Allen
Stewart Königsberg, known to the world as Woody Allen, is, as he
says, a living reputation of every Jewish mother’s nightmare: a
sixty-pound weakling who has parlayed his inheritance of fear,
self-hate and love of finger foods, into a fortune big enough to buy
up all the chopped liver on New York’s Upper West Side.(1)
He
started as a writer of jokes for personalities such as Bob Hope,
Danny Kaye and Guy Lombardo; and in time he started performing them
himself. By the mid 60’s this comedian's career wasn't enough for
him; he wanted to write and direct movies. The opportunity came along
at 1965, when he was commissioned by Charles K. Feldman to write the
screenplay for the production of “What’s
New Pussycat.”
Woody
has created a number of golden pieces for the movie industry, which
are recognized by public and critics for their beautiful aesthetics,
influenced by the European cinema. Ingmar Bergman's
work, in particular, has always been one of his greatest influences.
There comes his insightful way of portraying the reality of human
relationships, neurotic and awkward as they truly are, often
contrasting with the idea of “true romance” that Hollywood has
forced upon the viewers for decades. Most of all, however, his films
contain one common ingredient: his deep adoration of big cities and
the urban environment.
Fascinating
cities like Barcelona and Paris, constitute the setting of his
movies, mesmerizing the audience with their presence; but his true
love and loyalty lies with the city he grew up, New York. The
exploration of human relationships may be the core of Allen’s work;
but in his mind there is a constant dialogue between the characters
and the city, present to their every moment, as it is between the
city and himself in all his life.
Allen
writes about all he knows and all he understands; and he definitely
understands the hidden identities of the city. His mastery shows in
his ability to create an authentic representation of the urban
in his films. For Allen, the conflict between people’s feelings
and the built environment is always present in New York City.
Buildings can be shelter and prison at the same time; one can provide
security and another is the cause of anxiety and stress.
New
York is de facto a megalopolis overwhelming and magnificent, a city
where the human element could easily be lost. While inhabiting the
urban landscape, Allen’s characters struggle against its
dehumanized organization, being, at the same time, organically bound
to it. All the same, whenever they are depressed or vulnerable they
turn to the city for support and diversion. The streets are filled
with parks, restaurants, galleries, bookstores, shops and museums
that give to the voyeur pleasure and calm his mind. Inside the city
people can lose and find themselves, they can relax under the shelter
of anonymity.(2)
Allen’s
knowledge of New York is so rich
and extensive that he doesn’t stop in portraying a general image of
the city. On the contrary, he offers to the audience a more personal
view of city sites that are more admirable to him or carry a personal
meaning. In his films his characters are never lost in the urban
fabric. He uses landmarks to define their place.
Many
times, the interiors depicted in his films, are the actual spaces of
his friends’ apartments; the
Christmas dinner in his movie Hannah
and her Sisters
is taking place in Mia Farrow’s real apartment in New York. Places
for romances and playground substitutes for people. Bridges,
as it is for
the two lovers in Annie
Hall,
are
dramatic props shown in low-angle shots or taking up the upper half
of the screen abridging the distance between the lovers who meet
there.(3) Parks, sidewalks, cafes, all urban spaces are portrayed from the
personal eye of the New Yorker and the admirer of the city. The
New York city rooftops
serve as
an equivalent to hills in the urban landscapes. Above
all, the New York skyline prevails; a lasting symbol in all his
movies, mostly celebrated in his black and white film Manhattan.
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Manhattan, 1979
Is Woody’s representation of
New York realistic? This portrayal of a magnificent city, filled with
art, middle class people and ideal lifestyles...
It
seems that Woody’s attempt isn't focused on the formation of a
perspective about the city that all New Yorkers will connect to and
sympathize with. Nor is it to present it to the foreign audience as a
magical, romantic destination, a tourist attraction. The way he
portrays New York is simply his way to honor the city of his
childhood and his adult years. For this purpose, does he create a
world filled with personal rather than structural imperfections. He,
therefore, inspires the viewer to feel as if he were part of it. He
almost invites him to look, without interfering, into the way his
world works, while challenging him to question its function. For
Woody this world is perfect, no matter its inner issues. The audience
of his films, even if they have never been to New York, surely grasp
the essence of the city's life. Just like the architect, in Hannah
and Her Sisters,
who is presenting his own point of view of Manhattan, the creator of
this image, Woody himself, unveils his world to us.
Therefore,
the question can be slightly altered. Even if the representation of
the city is subjected to Allen's intuitive imagination, even if it
isn't real, well, does it really matter in the end?
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1.J.
Lahr. “Woody Allen.” in Automatic Vaudeville, p. 89-99. Great
Britain, London: Methuen London Ltd, 1985
2.Graham
McCann, WOODY ALLEN.
(Cambridge: Polity Press, 1992), p. 18
3.Patricia
Kruth,. “The Color of New York,
Places and Spaces in the Films of Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen”
in “Cinema
and Architecture” ed. Francois Penz
and Maureen Thomas, p. 70-79. (Great Britain, London: BFI
Publications, 1997), p. 75, 76
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