That's correct. I think it's a terrific film. Clearly Woody had little interest in starring in films that were not directed or written by him at this point, but this one was surely a labor of love considering the subject matter. Now why he made "Scenes From a Mall" or "Picking Up the Pieces" ... that's a conversation for further down the thread.
A travesty of a mockery of a sham, "The Front" style. Spoiler warning (it's the end of the film) and Language warning (Woody uses a bad word!)
I really like this film. It's one of the few where he works for other creators that actually works. I mean, I know he may have wanted to work with Godard or Mazursky, but those are messy films. This one is spot on.
I think The Front is the only good film WA has been in that he didn't direct. Play It Again Sam has its funny moments, but on the whole it has aged very badly.
I like "The Front" (and I purchased the Twilight Time release on BD) but do feel that the end is a bit rushed. I don't know, I still find "Play It Again Same" amusing and, although not directed by Allen, it was written by him.
Yes, he did write it -- it was a play, tightly constructed and dialogue driven. The film has a lot of filler and is poorly paced and edited. But like you suggest, there are some very funny moments. Although, some of the comedy isn't directed very well and the scenes become tedious. Like Don't Drink The Water, his plays don't translate to film very well.
I also think that Ross was somewhat reluctant to alter things he felt would I prove the film and worked more collaboratively with Allen on this. Allen himself had directed already and some of his early films suffer from the same flaw--except for how the comedy was directed for some scenes (Ross would have done well to go back and look at the classics). Some of Ross's other films have some of the same flaws as well so I think it was a case of a team that didn't necessarily compliment each other overcoming the weakness of some scenes. The editor Marion Rothman as I recall didn't work with either one of them a gain. If she had been a part of Team Ross she might also have made more collaborative suggestions to I prove the film. I also think Ross had too much respect for the source material.
You make a good point, whenever there are two chefs in the kitchen it becomes a difficult balancing act between professional curtesy and artistic will. And you are clearly correct, WA films up to Love And Death have scenes that haven't aged well and are somewhat tedious, especially Sleeper. I grew up in Long Beach, my parents were big WA fans, so I saw all of his early films at The Circle Drive-In. The first WA film that I saw in an actual theater was Manhattan -- which is fitting in that his style of direction had greatly matured by that point. There seemed to be a quantum leap forward with Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan.
I think part of that was Woody finding his footing as a writer director but also learned a lot,on cutting from working with Ralph Rosenblum.
Haven't seen The Front in ages. Aside from the final scene, all I really recall was that the first time I saw it, in college, at a "Film Society" showing, it was the first time I'd ever seen a boom mike in a frame (oops!). I may have to find somewhere online to stream that one... As to why Woody did "Picking Up The Pieces", my guess is that he wanted to share screen time with Sharon Stone! As to the criticisms of Play It Again, Sam above - I couldn't disagree more.
Hmmm, Sharon Stone is also in "Fading Gigolo" (another no-write, no-direct , major role). A pattern emerges.
Yeah, but I enjoyed Fading Gigolo (though it reminds me of a lot of his own late films in that it's basically a much shorter piece padded out)
I enjoy jabbing my eyeballs with toothpicks more than I "enjoyed" "Picking Up the Pieces". As a faithful Woody fan I even watched it twice to make sure I wasn't missing something, I don't believe that I was. It was sub-mental.
I liked this film too. Zero Mostel is terrific. My favorite scene is the one in which he tries to get paid from the club owner, who stiffs him. Zero politely reminds him that he was promised twice what he's being paid but the owner becomes increasingly belligerent, finally chasing him out the door and calling him a commie bastard pink son of a bitch. Implausible movie really, but fun.
A little sidelight, because I just came across this and didn't even know it existed: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/T...f=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1444613843&sr=1-1 It's Woody reading his four books, plus an interview done by Doug McGrath, apparently all from 2010. I always loved Woody's book and I'm now eager to hear him read them.
Ah, ANNIE HALL. I like the movie, but just never felt it was "Best Picture"-worthy. I didn't see it until years after it was released, by which time it feels pretty much like any other Woody Allen movie. And kind of his own "Play It Again, Sam". BUT -- still a good and funny film.
"Star Wars" might have won the best picture in a galaxy far, far away, but in our galaxy "Annie Hall" won "Best Picture". I assume you mean "Star Wars" was one of the films that it BEAT.
Annie Hall gets a lot of props for being one of (or THE?) first movie about a couple that broke up and stays broke up. He tells you that in the intro and then sticks with it, instead of having the typical reunion/happily-ever-after at the end. So that was unusual. Another thing I didn't catch until I'd viewed it a few times was how he broke with convention in using traditional "film techniques" but using them in completely new and innovative ways. Plenty of films used subtitles, but his use of subtitles during the scene with Annie after their tennis match was brilliant ("I wonder what she looks like naked?"). Plus there were plenty of split-screen scenes that also broke the rules, such as when Alvie's family and Annie's family converse with each other. You even had animation (briefly!) in an animated scene where Annie mentions her period (!). Add in the direct-to-camera narration and you've got a film that's breaking cinematic rules left and right. I'm convinced that's one reason why Annie Hall walked away with multiple Oscars. Not only did he write a funny, insightful story that was honest and unsentimental about relationships, but he told that story in a unique fashion and did so while almost completely turning his back on the physical comedy/slapstick/sight gags that had been his bread and butter in all his previous work. It really was an extremely bold departure and deserves all the acclaim, IMO.
