10. Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

Not filmed in his native New York but in sunny Spain, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz are brought together in a story which has a sultriness to it as both Cruz and Johansson fall for the charms of the handsome painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem).

9. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

When you watch a film wouldn’t you like to see the dashing star come out of the screen and speak to you? Well, that’s what happens here as heroic Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels) notices lonely Cecilia (Mia Farrow) in the stalls and he instantly falls in love with her. But it’s not long before sinister forces are trying to hunt Tom down.

8. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

A stellar cast which includes Sir Michael Caine, Dianne West, Max von Sydow and Woody as well, this story follows several couples over the course of a year and tells how their lives change through extramarital affairs.

7. Match Point (2005)

Starring once again Scarlett Johansson but this time alongside the Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the story plays on Woody’s own appreciation of the femme-fatale style of filmmaking as Rhys Meyers character begins to date his brothers girlfriend. This is Woody in serious mode and shows there is more to the man than comedy.

6. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Having worked heavily with Diane Keaton during the early part of his career, Allen was reunited with his friend for a tale about a middle-aged couple who suspect that their neighbours are not the pleasant people they thought they were. Keaton has never married and this film shows how life could have turned out for them if they had been joined in matrimony several years before.

5. Take the Money and Run (1969)

One of his first films, Woody stars as the hopeless bank robber Virgil Stockwell as he tries to lead a life of crime but fails miserably on more than one occasion. Woody’s awkwardness is there to be seen and this laid the foundations for his later, award winning work.

4. Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Based on David Reuben’s book of the same name and featuring a series of short films which pose questions about sexuality, this was adapted by Woody for the screen and sees a variety of characters in hugely comical scenarios. Gene Wilder romances a sheep in one whilst Woody plays the part of a sperm during a sequence which details a body’s reaction during ejaculation with many people playing the part of workers operating within a person’s body.

3. Play It Again, Sam (1972)

Based on his Broadway play which ran for over 450 performances from February 1969 to March 1970, this early collaboration between Woody and Keaton sees him trying to woo the ladies through the help of a ghostly Humphrey Bogart (as his wife recently left him) but Woody soon starts an affair with his best friend’s wife.

2. Manhattan (1979)

An ode to his love for this part of the city that never sleeps, the film could be seen as autobiographical as Woody’s character, Isaac, dates a seventeen year old high school student and was doing relatively the same in reality. Here, Woody falls in love with Mary (Diane Keaton) and the action follows Isaac through his journey of romancing the love of his life and, at the same time, dating someone who is still attending biology classes.  

1. Annie Hall (1977)

One of Woody’s best loved films, Alvy Singer (Allen) falls in love with the absent-minded Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) and their relationship is spread over the course of many years and shows that love is one of the strongest forces around. That, and Chuck Norris.

No matter what your opinion of Woody Allen is, his filmmaking career stretches from the Swinging Sixties right up to the current economic Depression. Having formed his own jazz band which plays in New York and at various European venues, his work rate is phenomenal and it seems there is no stopping him from continuing well into his nineties. After all, if Jean Luc Godard at aged eighty can still do it, why not Woody?

 

Russell Hill is an active writer that provides material for a number of projects. These include several hundred music articles for the magazine Maverick, and a variety of articles & quality content for: Maverick, The Number 4, Group Ltd, Classic Movie Review section: Wildsound Filmmaking Feedback, Flickering Myth, Wonderlance, The Fresh UK, Prospect Solution... He is also a radio presenter for the Country Music Show on Express FM: www.expressfm.com, which broadcasts every Sunday during 12pm-2pm. Russell also assists in all areas of production for the online Television Station Portsmouth Live TV: www.portsmouthlive.tv Thanks to his work for Maverick, Russell has been building up a portfolio of promotional material for bands and artists based around the world. If you’d like to have promotional material written by Russell, you can contact him directly at: russelledwardhill@hotmail.co.uk

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