WOODY Allen is retiring.
The quintessential New York director behind classics like Annie Hall and Manhattan, who has been the centre of longstanding sexual abuse allegations against his step daughter told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia recently, during the production of his 50th film.
The accusations came back to prominence after he received lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in 2014, as well as during the more recent MeToo movement, which saw under figures’ legacies tarnished by skeletons in their closet.
In the interview, Allen did not mention the allegations, though they are partly the reason why he has largely been making movies in Europe with actors who are willing to overlook the claims, as his name still carries some weight.
Amazon Studios shelved his last film A Rainy Day in New York, accusing Allen of “sabotaging” the film by his comments on the abuse accusations. He sued for US$68 million alleging a breach of contract, but the dispute was settled out of court.
The 86-year-old Allen told the Spanish newspaper he wanted to dedicate more time to writing.
He describes his new film as similar to 2005’s Match Point, calling it “exciting, dramatic and also very sinister.” It is set in Paris and will be shot entirely in French in a couple of weeks.
Allen recently wrote a fifth collection of humour pieces, Zero Gravity, to be published in September by Alianza in Spain. In the US, it was published by Arcade and distributed by Simon & Schuster.
Interestingly enough, during the production of his last film, 2020’s Rifkin Festival, he said he “never thought of retiring.”
If it is true he’s retiring, Allen leaves behind a directing career that stretches back to 1966’s What’s Up, Tiger Lily and garnered him 19 Academy Awards nominations and four wins, namely Best Director and Best Screenplay for 1977’s Annie Hall, Best Screenplay for 1987’s Hannah and Her Sisters, and Best Screenplay for 2012’s Midnight in Paris.
He starred and wrote many of these films, acting more earlier on in his career, a natural outgrowth from a career in comedy. – The Vibes, September 19, 2022
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