Woody Allen wanted to be a dramatic filmmaker from day one. Word is, his 2017 film is another drama, making it his third in a row. Yet, this year, he mixed it up with a comedy for Amazon, where he appeared, possibly trying to please the public.
Much like when Allen first tried to make back to back dramas – September (1987), Another Woman (1988) and Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989) – in between was New York Stories as silly a comedy as Allen ever wrote, and he also conceded to appear in the film himself.
Our (extremely irregular) video of the week looks at Allen in 1988, in the middle of this run, talking about September and New York Stories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKc9bgNRi4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3tqXv_E8F0
The videos come from Film 88 Special, which aired in the UK on BBC1 on 2nd May 1988. The host is Barry Norman.
Allen talks about why he likes the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, and and the difficulties of filming in New York.
The late 80s is a very underrated period for Allen. He would make some of his most challenging and least popular films, but over the years have become more acclaimed.
Check out all our previous videos of the week.
