From October 2010 to October 2011 I revisited each film from writer, director, and actor Woody Allen in preparation for 2011 – the 40th anniversary of the release of what is considered by many to be Allen’s first film, Bananas. Of course he did release a few films prior, but it was Bananas that was the first to begin the yearly string of releases that came to be known as the quintessential Woody Allen film.
Allen has for years been one of my top five favorite directors, and looking back at his long career (one film per year for 40 years) it’s really quite astounding. Sure, it’s true that most of the time Allen doesn’t branch out nearly as much as other filmmakers. But there is a particular and familiar universe that he has created and lives in 99% of the time, and it’s a style all his own, a world where he invites you into every year – to meet new characters, and the stories they have to tell.
My reviewing skills are admittedly not very strong, and the famous quote from Truman Capote – “it isn’t writing at all – it’s typing” – is never more prevalent than with these short reviews, but none the less this was very fun for me to revisit all these movies again over the past months – and exciting to share at least a few of my basic thoughts to the world (ha!) on one of my top five favorite filmmakers. The timing couldn’t be more fitting as well not only because of the 40th anniversary of Bananas, but because that year saw the release, surprisingly enough, of Allen’s biggest financial success in the United States – Midnight in Paris. These are in order of release, beginning with 1971’s Bananas and ending with 2011’s Midnight in Paris.
Woody Allen
A Ghostlife Retrospective
Bananas
Although there were a couple movies that came prior to this, I start with Bananas as to me it was the official start of the “fully realized” and quintessential Allen cinematic experience. This was in his prime when it came to slapstick comedy – and even though there is a plot and basic outline, it’s clear this film started out as a series of sketches that ended up having to be tied together with some sort of story. That story – and I say that loosely – revolves around Allen finding himself reluctantly leading a rebel movement against the dictatorship of the tiny fictional Caribbean nation of San Marcos, and soon becomes that nation’s new president. But that’s all you need to know, as the pure intention here is slapstick humor – and it succeeds wildly. The first 15 minutes are classic self-deprecating Allen, including a run in on the subway with Sylvester Stallone, and it’s only uphill from there.
A-
1971