Woody Allen Poll - pick 10 favorite movies (60s - early 90s)

I'm going to do 2 different polls (favorite Woody Allen directorial films from 60s - early 90s, then 90s - present) and then compile them and do a 3rd poll (favorite films overall). There were too many films to do just one poll.

Pick your 10 favorite from his movies from the 60s-early 90s. I included up through 1992 to even out the poll. If you haven't seen 10 or don't like that many, just pick how many you do like. I will close the poll after 7 days.

 

Even though Allen didn't direct Play It Again, Sam, I was thinking of adding it to the poll or maybe the final poll since he wrote it/starred in it. Thoughts? I actually haven't seen it, so let me know if deserves to be included in the final poll and how well you like the film.

 

No problem at all for me to find 10 on that list, predictably enough the comedies from 1973-1987.

Sleeper
Love And Death
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Stardust Memories
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Zelig
Broadway Danny Rose
The Purple Rose Of Cairo
Radio Days

 

I went with:

Take the Money and Run
Sleeper
Love and Death
Annie Hall
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
Zelig
Broadway Danny Rose
Hannah and Her Sisters
Radio Days
Crimes and Misdemeanors

For the record, I have seen every film directed by Woody Allen multiple times, and own them all on BD (where available) and DVD (where not on BD).

I guess the most controversial omission from my list is Manhattan. Never been a huge fan of the film, especially the central relationship at the heart of the story.

Difficult to leave out The Purple Rose of Cairo, but something had to give. I chose the underrated A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy over this one because the cinematography is really beautiful.

 

Take the Money and Run
Sleeper
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Zelig
Purple Rose of Cairo
Hannah and Her Sisters
Radio Days
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Shadows and Fog

 

There's only 7 in the list I enjoyed:

Radio Days
Hannah & Her Sisters
Purple Rose Of Cairo
Broadway Danny Rose
Manhattan
Love And Death
Sleeper
(plus a big thumbs up for What's New Pussycat?)

 

Kinda predictable results although I'm very pleased to see "Crimes and Misdemeanors" placing so highly at least as of right now. That movie is a gut punch; maybe the meatiest thing he ever wrote (but with some great comedy, of course). Landau is a revelation. "Purple Rose" is a lovely, sweet thing but that ending is so sad. Real life ain't a movie. I don't think Keaton could have pulled off what Daniels managed to do, at least at that point in his career. And for my money "Love and Death" is my favorite comedy script of the 70's--more great one-liners per minute than anything else I can think of. I quote it all the time to this day.

 

Play It Again, Sam (it counts!)
Love And Death
Annie Hall
Manhattan
A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy
Hannah And Her Sisters
Radio Days
Alice
Shadows And Fog

 

Since there is limited space, maybe just keep what he directed, since he wrote all of those anyway. If you include films he wrote but did not direct, you have to exclude some that he directed and wrote.

 

The fields of wheat scene is still one of the funniest things anyone has ever filmed.

 

Votes for Bananas, Sleeper, Love and Death, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Stardust Memories, Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors.

 

Please don't trigger me...not 20 minutes ago I was talking to my mom on the phone and I said "I love him like a brother, just not one of mine."

 

Broadway Danny Rose is still my favorite and I think is one of his most perfectly realized movies. It has a great narrative, is funny as hell and the framing device of the comedians swapping stories in the deli is just magnificent.

I've also come to a renewed appreciation for Bananas, which revels in absurdist humor and which I found to be very very funny, even after all these years. I always think of that scene with the interpreter at the airport.

I do tend to like the weirder stuff - Stardust Memories, Zelig, Shadows and Fog. Alice is actually pretty weird also. Mia Farrow chasing the dragon? Oooookay!

 

Fwiw, I would’ve picked Play It Again, Sam. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in store for a gem. It’s one of my top tens of his (including later films), and I’d pick it over all of his “early, funny films” (which I consider up through Love & Death).

 

Annie Hall
Play It Again Sam
The rest can rank anywhere

 

A lot of home runs in that list. It was hard to narrow it down at the end.

Sleeper
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Zelig
Hannah and Her Sisters
Crimes and Misdemeanors
So many great films.

 

Good lads.

 

Everything up through Annie Hall (including Play It Again Sam) are great. Everything after that pretty much bores the crap out of me (he got too "serious"). Just IMO.

 

"The key here, I think, is to not think of death as an end, but think of it more as a very effective way of cutting down on your expenses."

 

Favourite Woody Allen movies? Erm, "the early, funny ones".

 

Sleeper
Radio Days
Annie Hall
Play it Again Sam
Hannah and her Sisters
Broadway Danny Rose
Zelig
Love and Death

 

Wow. Incredible that Interiors, one of his best films ever, gets such a low vote score. Too deep? No laughs? Too emotional? Too intelligent? Incredible.

 

Too many other good films to choose from?

 

I agree with that response. How Purple Rose can be something like 13th on this list is mind-boggling to me. I’m also very partial to Stardust Memories, but can see how that would be more of an “acquired taste.”