{"id":9376,"date":"2023-05-18T22:40:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T21:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=9376"},"modified":"2023-05-18T23:33:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T22:33:49","slug":"media-book-review-w-allen-taschen-movie-icons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=9376","title":{"rendered":"MEDiA\/BOOK REVIEW: W. Allen, Taschen Movie Icons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I think Woody Allen has to be my favourite film maker. He\u2019s the only one for whom I basically want to see\/own all<\/em> his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s quoted in here as saying, in 2005 \u2018I\u2019ve had carte blanche for 35 years and I\u2019ve never made a great film. It\u2019s just not in me to make a great film; I don\u2019t have the depth of vision to do it.\u2019 I\u2019d have to beg to differ! I think he\u2019s made lots of great films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time my particular edition of this entry in the Taschen Movie Icons series was published, in 2009, Match Point<\/em> (2005) was Allen\u2019s most financially – and poss\u2019 also critically? – successful film. Also due to that print date, this book only goes up to 2008\u2019s Vicky Christina Barcelona<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Play It Again, Sam<\/em>, 1972.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since then Allen has made more than ten more movies, including Midnight In Paris<\/em>, which now often tops lists of his most fiscally lucrative films. But, as Allen himself says in this little tome, \u2018I do all my films for my own personal reasons \u2026 I don\u2019t make them for approval.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a very low key example of what Jung termed synchronicity, I was saying in another post earlier today that the very best poetry is, or ought be, concise. Only to find this Allen quote, about the art and craft of comedy writing, herein:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018For example, \u201cit\u2019s not that I\u2019m afraid of dying, I just don\u2019t want to be there when it happens.\u201d \u2026 if you use one word more or less, it\u2019s not as good.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy<\/em>, 1982.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly the theme of serious versus comedy rears it\u2019s head, in this very light and easy read of a book. At one point in his career it was clear he felt very adept at and confident in his comedy skills. And later on he reaches a similar point with his \u2018serious\u2019 stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get this dichotomy. And it is very apparent – especially at the outset – that first, he has got better over time, and second, that this tension between serious and comic was an issue both for Allen himself and audiences, and critics, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for me, personally, despite how real and obvious an issue it is for the world at large, inc. Allen, it\u2019s a false dichotomy. Ultimately Allen is an artist. His mediums are writing and film-making. And he\u2019s done such a lot of it that it\u2019d be surprising if he\u2019d not<\/em> gotten very good at it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Allen and Keaton on the Radio Days<\/em> set, 1987.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But he was good from very early on, starting out as a precocious gag writer (and going pro\u2019 aged just 17!). Add to this his own unique character – his wit and wisdom, his very particular aesthetic sensibilities, and so on – and multiply that by his prolific yet diverse auteur style output, and you have a very<\/em> impressive body of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book is, like a lot of Taschen publishing, primarily visual. But there is a brief and surprisingly good little essay at the beginning, by Glenn Hopp (who he?). In this piece, entitled Woody Allen: The Poetry of The Joke<\/em>, reference is made to \u2018This higher comedy \u2026 [which] enriches emotion and fosters seriousness.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That little sentence captures for me the essence of Allen: sometimes funny, sometimes philosophical. And often both at once. This book is a nice little thing to peruse, if you\u2019re a Woodyphile, like me. It\u2019s nice to see the numerous images, some stills from the movies themselves, others on set, or posters, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, 2001.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also rather nice for a fairly seasoned Allen buff like me to discover one or two things Allen\u2019s done that I\u2019d not<\/em> heard of before. There\u2019s reference to many films and other projects (theatre, books, etc.), most of which I already knew about, from The Front<\/em> via Antz<\/em> to Wildman Blues<\/em>). But I\u2019d not heard of Picking Up The Pieces<\/em> before. Must check that out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What little text there is is given thrice: in English, German, and French! There\u2019s the very short Hopp intro\/essay, a \u2018visual filmography\u2019 (the main bulk of the book), an extremely brief and incomplete \u2018chronology\u2019, a somewhat more complete filmography (albeit only up to 2008), and a short bibliography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not in-depth or exhaustive, by a long way. But a fun little title for a fan like me. Hence four stars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are many more titles in this series!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think Woody Allen has to be my favourite film maker. He\u2019s the only one for whom I basically want to see\/own all his work. He\u2019s quoted in here as saying, in 2005 \u2018I\u2019ve had carte blanche for 35 years and I\u2019ve never made a great film. It\u2019s just not in me to make a … <\/p>\n

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