Woody Allen Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Career == === 1955–1959: Comedy writer and television work === Allen began writing short jokes when he was 15,<ref name=Kelley /> and the next year began offering them to various [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] writers for sale.{{rp|539}} One of them, [[Abe Burrows]], co-author of ''[[Guys and Dolls]]'', wrote, "Wow! His stuff was dazzling." Burrows wrote Allen letters of introduction to [[Sid Caesar]], [[Phil Silvers]], and [[Peter Lind Hayes]], who immediately sent Allen a check for just the jokes Burrows included as samples.{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=541}} As a result of the jokes Allen mailed to various writers, he was invited, then age 19, to join the NBC Writer's Development Program in 1955, followed by a job on ''The NBC Comedy Hour'' in Los Angeles. He was later hired as a full-time writer for humorist [[Herb Shriner]], initially earning $25 a week.<ref name="timemag" /> He began writing scripts for ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', ''[[Tonight Starring Steve Allen|The Tonight Show]]'', specials for Sid Caesar post-''[[Caesar's Hour]]'' (1954–1957), and other television shows.{{sfn|Lax|1992 |p=111}} By the time he was working for Caesar, he was earning $1,500 a week. He worked alongside [[Mel Brooks]], [[Carl Reiner]], [[Larry Gelbart]], and [[Neil Simon]]. He also worked with [[Danny Simon]], whom Allen credits for helping form his writing style.<ref name="timemag" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/27/AR2005072702568_pf.html |title=TV Comedy Writer Danny Simon Dies |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Adam |last=Bernstein |access-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> In 1962 alone, he estimated that he wrote twenty thousand jokes for various comics.{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=533}} Allen also wrote for ''[[Candid Camera]]'' and appeared in several episodes.<ref name="O'Connor">{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J. |title='Candid Camera' Marks 40 Years with a Special |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/17/arts/tv-reviews-candid-camera-marks-40-years-with-a-special.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=February 17, 1987}}</ref> He wrote jokes for the [[Buddy Hackett]] sitcom ''[[Stanley (1956 TV series)|Stanley]]'' and ''The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom,'' and in 1958 he co-wrote a few Sid Caesar specials with [[Larry Gelbart]].{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=542}} After writing for many of television's leading comedians and comedy shows, Allen was gaining a reputation as a "genius", composer [[Mary Rodgers]] said. When given an assignment for a show he would leave and come back the next day with "reams of paper", according to producer [[Max Liebman]].{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=542}} Similarly, after he wrote for [[Bob Hope]], Hope called him "half a genius".{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=542}} His daily writing routine could last as long as 15 hours, and he could focus and write anywhere necessary. [[Dick Cavett]] was amazed at Allen's capacity to write: "He can go to a typewriter after breakfast and sit there until the sun sets and his head is pounding, interrupting work only for coffee and a brief walk, and then spend the whole evening working."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=551}} When Allen wrote for other comedians, they would use eight out of ten of his jokes. When he began performing as a stand-up, he was much more selective, typically using only one out of ten jokes. He estimated that to prepare for a 30-minute show, he spent six months of intensive writing.{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=551}} He enjoyed writing, despite the work: "Nothing makes me happier than to tear open a ream of paper. And I can't wait to fill it! I love to do it."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=551}} Allen started writing short stories and cartoon captions for magazines such as ''[[The New Yorker]]''; he was inspired by the tradition of ''New Yorker'' humorists [[S. J. Perelman]], [[George S. Kaufman]], [[Robert Benchley]], and [[Max Shulman]], whose material he modernized.{{sfn|Allen|Luttazzi|2004|p=7|ps= "Daniele Luttazzi's preface to the Italian translation of Allen's trilogy ''Complete Prose''"}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C346426__422878%2C00.html |title=Deconstructing Woody|first=Ty|last=Burr| magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=May 19, 2017 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819085531/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C346426__422878%2C00.html |archive-date=August 19, 2007}}</ref><ref name="appreciate">{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Woody |title=I Appreciate George S. Kaufman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/books/review/24COVERAL.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407202952/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/books/review/24COVERAL.html |archive-date=2005-04-07 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=October 24, 2004}}</ref><ref name="rabbit">{{cite magazine |title=Woody Allen: Rabbit Running |magazine=Time |date=July 7, 1972 |pages=5–6 |quote=I never had a teacher who made the least impression on me. If you ask me who are my heroes, the answer is simple and truthful: George S. Kaufman and the Marx Brothers.}}</ref>{{sfn|Kakutani|1995|p={{page needed|date=January 2022}}}}{{sfn|Galef|2003|pp=146–160{{page range too broad|date=January 2022}}}} His collections of short pieces include ''[[Getting Even (Allen book)|Getting Even]]'', ''[[Without Feathers]]'', ''[[Side Effects (Allen book)|Side Effects]]'', and ''[[Mere Anarchy]]''. His early comic fiction was influenced by the zany, pun-ridden humor of [[S.J. Perelman]]. In 2010 Allen released audio versions of his books in which he read 73 selections entitled, ''The Woody Allen Collection''. He was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album]].<ref name="goes digital">{{cite news |last1=Itzkoff |first1=Dave |title=Immortalized by Not Dying: Woody Allen Goes Digital |url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/immortalized-by-not-dying-woody-allen-goes-digital/ |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> === 1960–1969: Stand-up comedian === [[File:Johnny Carson Woody Allen The Tonight Show 1964.jpg|thumb|Allen on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' in June 1964]] [[File:Woody Allen Polly Bergen Andy Williams Andy Williams Show 1965.JPG|thumb|Allen, [[Polly Bergen]], and [[Andy Williams]] on ''[[The Andy Williams Show]]'' in December 1965]] From 1960 to 1969 Allen performed as a comedian to supplement his comedy writing. He worked in various places around [[Greenwich Village]], including [[The Bitter End]] and [[Cafe Au Go Go]], alongside such contemporaries as [[Lenny Bruce]], the team of [[Mike Nichols]] and [[Elaine May]], [[Joan Rivers]], [[George Carlin]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[Dick Cavett]], [[Bill Cosby]] and [[Mort Sahl]] (his personal favorite), as well as such other artists of the day as [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Barbra Streisand]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/nyregion/19rose.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824125231/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/nyregion/19rose.html |archive-date=2007-08-24 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= Singing a Sad Song for Their Piano Bar|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= July 19, 2007|access-date= October 25, 2020|last1= Ramirez|first1= Anthony}}</ref> Comedian [[Milton Berle]] claims to have suggested to Allen to go into standup comedy and even introduced him at the [[Village Vanguard]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNw38UT7tA|title= Milton Berle on meeting Woody Allen|website= EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG|accessdate= February 19, 2022}}</ref> Comedy historian [[Gerald Nachman (journalist)|Gerald Nachman]] writes that Allen, while not the first to do standup, eventually had greater impact than all the others in the 1960s, and redefined standup comedy: "He helped turn it into biting, brutally honest satirical commentary on the cultural and psychological tenor of the times."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=525}} After Allen was taken under the wing of his new manager, [[Jack Rollins (producer)|Jack Rollins]], who had recently discovered Nichols and May, Rollins suggested he perform his written jokes as a stand-up. Allen was resistant at first, but after seeing [[Mort Sahl]] on stage, he felt safer to give it a try: "I'd never had the nerve to talk about it before. Then [[Mort Sahl]] came along with a whole new style of humor, opening up vistas for people like me."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=545}} Allen made his professional stage debut at the [[The Blue Angel (New York nightclub)|Blue Angel]] nightclub in [[Manhattan]] in October 1960, where comedian [[Shelley Berman]] introduced him as a young television writer who would perform his own material.{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=545}} His early stand-up shows with his different style of humor were not always well received or understood by his audiences. Unlike other comedians, Allen spoke to his audiences in a gentle and conversational style, often appearing to be searching for words, although he was well rehearsed. He acted "normal", dressed casually, and made no attempt to project a stage "personality". And he did not improvise: "I put very little premium on improvisation," he told [[Studs Terkel]].{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=532}} His jokes were created from life experiences, and typically presented with a dead serious demeanor that made them funnier: "I don't think my family liked me. They put a live teddy bear in my crib."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=533}} The subjects of his jokes were rarely topical, political or socially relevant. Unlike Bruce and Sahl, he did not discuss current events such as [[Civil rights movement|civil rights]], [[women's rights]], the [[Cold War]], or [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]. And although he was described as a "classic nebbish", he did not tell the standard Jewish jokes of the period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bh.org.il/blog-items/stars-of-david-10-jewish-hollywood-icons/|title=Let There Be Laughter – Jewish Humor Around the World|date=February 6, 2017|publisher=Beit Hatfutsot|access-date=October 10, 2019|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613223454/https://www.bh.org.il/blog-items/stars-of-david-10-jewish-hollywood-icons/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Comedy screenwriter [[Larry Gelbart]] compared Allen's style to Elaine May's: "He just styled himself completely after her".{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=546}} Like [[Nichols and May]], he often made fun of intellectuals. Cavett, who was among the minority to quickly appreciate Allen's style, recalls seeing the Blue Angel audience mostly ignore Allen's [[monologue]]: "I recognized immediately that there was no young comedian in the country in the same class with him for sheer brilliance of jokes, and I resented the fact that the audience was too dumb to realize what they were getting."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=550}} It was his subdued stage presence that eventually became one of Allen's strongest traits, Nachman argues: "The utter absence of showbiz veneer and shtick was the best shtick any comedian had ever devised. This uneasy onstage naturalness became a trademark."{{sfn|Nachman|2003|p=530}} When the media finally noticed, writers like ''The New York Times''{{'}}s [[Arthur Gelb]] described Allen's nebbish quality as "[[Charlie Chaplin|Chaplinesque]]" and "refreshing". Allen developed an anxious, nervous, and intellectual persona for his stand-up act, a move that secured regular gigs for him in nightclubs and on television. He brought innovation to the comedy monologue, genre and his stand-up comedy is considered influential.<ref name="LuttazziScanzi2002">{{cite magazine | title=''Man on the moon'', interview with comedian Daniele Luttazzi | first=Andrea |last= Scanzi | magazine = Il mucchio selvaggio | year= 2002 | language= it }}</ref> Allen first appeared on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' on November 1, 1963, and over nine years his guest appearances included 17 in the host's chair. He subsequently released three LP albums of live nightclub recordings: the self-titled ''[[Woody Allen (album)|Woody Allen]]'' (1964), ''Volume 2'' (1965), and ''The Third Woody Allen Album'' (1968), recorded at a fund-raiser for Senator [[Eugene McCarthy]]'s presidential run.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/1968-presidential-race-democrats/|title=1968 Presidential RaceDemocrats |publisher=The Pop History Dig|language=en-US|access-date=February 27, 2018}}</ref> In 1965, Allen filmed a half-hour standup special in England for [[ITV Granada|Granada Television]], titled ''[[The Woody Allen Show]]'' in the U.K. and ''Woody Allen: Standup Comic'' in the U.S.<ref name=Benedictus>{{Cite news|last=Benedictus|first=Leo|date=2013-10-24|title=Comedy gold: The Woody Allen Show|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/oct/24/comedy-gold-woody-allen-show-standup|access-date=2023-02-23|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It is the only complete standup show of Allen's on film.<ref name=Benedictus /> The same year, Allen, along with [[Nichols and May]], Barbra Streisand, [[Carol Channing]], [[Harry Belafonte]], [[Julie Andrews]], [[Carol Burnett]], and [[Alfred Hitchcock]], took part in [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s inaugural gala in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 1965. First Lady [[Lady Bird Johnson]] described Allen and the event in her published diary, ''[[A White House Diary]]'', writing in part, "Woody Allen, that forlorn, undernourished little comedian, stopped shooting a movie in Paris and flew across the Atlantic for about five minutes of jokes".{{sfn|Johnson|2007|p=223}} In 1966, Allen wrote an hourlong musical comedy television special for [[CBS]], ''Gene Kelly in New York City''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.woodyallenpages.com/2014/08/votw-woody-allen-on-gene-kelly-1966-tv-special/ |title = VOTW: Woody Allen on Gene Kelly 1966 TV Special|publisher=WoodyAllenPages.com|date = August 10, 2014}}</ref> It focused on [[Gene Kelly]] in a musical tour around [[Manhattan]], dancing along such landmarks as [[Rockefeller Center]], [[the Plaza Hotel]] and [[the Museum of Modern Art]], which serve as backdrops for the show's production numbers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television |title = Gene Kelly on Television |publisher= UCLA Film & Television Archive}}</ref> Allen appeared in the special alongside Kelly. Guest stars included choreographer [[Gower Champion]], British musical comedy star [[Tommy Steele]], and singer [[Damita Jo DeBlanc]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Film and Television Archive|url=https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television|publisher=UCLA|access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1967, Allen hosted a TV special for [[NBC]], ''[[Woody Allen Looks at 1967]]''. It featured [[Liza Minnelli]], who acted alongside Allen in some skits; [[Aretha Franklin]], the musical guest; and conservative writer [[William F. Buckley]], the featured guest.<ref>Billy Graham on Woody Allen Show, 1967</ref> In 1969, Allen hosted his first American special for [[CBS]] television, ''The Woody Allen Special'', which included skits with [[Candice Bergen]], a musical performance by [[the 5th Dimension]], and an interview between Allen and [[Rev. Billy Graham|Billy Graham]].{{sfn|Finch|Cox|Giles|2003|p=113}}<ref>William F. Buckley on Woody Allen Show, 1967</ref> Allen also performed standup comedy on other series, including ''The [[Andy Williams Show]]'' and ''The [[Perry Como]] Show'', where he interacted with other guests and occasionally sang.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} In 1971, he hosted one of his final ''Tonight Shows'', with guests [[Bob Hope]] and [[James Coco]].<ref>Woody Allen guest hosts ''The Tonight Show'', 1971</ref> Hope praised Allen on the show, calling him "one of the finest young talents in show business and a great delight".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7SzaFF7KaY|title= Woody Allen Bob Hope Tonight Show 1971|website= Youtube|accessdate= April 29, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine put Allen on the cover of its March 21, 1969, issue.<ref name="neat">{{cite web |title=Life 1969 |url=https://2neat.com/magazine/product-category/life-magazine-1936-2000/life-1969/ |publisher=2Neat.com |access-date=November 14, 2018}}</ref> === 1965–1976: Broadway debut and early films === [[File:Woody Allen - Sam.JPG|thumb|left|Allen with the Broadway cast of ''[[Play It Again, Sam (play)|Play It Again, Sam]]'' in 1969]] Allen's first movie was the [[Charles K. Feldman]] production ''[[What's New Pussycat?]]'' (1965), for which he wrote the screenplay. He was disappointed with the final product, which led him to direct every film he wrote thereafter except ''[[Play It Again, Sam (film)|Play It Again, Sam]]''.<ref name="PBSdocumentary" /> Allen's first directorial effort was ''[[What's Up, Tiger Lily?]]'' (1966, co-written with [[Mickey Rose]]), in which an existing Japanese spy movie—''[[Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi]]'' (''International Secret Police: Key of Keys'', 1965)—was redubbed in English by Allen and friends with fresh new, comic dialogue. In 1967, Allen played Jimmy Bond in the [[James Bond]] spoof ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]''. In 1966, Allen wrote the play ''[[Don't Drink the Water (play)|Don't Drink the Water]]''. The play starred [[Lou Jacobi]], [[Kay Medford]], [[Anita Gillette]], and Allen's future movie co-star [[Tony Roberts (actor)|Tony Roberts]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Don't Drink the Water – Broadway Play – Original|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/don't-drink-the-water-3347|publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]|access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> A [[Don't Drink the Water (1969 film)|film adaptation of the play]], directed by Howard Morris, was released in 1969, starring [[Jackie Gleason]]. Because he was not particularly happy with that version, in 1994 Allen directed and starred in a [[Don't Drink the Water (1994 film)|second version]] for television, with [[Michael J. Fox]] and [[Mayim Bialik]].{{sfn|John|1994|p=92–}} The next play Allen wrote for Broadway was ''[[Play It Again, Sam (play)|Play It Again, Sam]]'', in which he also starred. The play opened on February 12, 1969, and ran for 453 performances. It featured [[Diane Keaton]] and Roberts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Play It Again, Sam – Broadway Play – Original|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/play-it-again-sam-2849|publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]|access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> The play was significant to Keaton's budding career, and she has said she was in "awe" of Allen even before auditioning for her role, which was the first time she met him.<ref name="O'Grady">{{cite magazine |last1=O'Grady |first1=Megan |title=Diane Keaton: The Big Picture |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/diane-keaton-the-big-picture |magazine= [[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=October 19, 2011}}</ref> In a 2013 interview Keaton said that she "fell in love with him right away", adding, "I wanted to be his girlfriend so I did something about it."<ref name=Keaton>{{cite web |title = Actress Diane Keaton Talks About Woody Allen, Her Career and Personal Life |date = 2013-06-02 |website = Netquake |url = http://www.netquake.net/2013/06/actress-diane-keaton-talks-about-woody-allen-her-career-and-personal-life/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131017112522/http://www.netquake.net/2013/06/actress-diane-keaton-talks-about-woody-allen-her-career-and-personal-life/ |archive-date = 2013-10-17}}</ref> After co-starring alongside Allen in the subsequent [[Play It Again, Sam (film)|film version of ''Play It Again, Sam'']], she later co-starred in ''Sleeper'', ''Love and Death'', ''Annie Hall'', ''Interiors'' and ''Manhattan''. "He showed me the ropes and I followed his lead. He is the most disciplined person I know. He works very hard," Keaton has said.<ref name=Keaton /> [[File:Woody Allen - Kup.JPG|thumb|170px|Allen in the early 1970s]] In 1969, Allen directed, starred in, and co-wrote with Mickey Rose ''[[Take the Money and Run (film)|Take the Money and Run]]'', which he considers his true film directorial debut. The film is directed as a "[[mockumentary]] spoof" about a inept bank robber played by Allen. The film received positive reviews; critic [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "Allen has made a movie that is, in effect, a feature-length, two-reel comedy—something very special and eccentric and funny."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/19/archives/by-and-with-woody-allen-take-the-money-and-run.html|title= By and With Woody Allen: 'Take the Money and Run'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date= August 19, 1969|access-date= September 14, 2020|last1= Canby|first1= Vincent|authorlink=Vincent Canby}}</ref> Allen received a [[Writers Guild of America Award]] nomination and later signed a deal with [[United Artists]] to produce several films. During the 1970s, Allen wrote, directed and starred in films later known as his "early, funny" work. In 1971, he made ''[[Bananas (film)|Bananas]]'', in which he plays Fielding Mellish, a bumbling New Yorker who travels to [[Latin America]], where he unwittingly becomes a leader of a nation amid a rebellion. The film co-stars Allen's then girlfriend, [[Louise Lasser]], and [[Carlos Montalbán]]. It also features a brief appearance by [[Sylvester Stallone]] as a train thief and [[Howard Cosell]] as himself. In an interview with [[Roger Ebert]], Allen said of making the movie, "The big, broad laugh comedy is a form that's rarely made these days and sometimes I think it's the hardest kind of movie to make...with a comedy like 'Bananas,' if they're not laughing, you're dead, because laughs are all you have."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/woody-allen-goes-bananas|title= Woody Allen goes 'Bananas'|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= July 16, 2023}}</ref> [[File:Diane Keaton, Woody Allen, Jerry Lacy Play it Again, Sam Broadway.JPG|left|thumb|[[Diane Keaton]], Allen, and [[Jerry Lacy]] in the film version of ''[[Play It Again, Sam (film)|Play it Again, Sam]]'' in 1972]] The next year, he made the anthology comedy film ''[[Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (film)|Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)]]'', loosely based on the [[Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (book)|1969 book of the same name]]. It stars Allen, [[Gene Wilder]], [[Lou Jacobi]], [[Anthony Quayle]], [[Tony Randall]], and [[Burt Reynolds]]. The film received mixed reviews, with ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' writing, "the jokes are well-worn, and good, manic ideas are congealing into formulas".<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878031,00.html|title= Flailings and Failings|magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate= July 16, 2023|archive-date= July 21, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130721085053/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878031,00.html|url-status= dead}}</ref> The same year, Allen wrote and starred in the film ''[[Play It Again, Sam (film)|Play It Again, Sam]]'', based on his [[Play It Again, Sam (play)|1969 play of the same name]]. It was directed by [[Herbert Ross]] and co-stars Diane Keaton (their first film collaboration). He reunited with Keaton in ''[[Sleeper (1973 film)|Sleeper]]'' (1973), about a man who is [[Cryopreservation|cryogenically frozen]] and later defrosted in a [[science fiction]] [[dystopia]]. Allen has said the film is a tribute to [[Groucho Marx]] and [[Bob Hope]]. ''Sleeper'' was the first of four screenplays co-written by Allen and [[Marshall Brickman]].<ref name="Liebenson">{{cite magazine |last1=Liebenson |first1=Donald |title=The Annie Hall That Might Have Been: Inside Woody Allen's Anhedonia |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/04/annie-hall-40th-anniversary-woody-allen-carol-kane-marshall-brickman |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=April 20, 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Stevens|Johnson|2016|pp=37–}} Allen collaborated again with Keaton in the comedy ''[[Love and Death]]'' (1975), set during the [[Napoleonic era]] and a satire of [[Russian literature]] and film.<ref name="PBSdocumentary" /> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it Allen's "finest work" to date. In 1976, he starred as cashier Howard Prince in ''[[The Front]],'' directed by [[Martin Ritt]]. ''The Front'' was a humorous and poignant account of Hollywood [[blacklist]]ing during the 1950s; Ritt, screenwriter [[Walter Bernstein]], and three cast members—[[Zero Mostel]], [[Herschel Bernardi]], and [[Lloyd Gough]]—had been blacklisted. {{quote box | align = right | width = 25em | bgcolor = MistyRose | quote = I don't like meeting heroes. There's nobody I want to meet and nobody I want to work with—I'd rather work with Diane Keaton than anyone—she's absolutely great, a natural. | source = —Woody Allen in July 1976<ref name="Kelley">{{cite magazine |last1=Kelley |first1=Ken |title=A Conversation with the Real Woody Allen (or Someone Just like Him) |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 1, 1976 |pages=34–40}}</ref> }} ===1977–1989: Established career === Then came two of Allen's most popular films: ''[[Annie Hall]]'' and ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]''. ''Annie Hall'' (1977) won four [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress in a Leading Role]] for [[Diane Keaton]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for Allen. It set the standard for modern romantic comedy and ignited a fashion trend with the clothes Keaton wore in the film. In an interview with journalist [[Katie Couric]], Keaton did not deny that Allen wrote the part for and about her.<ref name=Couric>{{YouTube|blGicJHQZdo|"Annie Hall Interview with Diane Keaton by Katie Couric"}}, video interview, 2 min.</ref> The film is ranked 35th on the ''[[American Film Institute]]''{{'s}} "100 Best Movies" and fourth on the AFI list of the "100 Best Comedies". In 1979, Allen paid tribute to one of his comedy idols, [[Bob Hope]], at the [[Film at Lincoln Center|Film Society at Lincoln Center]], creating a special for the event titled "My Favorite Comedian" that included clips from Hope's films, selected and narrated by Allen. Hope said of the honor, "It's great to have your past spring up in front of your eyes, especially when it's done by Woody Allen, because he's a near genius. Not a whole genius, but a near genius".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/08/archives/bob-hope-honored-at-film-society-gala-2-theories-on-oversight.html|title= Bob Hope Honored at Film Society Gala|newspaper=The New York Times|date= May 8, 1979|access-date= May 10, 2020|last1= Taxel|first1= Judy Klemesrud Barney}}</ref> [[Dick Cavett]] hosted the event, but Allen was absent, editing ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]''. Guests included Keaton, [[Kurt Vonnegut]], and [[Andy Warhol]]. ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]'' (1979) is a black-and-white romantic comedy often viewed as an homage to New York City. It has iconic scenes filmed in the city, including an opening montage of scenes around the city, and Allen and Keaton's silhouette on a bench by the [[Queensboro Bridge]]. As in many Allen films, the main protagonists are upper-middle-class writers and academics. ''Manhattan'' focuses on the complicated relationship between middle-aged Isaac Davis (Allen) and 17-year-old Tracy ([[Mariel Hemingway]]), and co-stars Keaton and [[Meryl Streep]]. It was a box-office and critical hit, and received two [[Academy Award]] nominations, for Hemingway for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] and for Allen's screenplay. Keaton, who has made eight movies with Allen, has said, "He just has a mind like nobody else. He's bold. He's got a lot of strength, a lot of courage in terms of his work. And that is what it takes to do something really unique. Along with a genius imagination."<ref name=Couric /> Allen's films in the 1980s, even the comedies, became somber with philosophical undertones, influenced by European directors, especially [[Ingmar Bergman]] and [[Federico Fellini]]. ''[[Stardust Memories]]'' was based on ''[[8½]]'', which it parodies, and ''[[Wild Strawberries (film)|Wild Strawberries]]''. ''[[A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy]]'' was adapted from ''[[Smiles of a Summer Night]]''. In ''[[Hannah and Her Sisters]]'', part of the film's structure and background is borrowed from ''[[Fanny and Alexander]]''. [[Federico Fellini|Fellini's]] ''[[Amarcord]]'' inspired ''[[Radio Days]]''. ''[[September (1987 film)|September]]'' resembles Bergman's ''[[Autumn Sonata]]''. ''[[Another Woman (1988 film)|Another Woman]]'' and ''[[Crimes and Misdemeanors]]'' have elements reminiscent of ''[[Wild Strawberries (film)|Wild Strawberries]].''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilmington|first1=Michael|title=Commentary: Woody Allen Keeps the Faith: 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' tears down the wall between his serious and comic sides |page=2|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1989-10-22/entertainment/ca-984_1_woody-allen-movie/2|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 13, 2016|date=October 22, 1989|archive-date=November 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124014539/https://articles.latimes.com/1989-10-22/entertainment/ca-984_1_woody-allen-movie/2|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Stardust Memories'' (1980) features Sandy Bates, a successful filmmaker played by Allen, who expresses resentment and scorn for his fans. Overcome by the recent death of a friend from illness, Bates says, "I don't want to make funny movies anymore" and a running gag has various people (including visiting space aliens) telling him that they appreciate his films, "especially the early, funny ones."<ref name="triviana">{{cite web |url=http://triviana.com/film/sfilm/stmem.htm |title=Stardust Memories review|publisher=Triviana.com |access-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> Allen considers this one of his best films.<ref>{{cite news |author= Kamp, David |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/books/review/Kamp-t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117160225/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/books/review/Kamp-t.html |archive-date=2007-11-17 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= Woody Talks |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 18, 2007 |access-date=March 9, 2010}}</ref> {{quote box | align = right | width = 25em | bgcolor = Bisque | quote = Mia's a good actress who can play many different roles. She has a very good range, and can play serious to comic roles. She's also very photogenic, very beautiful on screen. She's just a good realistic actress ... and no matter how strange and daring it is, she does it well. | source = —Woody Allen (1993){{sfn|Allen|1993|p=133}} }} In 1981, Allen's play ''[[The Floating Light Bulb]]'', starring [[Danny Aiello]] and [[Bea Arthur]], premiered on Broadway and ran for 65 performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Floating Light Bulb – Broadway Play – Original|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-floating-light-bulb-4112|publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]|access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> While receiving mixed reviews, it gave autobiographical insight into Allen's childhood, specifically his fascination with magic tricks. The play, set in 1945, is a semi-autobiographical tale of a lower-middle-class Brooklyn family. ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' critic Frank Rich gave the play a mild review, writing, "there are a few laughs, a few well-wrought characters, and, in Act II, a beautifully written scene that leads to a moving final curtain".<ref name="nytimes.com">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/28/theater/stage-light-bulb-by-woody-allen.html?pagewanted= |title = Stage: 'Light Bulb,' by Woody Allen|newspaper = The New York Times|date = April 28, 1981|last1 = Rich|first1 = Frank}}</ref> Rich compared it to [[Tennessee Williams]]'s work.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> Allen has written several off-Broadway one-act plays, including ''Riverside Drive'', ''Old Saybrook'' (at the [[Atlantic Theater Company]]), and ''A Second Hand Memory'' (at the Variety Arts Theatre).<ref name="nytimes.com" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sullivan|first1=Dan|title=Stage Review : Few Laughs In Allen's 'Light Bulb'|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-12/entertainment/ca-3041_1_light-bulb|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=July 18, 2016|date=January 12, 1987}}</ref> ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982) was the first movie Allen made starring [[Mia Farrow]], who stepped into [[Diane Keaton]]'s role when Keaton was shooting ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Morgan|first1=David|title=The films of Woody Allen|date=August 3, 2013 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-films-of-woody-allen/19/|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=April 13, 2016}}</ref> He next directed ''[[Zelig]]'', in which he starred as a man who has the ability to transform his appearance to match the people around him.<ref name="continues">{{cite news |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |authorlink=Vincent Canby|title=Woody Allen Continues to Refine His Cinematic Art |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/17/movies/woody-allen-continues-to-refine-his-cinematic-art.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=July 17, 1983}}</ref> Allen has combined tragic and comic elements in such films as ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986) and ''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' (1989), in which he tells two stories that connect at the end. He has also made three films about show business: ''[[Broadway Danny Rose]]'', in which he plays a down-on-his-luck New York show business agent; ''[[The Purple Rose of Cairo]]'', set during the [[Great Depression]], in which a movie character comes to life to romance an unhappy housewife; and ''[[Radio Days]]'', a film about his childhood in Brooklyn and the importance of the radio. The film co-starred Farrow in a part Allen wrote for her.{{sfn|Allen|1993|p=133}} ''Time'' magazine called ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' one of the 100 best films of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Corliss|first1=Richard|title=Best Movies of All Time |url=http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/slide/the-purple-rose-of-cairo-1985/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=April 13, 2016|date=January 15, 2010 }}</ref> Allen has called it one of his three best films, with ''Stardust Memories'' and ''[[Match Point]]''.<ref name=premiere-interview>{{cite web|url=http://www.premiere.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=2539&page_number=1&print_page=y|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317120401/http://www.premiere.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=2539&page_number=1&print_page=y |archive-date=March 17, 2006 |title=Woody Allen Speaks! |author=Matloff, Jason |work=Premiere|access-date=December 1, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> By "best", he said he meant they came closest to his vision. In 1989, Allen and directors [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and [[Martin Scorsese]] made ''[[New York Stories]]'', an [[anthology film]] about New Yorkers. Allen's short, ''[[New York Stories|Oedipus Wrecks]]'', is about a neurotic lawyer and his critical mother. Film critic [[Vincent Canby]] of ''The New York Times'' praised the segment as a "priceless contribution" to the film.<ref name="wrecks">{{cite news |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |authorlink=Vincent Canby|title=Anthologies Can Be A Bargain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/12/movies/film-view-anthologies-can-be-a-bargain.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=March 12, 1989}}</ref> === 1990–2004: Continued work === Allen's 1991 film ''[[Shadows and Fog]]'' is a black-and-white homage to the [[German Expressionism|German expressionists]] and features the music of [[Kurt Weill]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dowd |first1=A.A. |title=Woody does German Expressionism in Shadows and Fog |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/woody-does-german-expressionism-in-ishadows-and-fo-100754 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=April 3, 2016|date=July 26, 2013}}</ref> Allen then made his critically acclaimed comedy-drama ''[[Husbands and Wives]]'' (1992), which received two Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress for [[Judy Davis]] and Best Original Screenplay for Allen. ''[[Manhattan Murder Mystery]]'' (1993) combined suspense with dark comedy and marked the return of [[Diane Keaton]], [[Alan Alda]] and [[Anjelica Huston]]. He returned to lighter fare such as the showbiz comedy involving mobsters ''[[Bullets Over Broadway]]'' (1994), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, followed by a musical, ''[[Everyone Says I Love You]]'' (1996). The singing and dancing scenes in ''Everyone Says I Love You'' are similar to musicals starring [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]]. The comedy ''[[Mighty Aphrodite]]'' (1995), in which Greek drama plays a large role, won an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for [[Mira Sorvino]]. Allen's 1999 jazz-based comedy-drama ''[[Sweet and Lowdown]]'' was nominated for two Academy Awards, for [[Sean Penn]] (Best Actor) and [[Samantha Morton]] (Best Supporting Actress). In contrast to these lighter movies, Allen veered into darker satire toward the end of the decade with ''[[Deconstructing Harry]]'' (1997) and ''[[Celebrity (1998 film)|Celebrity]]'' (1998). {{anchor|Central Park West}} On March 8, 1995, Allen's one-act play ''Central Park West''<ref name="concordtheatricals/12825">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Woody |title=Central Park West |url=https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/12825/central-park-west |website=Concord Theatricals |access-date=26 October 2023 |language=en |quote=A well to do psychiatrist has just discovered that her best friend is having an affair with her husband}}</ref> opened<ref name="nytimes/1995/urban-neuroses">{{cite news |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |author1-link=Vincent Canby |title=THEATER REVIEW: DEATH DEFYING ACTS; Really a Jungle Out There, a Jungle of Urban Neuroses |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/07/theater/theater-review-death-defying-acts-really-jungle-there-jungle-urban-neuroses.html |access-date=26 October 2023 |work=T[[he New York Times]] |date=7 March 1995}}</ref> off-Broadway as a part of a larger piece titled ''Death Defying Acts'',<ref name="concordtheatricals/2909">{{cite web |title=Death Defying Acts |url=https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2909/death-defying-acts |website=Concord Theatricals |access-date=26 October 2023 |language=en}}</ref> with two other one-act plays, one by [[David Mamet]] and one by [[Elaine May]]. Critics described Allen's contribution as "the longest and most substantial of the evening".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1995/0310/10121.html |title = 'Death Defying Acts' Falls Short of Exhilarating|newspaper = The Christian Science Monitor|date = March 10, 1995}}</ref> During this decade Allen also starred in the television film ''[[The Sunshine Boys (1996 film)|The Sunshine Boys]]'' (1995), based on the [[Neil Simon]] [[The Sunshine Boys|play of the same name]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Greg |title=Review: 'The Sunshine Boys' |url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/the-sunshine-boys-4-1200452126/|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=April 3, 2016 |date=December 21, 1997}}</ref> and made a [[sitcom]] "appearance" via telephone in a 1997 episode, "My Dinner with Woody", of ''[[Just Shoot Me!]]'' that paid tribute to several of his films. He provided the voice of Z in [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]]' first animated film, ''[[Antz]]'' (1998), which featured many actors he had worked with; Allen's character was similar to his earlier roles.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clinton |first1=Paul |title=Review: Woody Allen still Woody in 'Antz'|url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9810/02/review.antz/|work=CNN|access-date=April 3, 2016|date=October 2, 1998}}</ref> ''[[Small Time Crooks]]'' (2000) was Allen's first film with the [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]] studio and represented a change in direction: he began giving more interviews and made an attempt to return to his slapstick roots. The film is similar to the 1942 film ''Larceny, Inc.'' (from a play by S. J. Perelman).<ref name=TCM>[[Robert Osborne]] of [[Turner Classic Movies]] on June 15, 2006</ref> Allen never commented on whether this was deliberate or if his film was in any way inspired by it. ''Small Time Crooks'' was a relative financial success, grossing over $17 million domestically, but Allen's next four films foundered at the box office, including Allen's most costly film, ''[[The Curse of the Jade Scorpion]]'' (with a budget of $26 million). ''[[Hollywood Ending]]'', ''[[Anything Else]]'', and ''[[Melinda and Melinda]]'' have "rotten" ratings on film-review website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] and each earned less than $4 million domestically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/p/woody_allen |title=Woody Allen – Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=January 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625200602/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/p/woody_allen/ |archive-date=June 25, 2007 }}</ref> Some critics claimed that Allen's early 2000s films were subpar and expressed concern that his best years were behind him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qwipster.net/melindamelinda.htm |title=Melinda and Melinda review (2004) Woody Allen – Qwipster's Movie Reviews |access-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> Others were less harsh; reviewing the little-liked ''Melinda and Melinda'', [[Roger Ebert]] wrote, "I cannot escape the suspicion that if Woody had never made a previous film, if each new one was Woody's Sundance debut, it would get a better reception. His reputation is not a dead shark but an albatross, which with admirable economy Allen has arranged for the critics to carry around their own necks."{{sfn|Ebert|2006|p={{page needed|date=January 2022}}}} === 2005–2014: Career resurgence === [[File:Woody Allen (2006).jpeg|thumb|left|Allen in January 2006]] "In the United States things have changed a lot, and it's hard to make good small films now", Allen said in a 2004 interview. "The avaricious studios couldn't care less about good films—if they get a good film they're twice as happy but money-making films are their goal. They only want these $100 million pictures that make $500 million."<ref name="Garfield">{{cite web |last1=Garfield |first1=Simon |title=Why I Love London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/aug/08/features.review |website=The Guardian |access-date=November 14, 2018 |language=en |date=August 8, 2004}}</ref> Allen traveled to London, where he made ''[[Match Point]]'' (2005), one of his most successful films of the decade, garnering positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/match-point|title=Match Point Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref> Set in London, it starred [[Jonathan Rhys Meyers]] and [[Scarlett Johansson]]. It is markedly darker than Allen's first four films with DreamWorks SKG. In ''Match Point'' Allen shifts focus from the intellectual upper class of New York to the moneyed upper class of London. The film earned more than $23 million domestically (more than any of his films in nearly 20 years) and over $62 million in international box office sales.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=woodallen.html |title=Box Office Mojo – People Index |access-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> It earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination since 1998, for Best Writing – Original Screenplay, with directing and writing nominations at the Golden Globes, his first Globe nominations since 1987. In a 2006 interview with ''[[Premiere Magazine]]'' he said it was the best film he had ever made.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Matloff |first=Jason |date=February 2006 |title=Woody Allen's European Vacation |magazine=[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]] |volume=19 |issue=5 |pages=98–101 |quote=I think it turned out to be the best film I've ever made. |url=http://jasonmatloff.com/selected-articles/woody-allens-european-vacation/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210547/http://jasonmatloff.com/selected-articles/woody-allens-european-vacation/|archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> Allen reached an agreement to film ''[[Vicky Cristina Barcelona]]'' in [[Avilés]], Barcelona, and [[Oviedo]], Spain, where shooting started on July 9, 2007. The movie featured [[Scarlett Johansson]], [[Javier Bardem]], [[Rebecca Hall]] and [[Penélope Cruz]].<ref name="Friedman">{{cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Roger |title=Woody Allen's Next Star: Penelope Cruz |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/woody-allens-next-star-penelope-cruz |website=Fox News |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=March 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Hopewell">{{cite web |last1=Hopewell |first1=John |title=Spain woos Woody |url=https://variety.com/2006/film/markets-festivals/spain-woos-woody-1117935397/ |website=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=January 3, 2006}}</ref> The film premiered at the [[2008 Cannes Film Festival]] to rapturous reviews, and became a box office success. ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' won [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] at the Golden Globe awards. Cruz received the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]. In April 2008 he began filming ''[[Whatever Works]]'',<ref name="Harris">{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Mark |title=Twilight of the Tummlers |url=https://nymag.com/movies/features/56930/ |website=NYMag.com |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=May 24, 2009}}</ref> a film aimed more toward older audiences, starring [[Larry David]], [[Patricia Clarkson]], and [[Evan Rachel Wood]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/02/larry-david-to.html?xid=rss-cnn-todayslatest-20080206-Allen+casts+Larry+David%2C+Evan+Rachel+Wood |title=Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood to star in Woody Allen's next movie |work=Hollywood Insider |access-date=February 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218035906/http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/02/larry-david-to.html?xid=rss-cnn-todayslatest-20080206-Allen+casts+Larry+David%2C+Evan+Rachel+Wood |archive-date=February 18, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Released in 2009 and described as a dark comedy, it follows the story of a botched suicide attempt turned messy love triangle. Allen wrote ''Whatever Works'' in the 1970s, and David's character was written for [[Zero Mostel]], who died the year ''Annie Hall'' came out. Allen was elected a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 2001.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=April 15, 2011}}</ref> ''[[You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger]]'', filmed in London, stars [[Antonio Banderas]], [[Josh Brolin]], [[Anthony Hopkins]], [[Anupam Kher]], [[Freida Pinto]] and [[Naomi Watts]]. Filming started in July 2009. It was released theatrically in the U.S. on September 23, 2010, following a Cannes debut in May 2010, and a screening at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 12, 2010. Allen announced that his next film would be titled ''[[Midnight in Paris]],''<ref name="McNary">{{cite web |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title=Woody Allen reveals details of upcoming pic |url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/woody-allen-reveals-details-of-upcoming-pic-1118018163/ |website=Variety |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=April 22, 2010}}</ref> starring [[Owen Wilson]], [[Marion Cotillard]], [[Rachel McAdams]], [[Michael Sheen]], [[Corey Stoll]], [[Allison Pill]], [[Tom Hiddleston]], [[Adrien Brody]], [[Kathy Bates]], and [[Carla Bruni]], the First Lady of France at the time of production. The film follows a young engaged couple in Paris who see their lives transformed. It debuted at the [[2011 Cannes Film Festival]] on May 12, 2011. Allen said he wanted to "show the city emotionally" during the press conference. "I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris—Paris through my eyes", he said.<ref name="Bagnetto">{{cite web |last1=Bagnetto |first1=Laura Angela |title=Woody Allen's film featuring Carla Bruni opens Cannes Film Festival |url=http://en.rfi.fr/culture/20110512-woody-allens-film-featuring-carla-bruni-opens-cannes-film-festival |website=RFI |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> The film was almost universally praised, receiving a 93% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/midnight_in_paris|title=Midnight in Paris (2011)|date=June 10, 2011 |via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref> ''Midnight in Paris'' won the [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] and became his highest-grossing film, making $151 million worldwide on a $17 million budget.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |title=Midnight in Paris (2011) – Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=midnightinparis.htm |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=November 14, 2018 }}</ref> On October 20, 2011, Allen's one-act play ''Honeymoon Motel'' opened on Broadway as part of a larger piece titled ''[[Relatively Speaking (2011 play)|Relatively Speaking]]'', with two other one-act plays by [[Ethan Coen]] and [[Elaine May]].<ref name="Isherwood">{{cite news |last1=Isherwood |first1=Charles |title='Relatively Speaking' at Brooks Atkinson Theater — Review |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/theater/reviews/relatively-speaking-at-brooks-atkinson-theater-review.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027011943/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/theater/reviews/relatively-speaking-at-brooks-atkinson-theater-review.html |archive-date=2011-10-27 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2018 |date=October 10, 2011}}</ref> In February 2012, Allen appeared on a panel at the [[92nd Street Y]] in New York City with moderators [[Dick Cavett]] and [[Annette Insdorf]], discussing his films and career.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2012/02/woody-allens-kind-of-crowd-patrons-of-the-92nd-st-y-pull-up-chairs-for-a-nostalgia-trip-067223|title= Woody Allen's kind of crowd, patrons of the 92nd St. Y, pull up chairs for a nostalgia trip|magazine= [[Politico]]|access-date= December 30, 2020}}</ref> His next film, ''[[To Rome with Love (film)|To Rome with Love]]'' (2012), was a Rome-set comedy that starred [[Jesse Eisenberg]], [[Elliot Page]], [[Alec Baldwin]], [[Penelope Cruz]], [[Greta Gerwig]], and [[Judy Davis]]. The film was structured in four vignettes featuring dialogue in both Italian and English. It marked Allen's return to acting since his last role in ''Scoop''.<ref>{{cite news | author = Hickman, Angela | date = May 9, 2011 |url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/09/woody-allen-adds-himself-to-the-cast-of-his-next-picture/ | archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20110512000655/http%3A//arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/09/woody%2Dallen%2Dadds%2Dhimself%2Dto%2Dthe%2Dcast%2Dof%2Dhis%2Dnext%2Dpicture/ | url-status=dead | archive-date = May 12, 2011 | title = Woody Allen adds himself to the cast of his next picture | work = [[National Post]] | access-date = June 18, 2015 }}</ref> Bob Mondello gave it a mixed review, writing, "''To Rome with Love'' is just froth—a romantic sampler with some decent jokes and gorgeous Roman backdrops. It goes down easily, but I have to say it's interesting less for what it is than for how it is."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2012/06/21/155513257/time-in-to-rome-with-love-it-doesnt-make-sense|title= 'To Rome With Love': Eternal City, Scrambled Time|website= NPR|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> Allen's next film, ''[[Blue Jasmine]]'', debuted in July 2013.<ref name="jasmine">{{cite magazine |last1=Brody |first1=Richard |title=Woody Allen's ''Blue Jasmine'' |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/woody-allens-blue-jasmine |magazine=The New Yorker |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=November 14, 2018}}</ref> The film is set in San Francisco and New York, and stars [[Alec Baldwin]], [[Cate Blanchett]], [[Louis C.K.]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Sally Hawkins]], and [[Peter Sarsgaard]].<ref>{{cite news|work= [[The Hollywood Reporter]] |title=Believe It: Woody Allen's Next Movie Features Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay |author=Kilday, Gregg |date=June 4, 2012 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woody-allen-newest-cast-cate-blanchett-alec-baldwin-332720 |access-date=June 18, 2015}}</ref> It opened to critical acclaim, with Eric Kohn of ''[[IndieWire]]'' calling it "his most significant movie in years".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-why-woody-allens-blue-jasmine-starring-cate-blanchett-is-his-most-significant-movie-in-years-36528/|title= Review: Why Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine,' Starring Cate Blanchett, Is His Most Significant Movie In Years|website= IndieWire|date= July 19, 2013|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> The film earned Allen another Academy Award nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_jasmine/|title=Blue Jasmine (2013)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|date=July 26, 2013 |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> and Blanchett received the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2014-03-02 |title=The 86th Academy Awards |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] <!--|access-date=2014-05-22-->}}</ref> Allen co-starred with [[John Turturro]] in ''[[Fading Gigolo]],'' written and directed by Turturro, which premiered in September 2013.<ref>Bailey, Cameron (undated). [http://tiff.net/festivals/thefestival/2013-programmes/specialpresentations/fading-gigolo "''Fading Gigolo''"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509121141/http://tiff.net/festivals/thefestival/2013-programmes/specialpresentations/fading-gigolo |date=May 9, 2015}}. [[Toronto International Film Festival]]. Retrieved June 18, 2015.</ref> Also in 2013, Allen shot the romantic comedy ''[[Magic in the Moonlight]]'' with [[Emma Stone]], and [[Colin Firth]] in Nice, France. The film is set in the 1920s on the [[French Riviera]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Miller, William |url=http://www.woodyallenpages.com/2013/08/woody-allen-2014-film-update-more-images-from-antibes-and-nice-france-eileen-atkins/ |title=Woody Allen 2014 Film Update: More Images from Antibes and Nice, France |publisher=The Woody Allen Pages |date=August 4, 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2015}}</ref> The film was a modest financial success, earning $51 million on a budget of $16 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=magicinthemoonlight.htm |title=Magic In the Moonlight box office ('Foreign' Tab) |website= [[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date= March 3, 2019 }}</ref> For the [[BBC]], Owen Gleiberman wrote, "''Magic in the Moonlight'' is Allen's most gratifyingly airy concoction in a while, but it's also a comedy that insists, in the end, on making an overly rational case for the power of the irrational."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140718-is-woody-allens-latest-magical|title= Review: Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight|website= BBC|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> {{quote box | align = right | width = 25em | bgcolor = LightCyan | quote = It's really cool to work with a director who's done so much, because he knows exactly what he wants. The fact that he does one shot for an entire scene—[and] this could be a scene with eight people and one to two takes—it gives you a level of confidence... he's very empowering. | source = —[[Blake Lively]], on acting in ''[[Café Society (2016 film)|Café Society]]'', June 2016<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Jill|last=Sieracki|url=http://hamptons-magazine.com/blake-lively-working-on-cafe-society-the-shallows-and-hamptons-favorites|title=Blake Lively Talks Working with Woody Allen...|magazine=[[Hamptons (magazine)|Hamptons]]|publisher=GreenGale Publishing|location=Southampton, New York|date=June 29, 2016|access-date=March 1, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116013248/https://hamptons-magazine.com/blake-lively-working-on-cafe-society-the-shallows-and-hamptons-favorites|url-status=dead}}</ref> }} On March 11, 2014, Allen's musical ''[[Bullets Over Broadway (musical)|Bullets over Broadway]]'' opened on Broadway at the [[St. James Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/175403/dont-speak-sing-bullets-over-broadway-starring-zach-braff-opens-on-the-great-white-way/|title=Don't Speak, Sing! Bullets Over Broadway, Starring Zach Braff, Opens on the Great White Way|publisher=Broadway.com}}</ref> It was directed and choreographed by [[Susan Stroman]] and starred [[Zach Braff]], [[Nick Cordero]], and [[Betsy Wolfe]]. The production received mixed reviews, with ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' writing, "this frothy show does provide dazzling art direction and performances, as well as effervescent ensemble numbers." Allen received a [[Tony Award]] nomination for [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Best Book of a Musical]]. The show received six Tony nominations.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tony-awards-nominations-2014-complete-699555|title= Tony Awards Nominations: The Complete List|magazine= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date= May 14, 2020}}</ref> In July and August 2014, Allen filmed the mystery drama ''[[Irrational Man (film)|Irrational Man]]'' in [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], Rhode Island, with [[Joaquin Phoenix]], Emma Stone, [[Parker Posey]] and [[Jamie Blackley]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldstein|first1=Meredith|last2=Shanahan|first2=Mark|title=Emma Stone stays in Rhode Island for Woody Allen film|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2014/07/07/emma-stone-stays-rhode-island-for-woody-allen-film/kSc6tJuk7vMXG6UhGhMQaI/story.html|access-date = June 18, 2015 | work = [[The Boston Globe]] |date = July 8, 2014}}</ref> Allen said that this film, as well as the next three he had planned, had the financing and full support of [[Sony Pictures Classics]].<ref name=Itzkoff>{{cite news|last1=Itzkoff|first1=Dave|title=A Master of Illusion Endures|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/movies/for-woody-allens-next-trick-shrugging-off-bad-publicity.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A5%22%7D|access-date= July 23, 2014| work = [[The New York Times]] |date= July 20, 2014}}</ref> Jonathan Romney of ''[[Film Comment]]'' gave the film a mixed review, praising Stone's performance but calling the film "disconcertingly impersonal—all the more so as it overtly carries certain traditional marks of his patented brand, being a light-highbrow comedy of manners, peppered with bookish in-jokes."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-irrational-man-woody-allen/|title= Review: Irrational Man|website= Film Comment|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> === 2015–2019 === [[File:Woody Allen Cannes 2015.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Allen at the [[2015 Cannes Film Festival]]]] On January 14, 2015, [[Amazon Studios]] announced a full-season order for a half-hour [[Amazon Prime Instant Video]] series that Allen would write and direct, marking the first time he has developed a television show. Allen said of the series, "I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price [the head of Amazon Studios] will regret this."<ref name="Weinstein0113">{{cite magazine |last=Weinstein |first=Shelli |title=Woody Allen to Create His First Television Series for Amazon |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 13, 2015 |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/woody-allen-to-create-his-first-television-series-for-amazon-1201403742/ |access-date = June 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113175142/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/woody-allen-to-create-his-first-television-series-for-amazon-1201403742/ |url-status=live |archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Steel0113">{{cite news|last=Steel |first=Emily |title=Amazon Signs Woody Allen to Write and Direct TV Series |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 13, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/business/amazon-signs-woody-allen-to-write-and-direct-tv-series.html |access-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120000736/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/business/amazon-signs-woody-allen-to-write-and-direct-tv-series.html?_r=0 |archive-date=January 20, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Massa0113">{{cite news |first1=Annie|last1=Massa |first2=Spencer|last2=Soper |first3=Chris |last3=Palmeri|title= Amazon's Woody Allen Hiring Underscores Video Risk |website=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=January 13, 2015 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-13/woody-allen-to-create-his-first-tv-show-for-amazon.html |access-date = June 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113165610/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-13/woody-allen-to-create-his-first-tv-show-for-amazon.html |url-status=live|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> At the [[2015 Cannes Film Festival]], Allen said of his upcoming Amazon show: "It was a catastrophic mistake. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm floundering. I expect this to be a cosmic embarrassment."<ref>{{cite news|first=Steven|last=Zeitchik|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-cannes-woody-allen-irrational-man-premiere-emma-stone-20150515-story.html|title=Cannes 2015: Woody Allen Sings a Bleak Tune|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2015}}</ref> On September 30, 2016, [[Amazon Video]] debuted Allen's first television series production, ''[[Crisis in Six Scenes]]''. The series is a comedy set during the 1960s. It focuses on the life of a suburban family after a surprise visitor creates chaos among them. It stars Allen, [[Elaine May]], and [[Miley Cyrus]], with the latter playing a radical hippie fugitive who sells marijuana.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Chi|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/09/miley-cyrus-woody-allen-amazon|title=Miley Cyrus Explains Why She's in Awe of Woody Allen: 'He's Never Fake'|magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|location=New York City|date=September 16, 2016|access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-first-clip-from-woody-allens-crisis-in-six-scenes-tv-show-w433176|title=Watch First Clip From Woody Allen's 'Crisis in Six Scenes' TV Show|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] LLC|location=New York City|date=August 8, 2016|access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> Allen's next film, ''[[Café Society (2016 film)|Café Society]]'', starred an ensemble cast, including [[Jesse Eisenberg]], [[Kristen Stewart]], and [[Blake Lively]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=Jesse Eisenberg, Bruce Willis, Kristen Stewart To Star In Next Woody Allen Pic|url=https://deadline.com/2015/03/jesse-eisenberg-bruce-willis-kristen-stewart-woody-allen-1201388945/|access-date=January 28, 2016|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=March 9, 2015}}</ref> [[Bruce Willis]] was set to co-star, but was replaced by [[Steve Carell]] during filming.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jaafar|first1=Ali|last2=Hipes|first2=Patrick|title=Steve Carell Replacing Bruce Willis In Woody Allen Movie|url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/steve-carell-replaces-bruce-willis-woody-allen-movie-1201509364/|access-date=January 28, 2016|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=August 28, 2015}}</ref> The film is distributed by [[Amazon Studios]], and opened the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival]] on May 11, 2016, the third time Allen has opened the festival.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chang|first1=Justin|last2=Keslassy|first2=Elsa|title=Cannes: Woody Allen's 'Cafe Society' to Open Film Festival|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/woody-allen-cafe-society-to-open-cannes-film-festival-1201740815/|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=April 3, 2016|date=March 29, 2016}}</ref> Peter Bradshaw of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "The film looks ravishing, with shots of New York which recall images in Allen's great work, Manhattan, but however wonderfully composed, there is something almost touristy in both them, and in his evocation of golden age Tinseltown, like his homages to Paris and Rome. Allen brings it all together in his closing moments which conjure something unexpectedly melancholy and shrewdly judged. It has entertainment and charm."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/11/cafe-society-review-woody-allen-kristen-stewart-jesse-eisenberg|title= Café Society review – Woody Allen's amiable, if insubstantial, tribute to golden-age Hollywood|website= The Guardian|date= May 11, 2016|accessdate= August 7, 2023|last1= Bradshaw|first1= Peter}}</ref> [[File:Cannes 2015 4.jpg|thumb|right|[[Emma Stone]], Allen, and [[Parker Posey]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in 2015]] In September 2016 Allen started filming the drama film ''[[Wonder Wheel (film)|Wonder Wheel]]'', set in the 1950s in [[Coney Island]], and starring [[Kate Winslet]], [[Justin Timberlake]], [[Juno Temple]], and [[Jim Belushi]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Rebecca|last=Ford|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kate-winslet-joining-woody-allens-905062|title=Kate Winslet Joining Woody Allen's Next Film|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=June 21, 2016|access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> The film served as the closing night selection at the 55th [[New York Film Festival]] on October 15, 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2017/daily/woody-allens-wonder-wheel-will-close-nyff55/|title=Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel Will Close NYFF55|date=July 27, 2017|access-date=July 27, 2017}}</ref> and was theatrically released on December 1, 2017,<ref name="a">{{cite news | last=Lang | first=Brent | date=June 12, 2017 | title=Woody Allen's 'Wonder Wheel' Scores December Release | magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location=Los Angeles, California|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/awards/woody-allen-wonder-wheel-justin-timberlake-1202462903/ | access-date=July 14, 2017}}</ref> as the first movie self-distributed to theaters by [[Amazon Studios]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Lang | first=Brent | date=July 27, 2017 | title=Amazon Moves Into Self-Distribution With Woody Allen's 'Wonder Wheel' | magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/amazon-self-distribution-woody-allen-wonder-wheel-1202508413/ |location=Los Angeles, California|access-date=July 27, 2017}}</ref> The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising Winslet's leading performance. Owen Gleiberman of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "''Wonder Wheel'' isn't a comedy—on the contrary, it often feels like the most earnest kitchen-sink drama that Clifford Odets never wrote. It may or may not turn out to be an awards picture, but it's a good night out, and that's not nothing."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/wonder-wheel-review-kate-winslet-justin-timberlake-1202588390/|title= Film Review: 'Wonder Wheel'|website= Variety|date= October 13, 2017|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> In 2017, Allen received a standing ovation when he made a rare public appearance at the [[AFI Life Achievement Award|45th Annual Life Achievement Tribute]] award ceremony for [[Diane Keaton]]. Before presenting her with the award he spoke about their longtime collaboration and friendship, saying, "From the minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me. Much of what I have accomplished in my life I owe for sure to her".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woody-allen-makes-rare-la-appearance-at-diane-keaton-afi-event-1011793|title= Woody Allen Makes Rare L.A. Appearance at Diane Keaton AFI Event|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= June 8, 2017|access-date= May 10, 2020}}</ref> Allen returned to filming in New York City with the romantic film ''[[A Rainy Day in New York]]'', starring [[Timothée Chalamet]], [[Selena Gomez]], [[Elle Fanning]], [[Jude Law]], [[Diego Luna]], [[Liev Schreiber]] and [[Rebecca Hall]]. The production in New York began in September 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gregg|last=Kilday|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/diego-luna-liev-schreiber-join-woody-allens-new-movie-1037620|title=Diego Luna, Liev Schreiber Join Woody Allen's New Movie|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=September 11, 2017|access-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref> During the film's release, Chalamet, Gomez, and Hall announced, in the light of the [[Me Too movement]], that they would donate their salaries to various charities.<ref>{{cite news|first=Benjamin|last=Lee|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jun/04/woody-allen-dylan-farrow-metoo-movement-poster-boy|title=Woody Allen: 'I should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement'|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London, England|date=June 4, 2018|access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> The film received mixed reviews but earned praise for its performances. In February 2019 it was announced that Amazon Studios had dropped ''A Rainy Day in New York'' and would no longer finance, produce, or distribute films with Allen. He filed a lawsuit for $68 million, alleging Amazon gave "vague reasons" to terminate the contract, dropped the film over "a 25-year old, baseless allegation", and did not make payments.<ref>{{cite web|first=Eriq|last=Gardner|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/woody-allen-sues-amazon-terminating-movie-deal-1183763|title=Woody Allen Sues Amazon for Terminating Movie Deal|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=February 7, 2019|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/woody-allen-teams-spain-mediapro-next-film-1203145968/|title=Woody Allen Teams With Spain's Mediapro for Next Film|first1=John|last1=Hopewell|date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> The case was later settled and dismissed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Vigdor|first=Neil|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/arts/woody-allen-amazon-lawsuit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110011005/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/arts/woody-allen-amazon-lawsuit.html |archive-date=2019-11-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Woody Allen and Amazon Settle Breach of Contract Lawsuit|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 9, 2019|access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Maddaus|first=Gene|url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/woody-allen-amazon-settlement-1203399424/|title=Woody Allen Settles $68 Million Suit Against Amazon|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 9, 2019|access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref> It was released throughout Europe beginning in July 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kinoswiat.pl/film/w-deszczowy-dzien-w-nowym-jorku/|title=W DESZCZOWY DZIEŃ W NOWYM JORKU|website=Kino Świat|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/movies/woody-allens-rainy-day-europe-release-date.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509210433/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/movies/woody-allens-rainy-day-europe-release-date.html |archive-date=2019-05-09 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Amazon Dropped Woody Allen's Latest Film. Europe Has Picked It Up.|last=Marshall|first=Alex|date=May 9, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 11, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> receiving mixed reviews and grossing $20 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Rainy Day in New York|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_rainy_day_in_new_york|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-rainy-day-in-new-york|title=A Rainy Day in New York Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7139936/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=A Rainy Day in New York|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref> After over a year's delay, the film was released in the U.S. on October 9, 2020, by [[MPI Media Group]] and Signature Entertainment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/woody-allens-a-rainy-day-in-new-york-to-hit-us-theaters-next-month/|title=Woody Allen's 'A Rainy Day in New York' to Hit US Theaters Next Month|website=[[TheWrap]]|first=Thom|last=Geier|date=September 17, 2020|access-date=October 1, 2020}}</ref> In May 2019, it was announced that Allen's next film would be titled ''[[Rifkin's Festival]]'', and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety magazine]]'' confirmed that its cast would include [[Christoph Waltz]], [[Elena Anaya]], [[Louis Garrel]], [[Gina Gershon]], [[Sergi López (actor)|Sergi López]], and [[Wallace Shawn]], and that it would be produced by Gravier Productions.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Nate|last=Nickolai|title=Woody Allen to Begin Filming New Movie This Summer|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 4, 2019|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/woody-allen-christoph-waltz-gina-gershon-spain-1203232841/}}</ref> The film was produced with Mediapro, an independent Spanish TV-film company.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gene|last=Maddaus|url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/woody-allen-amazon-lawsuit-1203131466/|title=Woody Allen Files $68 Million Suit Against Amazon for Film Deal Breach|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|location=New York City|date=February 7, 2019|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> ''Rifkin's Festival'' completed filming in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woody-allen-sets-new-film-christoph-waltz-gina-gershon-1215543|title=Woody Allen Sets New Feature With Christoph Waltz, Gina Gershon|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|date=June 4, 2019|access-date=October 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woodyallenpages.com/2019/12/everything-we-know-about-rifkins-festival-woody-allens-2020-film/|title=Everything We Know About Rifkin's Festival Woody Allens 2020 film|website=Woody Allen Pages|date=December 28, 2019|access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref> On September 18, 2020, it premiered at the [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]]. It received mixed reviews, though Jessica Kiang of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "to the ravenous captive, like finding an unexpected stash of dessert".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/movies/rifkins-festival-review.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918230006/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/movies/rifkins-festival-review.html |archive-date=2020-09-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= 'Rifkin's Festival' Review: Woody Allen Travels to Movie Memory Lane|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= September 18, 2020|access-date= October 21, 2020|last1= Kiang|first1= Jessica}}</ref> ===2020 to present=== On March 2, 2020, it was announced that after shopping the book from publishers it was decided that [[Grand Central Publishing]] would release Allen's autobiography, ''[[Apropos of Nothing]]'', on April 7, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/woody-allen-autobiography-apropos-of-nothing-to-be-published-in-april/|title=Woody Allen Memoir to be Published in April|date=March 2, 2020|work=The Wrap Magazine|access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/movies/woody-allen-memoir.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502213215/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/movies/woody-allen-memoir.html |archive-date=2019-05-02 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Woody Allen Pitched a Memoir. Publishers Weren't Interested.|website=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Alexandra|last1=Alter|first2=Cara|last2=Buckley|date=May 2, 2019|access-date=March 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/woody-allen-memoir-release-date-1203521094/|title=Woody Allen Memoir Gets Release Date|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Klartiza|last=Rico|date=March 2, 2020|access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> According to the publisher, the book is a "comprehensive account of Allen's life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs, and print...Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woody-allen-memoir-sets-april-debut-1282124|title=Woody Allen Memoir Sets April Debut|date=March 2, 2020|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/books/hachette-woody-allen-apropos-nothing.html|title = Hachette Says It Won't Publish Woody Allen's Book|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|date = March 6, 2020|last1 = Williams|first1 = John}}</ref> The decision to publish the book was criticized by Dylan and [[Ronan Farrow]], the latter of whom cut ties with the publisher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/ronan-farrow-cuts-ties-with-hachette-over-woody-allen-memoir.html|title=Ronan Farrow Cuts Ties With Hachette Over Woody Allen Memoir|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|first=Charu|last=Sinha|date=March 3, 2020|access-date=March 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/05/812687472/after-woody-allens-memoir-was-signed-book-publisher-s-employees-walk-out|title=After Woody Allen's Memoir Was Signed, Book Publisher's Employees Walk Out|website=[[NPR]]|first=Anastasia|last=Tsioulcas|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref> The announcement also incited criticism from employees of the publishers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/woody-allen-memoir-causes-hachette-walkout-1202215780/|title=Woody Allen Memoir Incites Walkout of Dozens of Publisher's Employees|website=[[IndieWire]]|first=Ryan|last=Lattanzio|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=March 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/woody-allen-memoir-walkout-ronan-farrow-hachette-book-group-1202875514/|title=Woody Allen Memoir Publication Spurs Hachette Employee Walkout; "In Solidarity" With Ronan Farrow|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Dominic|last=Patten|date=March 5, 2020|access-date=March 6, 2020}}</ref> On March 6, the publisher announced that it had canceled the book's release, saying in part, "The decision to cancel Mr. Allen's book was a difficult one."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/woody-allen-memoir-dropped-by-hachette-staff-walk-1282978|title=Woody Allen Memoir Dropped by Hachette After Staff Walk-Out|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Sharareh |last=Drury|date=March 6, 2020|access-date=March 6, 2020}}</ref> Hachette's decision also drew criticism from novelist [[Stephen King]], Executive director of [[PEN America]] [[Suzanne Nossel]], and others.<ref name=grondiad>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/08/stephen-kings-attacks-axing-woody-allen-memoir|title=Stephen King attacks axing of Woody Allen book|last=Helmore|first=Edward|date=March 8, 2020 |website=[[The Observer]]|access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=John|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/books/hachette-woody-allen-apropos-nothing.html|title=Hachette Says It Won't Publish Woody Allen's Book|work=The New York Times|date=March 6, 2020|access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref> On March 6, 2020, Manuel Carcassonne of Hachette's French branch, the publishing company [[Stock (publishing house)|Stock]], announced it would publish the book if Allen permitted it.<ref name=grondiad/> On March 23, 2020, [[Arcade Publishing|Arcade]] published the memoir.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/6e7f6ad6a0daf117ec54c765bdf838b2|title=AP Exclusive: Allen has new publisher, memoir out Monday|last=Italie|first=Hillel|date=March 23, 2020|website=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=March 23, 2020}}</ref><ref name="NYT20200323">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/books/woody-allen-apropos-of-nothing-autobiography-arcade.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323154004/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/books/woody-allen-apropos-of-nothing-autobiography-arcade.html |archive-date=2020-03-23 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Woody Allen's Memoir Is Published|last1=Alter|first1=Alexandra|last2=Williams|first2=John|date=March 23, 2020|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Autobiografia di Woody Allen, l'ebook in anteprima mondiale |url=http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/libri/2020/03/22/autobiografia-woody-allen-ebook-in-anteprima-mondiale_d46cc2a3-8c0f-4848-97da-39a3c725e694.html |access-date=March 23, 2020 |agency=ANSA |date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> In June 2020, Allen appeared on [[Alec Baldwin]]'s podcast ''Here's the Thing'' and talked about his career as a standup comedian, comedy writer, and filmmaker, and his life during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/alec-Baldwin-defends-woody-allen-podcast-episode-on-blackout-tuesday/|title= Alec Baldwin Defends Promoting a Podcast Episode Featuring Woody Allen on 'Blackout Tuesday'|website= [[Us (magazine)|Us Weekly Magazine]]|access-date= June 1, 2020}}</ref> In September 2022, Allen suggested that he might retire from filmmaking after the release of his next film.<ref>{{cite web |title=The twilight of the cinema gods News |url=https://www.jellypages.com/life-style/the-twilight-of-the-cinema-gods-h123211.html |website=JellyPages.com |language=en}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[La Vanguardia]]'', Allen said, "My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/woody-allen-retirement-86-wasp-22-final-movie-1235121601/|title=Woody Allen Announces Retirement From Filmmaking At 86, Says 'Wasp 22' Will Be Final Movie|last=Frost |first=Caroline|date=September 18, 2022|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=September 18, 2022}}</ref> Allen's publicist later said, "Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films, as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/19/woody-allen-denies-reports-of-retirement-as-he-shoots-his-50th-film|title=Woody Allen denies reports of retirement as he shoots his 50th film|date=September 19, 2022|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=September 19, 2022}}</ref> Allen has made 50 feature films to date, with his latest film, ''[[Coup de chance]]'' (2023), a domestic thriller set in Paris. The film is Allen's first French-language film.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roxborough |first1=Scott |title=Woody Allen's New Film 'Coup de Chance' Goes On Sale in Berlin |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/woody-allen-new-movie-coup-de-chance-berlin-european-film-market-1235322284/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=10 February 2023 |date=10 February 2023}}</ref> It premiered at the [[80th Venice International Film Festival]] to positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/07/25/venice-international-film-festival-2023-lineup/70461432007/|title= Venice International Film Festival's 2023 lineup includes Woody Allen|website= USA Today|accessdate= August 7, 2023}}</ref> Chris Vognar of ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' called it "a pretty slight and minor film, but for an 87-year-old American working in a second language, it can't help but seem impressive".<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/coup-de-chance-review-woody-allen-venice-film-festival-france-lou-de-laage-1234817968/|title= 'Coup de Chance' Is Woody Allen's Best Film in a Decade|magazine= Rolling Stone|accessdate= September 12, 2023}}</ref> Owen Gleiberman of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "his best since ''Blue Jasmine''".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2023/film/news/coup-de-chance-review-woody-allen-venice-film-festival-1235712530/|title= 'Coup de Chance' Review: Woody Allen's Drama of Upper-Middle-Class Murder Is His Best Movie Since 'Blue Jasmine' (or Maybe 'Match Point')|website= Variety|date= September 4, 2023|accessdate= September 12, 2023}}</ref> In February 2024, it was reported that Allen had expressed interest in starting a new film as soon as summer 2024: "In a new interview with Spanish filmmaker [[David Trueba]], the 88-year-old Allen confirms that he is currently trying to launch a new film, which could start shooting as early as this summer in Italy."<ref>World of Reel. February 22, 2024. [https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/2/22/qkkz4x8g1b6ebz7elawi5msellexmp]</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page