Woody Allen, Barcelona, and New York
BY JESSIE MORGAN-OWENSWoody Allen's article in today's New York Times, "Excerpts from the Spanish Diary," is such classic "Woody Allen" that before my first cup of coffee and before reading the by-line, I knew it was him, because his voice had taken over the usual reading-voice I hear in my head.
Try this as an experiment -- try to read the first line as Javier Bardem and not as Woody Allen:
"January 2nd: Received offer to write and direct film in Barcelona. Must be cautious. Spain is sunny, and I freckle."Or this one, a love note to New York from Barcelona:
"I never like mixing business with pleasure, but I may have to slake the lust of each one in turn to get the film completed. Perhaps I can give Penélope Wednesdays and Fridays, satisfying Scarlett Tuesdays and Thursdays. Like alternate-side parking."That last one works as Bardem better, but everything changes when you get to the Upper West Side.
The whole piece is a promotional piece for the film Vicky Christina Barcelona, which the Times held until after they ran their own review last week. But only Woody Allen gets to advertise both his movie and his sexual prowess on page 9 of the weekend Arts and Leisure section.
The last line: "It's lonely at the top."
Penelope Cruz also has an interview, "Screen Test," posted on the site. She says, "I fell in love with New York the first time I came here. I was blown away. I said, I feel like I've been here before, I want to live here ... you can always feel like a student when you're here."
She then puts in a dig at Los Angeles, a la Annie Hall.
[The image above is taken from the nytimes.com.]
Jessie Morgan-Owens is a professional photographer and a doctoral student in the English Department at NYU. She has taught the Writing New York course with us for the past two years and will be a regular contributor to this site. To see examples of Jessie's photography, visit her site morganowens.com.
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Does it mean anything that the two best Allen movies of the last 15 years are both set *outside* New York?
Yes, the diary is classic Woody Allen -- it could have been printed in Without Feathers. I had no idea Allen could still do that.
two best Allen movies of the last 15 years
Bryan -- am I to take it that you liked this film? I did not hate it, I guess; my memory of Allen's recent films suggests that this would put it in the running for "best", but I'm not sure how much use the designation is in that context. (And what is the other one? that dreadful musical in Venice?) I reviewed VCB at my blog -- my basic impression is that very little real thought or effort went in to making this film, at least on Allen's part.
I liked -- not loved -- VCB. Maybe I'm a sucker for eye candy, but it was sure fun to watch. (The same week I also saw Cruz in Elegy; very different roles. Why is she not taken more seriously? Or is she, and I just don't know it?)
The other film I was thinking about was Match Point. But I very much like Everyone Says I Love You. That dance scene with wires almost makes me cry! And the kid whose brain tumor turns him into a Republican? Genius!
Yeah, I looked at the list of Allen's films on IMDB and sure enough, the two that I liked best since "Bullets Over Broadway" are "Everybody Says I Love You" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" -- it was sort of wrong of me to call the former "dreadful" because I do remember liking it but also thinking it was totally kitschy and lazy. (I don't remember anything about "Manhattan Murder Mystery" and "Bullets Over Broadway" except that I loved both of them and a lot of people at the time were saying they sucked. But I was just a kid at that point in time.) Never saw Match Point.
Cruz is a fantastic actress. Have you watched Almodóvar's films? Volver and All About My Mother in particular are movies that you will think about for weeks after watching them. My impression was that Cruz is taken fairly seriously, but I mainly know her in the context of Almodóvar's work.
Yeah -- I thought of Almodovar when I asked that question; I do love those two films. I wonder if most American viewers knows that portion of her work.
Give Match Point a shot and tell me what you think.
knows s/b know, obviously.
need more coffee.