January 13, 2008
Woody Allen Talks New York
The Brooklyn Paper isn't the only one who has missed Woody Allen's "quirky, oh-so-New-York films." On the verge of releasing his latest movie, Cassandra's Dream (in theaters Friday), Allen talked to The Daily News about when he might bring his New York to celluloid again.
Looking back at his original love letter to New York, we find out that at first he didn't like his 1979 movie Manhattan, thinking "If I can't do better than this at this point in my career, I should pack it in." Thankfully he didn't, and he's since influenced how people see the city -- where he'll be filming again this spring! (Hopefully sans Scar-Jo.) When asked if it's getting harder to find his classic New York, he had this to say about the changing cityscape:
There are certain areas that have not been encroached upon too much - Carnegie Hill, the West Village, Tudor City, places that are still lovely to look at. But once they put up those big new buildings, it looks the same as Houston.We're guessing the development happening in Brooklyn isn't his cup of tea, either. He reflected on his old neighborhood, Avenue J in Flatbush, saying "it was a paradise: There were delicatessens and German bakeries and toy stores and great Chinese restaurants, the best candy stores and beautiful old movie houses. I thought, well, this is what [a neighborhood] is. Now, if it was still anything like that, I'd move back!" You can get a guide for your own walking tour of Woody Allen's New York, what's left of it, here.I've been in fights and gone to City Hall and Landmark Commission and neighborhood planning [events]. There are always lovely things being torn down and huge, profitable things put up. I'm not against development, but I am against it when it's not a plus for the city, and the plus can't always be equated with financial profit.
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Unlike Spielberg who over the years expanded his visions of filmcraft, the pedophile Woody Allen hasn't really caught up with reality in over twenty years.
Perhaps he should marry Rosemary's baby.
His days of being a humorous are over.
Sadly, some of my lost favourite spots in NY exist only in old Woody films.
Yeah, I don't think Woody's brand of humor works in this day and age, especially post 9/11.
Woody is an anachronistic, siege-mentality Manhattanophile. If he ever steps foot off that island, it'd be to go to the Hamptons or JFK. We all know what his view of the world from 9th Avenue is like.
Wha!?...His idea of classic New York is Carnegie Hill, the West Village, & Tudor City?!?
Does he still think that artists live in SoHo or college grads live in the UWS. Um Woody, the seventies are over, in other words an "Annie Hall" remake would have to take place in Brooklyn for it to be relevant to 2008.
Speaking of which. If he ever bothered to come back to Midwood he'd see that little has changed. But he's too posh to ever step foot into Brooklyn again.