“Allen says New York too expensive to shoot” is the headline of this morning’s Associated Press piece about Woody’s recent renaissance in Europe. Right off the top that rings false, because we know many filmmakers do find a way to make movies in Manhattan and all over the five boroughs. Allen could’ve meant, “movies that gross less than $20 million, like most of mine have been doing for nearly 30 years,” might find New York expenses don’t make financial sense when their director scorns financial success.
I can hear the outcry already: “Whoa, hold on there. Who ever said Woody Allen scorns financial success?” Well, I believe Allen says so himself:
Allen hit out at American cinema saying the majority of films over the past decade had been made just for money and lacked creative spirit. In comparison, he said European films were much more artistic.
A cantankerous stance like that is one of those combination one-two punches where an obvious inarguable fact is linked to a much weaker declaration, clouding the point by conflating two different issues. First, yes, American movies over the past decade have been about making money — but why stop at 10 years? American movies have always been about making money. From their inception in the silent era to Inception in these noisier times, studios and filmmakers like to turn a profit. So Allen’s observation lacks any incisive bite.
Secondly though, for Allen to suggest that financial success is the bane and antithesis of “creative spirit” is either ignorance, denial or jealousy. The top 20 films on our weekend poll prove Allen wrong on both counts with the presence of plenty of movies promising boundless creativity in spite of occasionally iffy box-office prospects.
Of course, these remarks by Woody Allen sound off the cuff, and The Associated Press doesn’t even phrase them as direct verbatim quotes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his statements have been taken out of context. Just as I’m not surprised to see the first news outlets pouncing on this story are FOX News and The New York Post. Because comments like these are like chum in the water to right-wing xenophobes, eager to point the finger and howl like Donald Southerland from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The readers at FOX and the Post will find much to cluck about here, as the article is framed to imply Woody Allen has turned his back on America.
I’m picking up an entirely different angle to dispute. I just wish Allen would do what he does best wherever he’s comfortable doing it, and maybe shut up about the evils of movies that money. Because if he still made movies like Manhattan and Annie Hall — movies that were enormously popular and profitable — maybe he could afford to come back and do those films here again. But he doesn’t, so he can’t.
I’m fine with Woody Allen’s rejuvenation in Europe. It’s clearly been good for him. I just don’t see why he can’t give Europe credit for reigniting his formerly fizzled creative spirit without taking lazy swipes at American moviemakers who know how to make US locations work for them.
