"Conversations With Woody Allen," by Eric Lax (Knopf, $30)
What does Woody Allen have in common with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bob Dylan? All three are generally loved or hated; there is not much middle ground. Those who are not usually fans of Allen and/or his films can still enjoy this latest offering by Eric Lax, who compiled more than 30 years of interviews with Allen and gives readers a fascinating look into Allen's mind and methods.
Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg and started writing jokes for newspaper columnists in 1952 for $20 a week. He was 16 years old.
Allen is forthright about his perceived failures and successes and his development as a writer, actor and director. The author divides the book into eight major categories: The Idea; Writing It; Casting; Actors and Acting; Shooting, Sets, Locations; Directing; Editing; Scoring; and The Career.
All sections begin with interviews from the 1970s and end with conversations in 2006 or '07.
Interestingly, Lax says Allen never once tried to be funny during any of the interviews.
Devotees of all aspects of movie-making should find this work fascinating.
Allen describes himself this way: "I'm a serious person, a disciplined worker, interested in writing, interested in literature, interested in theater and film. I'm not so inept as I depict myself for comic purposes. I know my life is not a series of catastrophic problems that are funny because they are so ludicrous. It's a much duller existence."
If going to the movies is a favorite pastime, then this book will inform and intrigue the reader.
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