Conversations with Woody Allen: His Films, the Movies, and Moviemaking [Paperback]

In discussions that begin in 1971 and end in 2009, Allen talks about every facet of moviemaking through the prism of his own work as well as the larger world of film, and in so doing reveals an artist’s development over the course of his career. He speaks about his influences and about the genesis of his ideas; about writing, casting, acting, shooting, directing, editing, and scoring—and throughout shows himself to be thoughtful, honest, self-deprecating, always witty, and often hilarious.“Fascinating . . . Readers will find a trove of Woody-on-Woody insight [and] something interesting on nearly every page.” —BaltimoreSun

“Lax’s informed questions . . . allow Allen to speak with intelligence and maturity.”
—The Washington Post

“Mesmerizing.” —Financial Times

“Remarkable . . . Fresh with an immediacy often missing in a retrospective.” —RaleighNews & Observer

“You feel that you are in the same room, listening to someone asking intelligent, informed questions and hearing the subject giving intelligent, relaxed answers . . . An entertaining book.”
—The Washington TimesEric Laxis also the author ofWoody Allen: A Biographyand coauthor (with A. M. Sperber) ofBogart. His writing has appeared inThe Atlantic Monthly,The New York Times,Vanity Fair,Esquire, and theLos Angeles Times. He is an officer of International PEN and lives in Los Angeles.IntroductionA book of conversations usually collects interviews done over weeks or months and so, regardless of the time span covered, the result is a snapshot that reflects the attitudes and feelings of the subject at a given point in life. This book, however, is an album assembled over half of Woody Allen’s life, beginning in 1971, and like time-lapse photography, it offers a clear view of lm