regard, it does its job.
EDIT: Originally criticized it for ending at STARDUST MEMORIES - just realized it is in two "episodes" on Netflix.