Woody Allen and his European pictures
by The Flamingo
One of the reasons I love Woody Allen as a director is that cities are real characters in his stories. All of the cities he shoots in are presented in the best way possible, they all seem a dream, postcard perfect. He knows how to enhance their qualities through light, color and music. He has an eye for best spots. I love his visual concepts because they are so beautiful and positive, regardless of what kind of movie he is shooting, if it’s a drama, or a comedy, or a murder mystery or a romance. So cities are real pieces of art in his movies and that’s what I find fascinating. Here are his European pictures in the order of my preference:
Midnight in Paris (2011) – This is one of my favorite movies ever made, definitely the first in Allen’s cinematography. One of the reasons is for sure Paris, because Allen knows how to shoot a beautiful movie and he knows how to take advantage of every location possible. But the movie’s topic is the one that made me fall in love with it. The story tackles the subject of nostalgia, of people who believe that they would have been happier, if they had lived in another time, in a “golden age” period. For each nostalgic person that specific time is different, because the present is somewhat disappointing. I am one of those people who suffers from nostalgia and the main character is from many points of view my own mirror. This movie is one of Allen’s surreal/fantasy movies, in which the male lead, an American writer, is traveling back in time each night to the Paris of the 20’s, where he spends time among great artists like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Dali, T.S. Elliot, Matisse, and Gertrude Stein. There he also falls in love with Picasso and Hemingway’s lover, Adriana. There’s also an incursion in time to La Belle Epoque Parissiane, where he meets other exceptional artists like Lautrec, Degas and Gaugain. The movie is romanticised to the maximum and for me it’s a piece of cinematographic art, with Paris at its core.
Actors: Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Tom Hiddleston, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody.
Awards won: 26
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008) – This film is for sure one of the best in Allen’s repertoire. It’s a story about two friends who spend their summer in the beautiful romantic city of Barcelona. Vicky and Christina couldn’t be more different from one another. Vicky is the rational one, practical and sensible with her decisions. Christina is the romantic one, who knows what she doesn’t want in life, but fails to understand what would make her happy. The artists’ world is surprised in this story, passionate, romantic, unpredictable and irrational at times, also without any boundaries. Both friends go on a journey to better understand themselves, but they leave Barcelona more confused than ever. The movie is truly beautiful and the two Spanish artists are the soul of the movie. Also Barcelona is very charming and warm.
Actors: Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson.
Awards won: 32
Match Point (2005) – A young but retired tennis player is the main focus of this drama. He is ambitious and tries to climb the social and financial ladder using other people. His personal struggles with morals and ethics and the lengths he is willing to go just to achieve something or to remove an inconvenience are really surprising. You are rooting for him to make the right choice and he doesn’t. Also behind this drama is the philosophical issue of luck and how it is decisive in some situations and changes outcomes, patterns and lives. The movie is shot in London and has beautiful sets and visual design. Also I was surprised to see a lot of very well known British actors who were brilliant in their parts. This is my very first Woody Allen movie and it holds a special place for me.
Actors: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode
Awards won: 12
Everyone says I love you (1996) – It’s an old fashioned musical comedy with songs and dancing, happening in New York while it’s in full bloom. Springtime is the time for love, old fashioned songs and of course very complicated family affairs in Woody Allen’s signature style. A bit of politics liberal vs republican spices up the dialog. It’s a hopelessly romantic movie, but a satire at the same time. Half of the story takes place in Paris and Venice. The Venetian scenes are truly beautiful, full of enchanting corners and of Titian. Also Paris is wonderfully displayed. There’s a hilarious “ghostly” dance and song “Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think” that I particularly enjoyed. The dance between Goldie Hawn and Woody Allen on the bank of the Seine also had me swooning.
Actors: Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Edward Norton, Natalie Portman, Woody Allen.
Awards won: 11
You will meet a tall dark stranger (2010) – This is a dramatic, romantic, comedy set in London. It’s a typical Woody Allen story, you don’t know if you want to laugh, cry or strangle somebody. It’s about two families, the elderly parents who divorce after 40 years of marriage and about their daughter and her own flawed marriage. Like every movie of his, there’s a philosophy behind the story. Here is centered on the illusions we all create in our mind to get over difficult situations in life, hopes that we make up as a possible reality just to help us move on. It’s one of my favorite movies, although predictable because you know exactly what is going to happen and that is also the point of it. But not less fascinating, just because you are rooting for the characters not to make their mistakes and to take other paths…but it’s all in vain.
Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Gemma Jones, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin.
Awards won: 2
Cassandra’s dream (2007) – This is a painful drama about human nature and the lines people are willing to cross out of despair. It’s about family relationships, boundaries, aspirations, selfishness and murder. It’s the story of two brothers who love each other and how their relationship is corrupted by money, ambition and lack of moral compass. The drama is set in the UK, with three very specific beautiful British decorum: London with Kensington and Chelsea, Hampshire for the countryside and Brighton for the seaside.
Actors: Colin Farell, Ewan McGregor.
Magic in the moonlight (2014) – The romantic comedy takes place in one of my favorite places in this world, the South of France, specifically Cote d’Azur. The main character, an obnoxious, misanthrope, defeatist, a successful illusionist, who is also very cultivated, well read and believes only in scientific facts, falls in love with a young optimistic spirit medium/fortune teller. The story is a bit on the boring side, but delightful in its own way, because the conversations are really insightful and offer another view on the world. Like Woody Allen says in some of his stories, the writer has to come with a solution to this pessimistic view on life and human beings and his solution here is white lies, or better said illusions. In order to live a somewhat happy life, people need to believe in something good and that our lives are not meaningless on this earth. On another note, the scenery is worth watching the entire movie. The Mediterranean and its sunsets are incredible, also all the nooks and corners portrayed in the story: the beautiful villas, the gardens, the driveways. I am also obsessed with the lead female character’s 20’s style wardrobe, which is exquisite and a pleasure to behold.
Actors: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Dame Eileen Atkins, Simon McBurney.
Awards won: 1
To Rome with love (2012) – I loved this movie mostly because of Rome. I think Woody Allen succeeded in making the ancient city the story’s main character. It’s beautifully and romantically portrayed. The secondary characters are also well chosen and it’s a nice mix of Italians, Americans and Spanish. The story is a comedy that borders on the absurd. It focuses on the frivolity of people and has lots of hilarious scenes. It’s also a great movie for Opera lovers, the renowned tenor Fabio Armiliato sings some beautiful arias.
Actors: Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Fabio Armiliato, Flavio Parenti, Alessandro Tiberi, Alessandra Mastronardi.
Awards won: 2
Scoop (2006) – This is a light comedy in the surreal/fantasy category, with touches of black humor and some macabre. The role Woody Allen plays is definitely one of the most hilarious roles I’ve seen him in. He has this affinity towards magicians and magic tricks and he approaches this subject every so often. It’s also a murder (but not so much of a) mystery story. There are ghosts, there is Death, there is a psychopath on the loose and there is some magic, all of it surrounding a young journalist who wants to be noticed. The movie is mostly shot in London, beautiful corners as always.
Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane, Woody Allen.
These are some good movies with beautiful backgrounds. I was always fond of watching movies with plots set in beautiful Europe, it’s so much more interesting than Hollywood and other boring American cities. This month a new European movie by Allen will be released, Rifkin’s Festival, taking place in San Sebastian, Spain. Can’t wait to see it and share it with you. The travels with Woody Allen across Europe are like no other.
Photo from Flamingo‘s archive.
