"My one regret in life is that I am not someone else."
quoted by Woody Allen
No, he's not dead, thank God. Just turned 80 today (as in yesterday in the USA time). His career has spanned for over 50 years, almost. Still going strong and obsessive-compulsive at best, it's his persona when talking about him in his films, writings, plays, and everything. Starting as a comedian in 1950s, he is fond of cinema already, when began directing and writing his own films in the 1960s, he had been writing a lot of slapstick comedy before finding his originally true voice, which made him as one of the greatest American filmmakers who started the New Hollywood Wave along with Robert Altman, John Cassavetes, Paul Mazursky, Terrence Malick, and Sydney Pollack to name the few.
He makes filmmaking as his occupation, his only main one. And he do loves doing it, and also watching films. Citing Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini as ones of his favourite directors, and The Seventh Seal and Amarcord as ones of his favourite films, sometimes in Allen's films, he would unconsciously pay homages to them (Interiors being similar to Bergman's themes and Stardust Memories was based on 8½). His films are mostly about relationships, love, marriage, affairs, wrapped in psychoanalysis references, although he has made varied type of films (Match Point being one of his many different type of films).
Albeit of his scandals (which I'm not going to mention because this post is specifically about films), he is still an icon, working with talented actors, specifically in his ability to write amazing characters for women, even there are very specific types of women in Woody Allen's films. I begin to love films entirely because of him (I did, @moodyallen, which was my Twitter username--please don't judge). And somehow, I am thankful for that. His way of telling story in each film is exhaustive, intricate, and interesting at best.
To honor his great talent and career, and honor one of Allen's biggest fan, my friend, Aditya Adinata, whom his newest short film just won in his faculty's competition, these are the five films of him that change my life in a very cinematic way.
1. ANNIE HALL (1977)
Of course I would watch this film first, since I was just starting out to watch films religiously. This classic remains to be one of his best works to date. The film basically reviews the relationship of a couple, Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), studying the rise and fall of their connection. What went wrong, what started the romance and what ended it, and such.
Diane Keaton won the Oscar for Best Actress for this film, being described widely as the witty and ditzy dream girl of that year. Her charismatic, hilarious performance was the perfection that completes the whole film. And to watch the film is basically to study the filmmaking and the systematical method of storytelling that is both absurd and non-linear at best.
2. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986)
Hannah (Mia Farrow), her younger sisters Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) and the men in their lives; that's the story. The familial connection in this film, the authenticity of each character, makes this film to be one of must-watch for people who wants to get to know more about Woody Allen and his works.
Each of the character in the film is almost relatable for me, being that I'm the kid who once doubted the world, and to felt like I'm not amount for anything. A very special film to me that shows the detachment of family and how to glue them back together. Dianne Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for her subtly, bitterly sweet performance.
3. INTERIORS (1978)
The Bergmanesque is so strong in this film. Tells a story about an interior designer Eve (Geraldine Page) and her husband, Arthur (E.G. Marshall) splitting after years of marriage, leaving Eve in despair and desperation over wanting to end her life. Their children, Renata (Diane Keaton), Joey (Mary Beth Hurt) and Flyn (Kristen Griffith) are forced to lead new lives with the effect of the divorce breaking each of them.
This is Woody Allen's first film that did not feature any comedy at all. The bitterness, the hopelessness, envy, jealousness are mixed into one. Woody Allen really tackled this one to a home run as the film being very depressive and contemplative all at once.
4. HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992)
This is also something like one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces, which is also my favourite film ever, Scenes from a Marriage. The analysis of how ego fights to be endured and how jealousy can affect a lot of people's lives who are around it.
5. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (2008)
The story is basically about a menage-a-trois. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are best friends who are very different in their way of lives and thinking. But both decided to go on a vacation together in Barcelona, staying at one of their friend's place (Patricia Clarkson), when they were on a dinner, they're being approached by an irresistibly sexy painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). When him and Cristina hit it off, problems come, one being the hysterical ex-wife (Penélope Cruz) coming back to his house where Cristina lives, also.
And finally, my favourite film of him, ever--I think. Partly because Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz are (sort of) a couple in this film, and mainly because of the eroticism and the subtlety that work best simultaneously, to be shot very ambiguously (I mean, if you don't know what's this film about, you'd think it's just another Hollywood chick-flick, due to the merry direction and background).
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