Apropos of Nothing

Apropos of Nothing

Woody Allen2020
The Long-Awaited, Enormously Entertaining Memoir by One of the Great Artists of Our Time—Now a New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller. In this candid and often hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. Beginning with his Brooklyn childhood and his stint as a writer for the Sid Caesar variety show in the early days of television, working alongside comedy greats, Allen tells of his difficult early days doing standup before he achieved recognition and success. With his unique storytelling pizzazz, he recounts his departure into moviemaking, with such slapstick comedies as Take the Money and Run, and revisits his entire, sixty-year-long, and enormously productive career as a writer and director, from his classics Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Annie and Her Sisters to his most recent films, including Midnight in Paris. Along the way, he discusses his marriages, his romances and famous friendships, his jazz playing, and his books and plays. We learn about his demons, his mistakes, his successes, and those he loved, worked with, and learned from in equal measure. This is a hugely entertaining, deeply honest, rich and brilliant self-portrait of a celebrated artist who is ranked among the greatest filmmakers of our time.
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Reviews

Photo of matej yangwao
matej yangwao@yangwao
5 stars
Aug 22, 2023

** spoiler alert ** Probably first Woody's movie's i've seen was whatever works... and now it explains a lot. Then i seen meet dark talk stranger which fits his persona, even then, like his play/game, feels naturally and doesn't trying hide anything, well made.. Not reading critics or own production is impressive tactic how to generate stuff without correction from outside world, because who should care if not you? ≥Of all the allegations, two stood out — the odd circumstances that led to him becoming lovers with Soon-Yi, the daughter of his longtime girlfriend, Mia Farrow, and the alleged molestation of their 7-year-old daughter, Dylan Farrow. ≥Like Woody, we must always be at the ready to defend ourselves against attempts to taint our reputations. ≥We must strive as caregivers or guardians to offer our wards the wholesome love that comes with being part of a family. ≥A testament to his character is the number of failed marriages and relationships he had. ≥It is a curious thing to consider that to know more about Woody’s psyche, all you needed to do was to see a movie he wrote, directed, or starred in. He was able to fully express himself on screen, cinema was his escape. ≥The sense of family is essential to the core of the personality of anyone. We must ensure we are either a part of a functional healthy family or create one ourselves. ≥Woody was quite emotionally unavailable to his partners, causing a rift that usually ended them. We must endeavor to be both physically and mentally present to our partners in relationships. ≥Woody didn't believe love was worth fighting or dying for, but it is important to note he gave a nod to love's power to effect powerful change. We too must believe this and apply it in our own lives. ≥He believes love can be poorly represented in the movies, oftentimes exaggerated and unrealistic. He explores the realism of love — if there was any, and discovers that oftentimes, love has lost its realness because we let movies decide what it should look like. This might be in part a reference to his choice of much younger partners, he tells moviegoers that love can be what they decide it to be and not just what looks flashy on TV. ≥Mistakes are good for one thing, to shape a future devoid of more mistakes. We must learn from ours and be better for it. ≥When defending oneself against allegations that seek to damage our images, it is important to do so without anger. ≥He forced lovers to hate him just so he could blame the failure of the union on them, he manipulated and abused them into submission. He would later find love and somehow make up for the times he was a terrible partner albeit in quite questionable conditions — marrying the adoptive daughter of his former partner.

Photo of Vanni Sacconi
Vanni Sacconi@bugsvanni
3.5 stars
Apr 15, 2023
Photo of Klaus Eck
Klaus Eck@klauseck
4 stars
Oct 3, 2023
Photo of Robert Hinchcliffe
Robert Hinchcliffe@hinchcliffe
3 stars
Sep 17, 2022
Photo of Álvaro Vélez
Álvaro Vélez@alvarovelezgalvez
4 stars
Aug 12, 2022

Highlights

Photo of Álvaro Vélez
Álvaro Vélez@alvarovelezgalvez

La honestidad no es una virtud, es una obligación