jotix100 We caught this documentary recently when it was presented in one of the cable channels. Barbara Kopple, a director that has made a name for herself in this type of genre, tails a notorious man whose neurosis has translated into many films about himself. Woody Allen has been on the scene for quite a while now. He has enjoyed a long career, but actually the focus of the tour is not about the filmmaker, but about the closet musician he is at heart.We are taken aboard the private jet that is taking him to Paris. He is accompanied by Soon-Yi Previn, his wife since 1997. His sister Letty Aronson, who is connected with Mr. Allen, having produced most of the films her brother has directed, has also come along. The first stop is Paris, a city Mr. Allen deems one of the most beautiful in Europe. In fact, it is to Paris where the director always flies to whenever he goes to Europe because from there he gets himself into his European mood.Although there were other cities in the tour, only a few places are showcased in the documentary. Italy is prominently featured in the documentary. Venice is the place where Mr. Allen and Ms. Previn got married, so it seems to be a place where they enjoy going back to. A ride on a gondola makes Mr. Allen seasick. In Milan, the couple is given the biggest suite at the Principe di Savoia Hotel, something that create a problem for the director because of its vastness, and for Soon-Yi because of the lack of hot water in the showers. Mr. Allen has a few quirks. He will always have an extra room in order to have privacy in his bathroom. His laundry must be done just so. His nostalgia for New York, a city where he can function freely, is challenged by the new places he visits. The worst part of the tour is Rome because of a stiff crowd that seemed to have gone to the concert because it was included in the price of dinner.Ms. Kopple has a rare treat for her fans for last. As Woody Allen and Soon-Yi come home, they are visited by his parents. His mother, a vivacious lady with a no-nonsense attitude, is not impressed by the trophies, the mementos her son received during the trip. Her ambition in life was for her son to be a pharmacist. It would have been a dream come true for her, that, and a nice Jewish girl for him. Alas, neither of those wishes came true.The material for the documentary is excellent. Ms. Kopple gets the essence of the man, his music, and his daily life, making this genial man somebody approachable, and human.

angry127 I always knew that Woody Allen had a Jazz band. I think anyone that has seen more than five of his movies probably knows that. Many of his films claim that the recordings for the soundtracks were done by Woody Allen and his band. I like the music his band plays. I'm not very familiar with New Orleans Jazz or Jazz in general. But, I still think I can understand and enjoy it the way Woody Allen says he enjoys it.This movie is a complete train wreck. I remember Francis Ford Coppola was contemplating suicide on film because he thought Apocalypse Now was going to turn out to be a complete and utter failure or an unfinished project. I could imagine the director of this documentary coming to the same conclusions.The problem is, Woody Allen is a more interesting character when he is writing or performing. Watching this movie shows us how average his life is (when taking into account the small things that make up life). This movie could have just as well been about a plumber unclogging pipes, or a mail man delivering mail. I don't see what makes a movie about a famous director staying in hotels grasping in any intellectual, philosophical, or emotional fashion.And that is basically what this movie is. Its him and his wife staying in hotels, going on airplanes, and doing gigs. The gigs eventually get as boring as the airplane rides. The movie feels more like a reality show than a documentary. Do we care that hot water was not working in Woody Allen's hotel? Do we care that he would rather get bitten by a dog than licked by one? Do we care about the omelets Woody Allen's wife orders for breakfast? If any of use answered yes to any of those questions, maybe we should re watch some Woody Allen movies to see the qualities that we were most certainly missing.

Cosmoeticadotcom Barbara Kopple's 1998 documentary on filmmaker Woody Allen's 1996 tour of Europe with his New Orleans Jazz Band (reputedly eighteen concerts, and seven countries, in twenty-three days), Wild Man Blues, is one of the most pointless, dull, and utterly inert documentaries I've ever seen. I've long been a fan of Allen's films, and even his worst films (see The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion) are a cut or three above their typical Hollywood counterparts. And Kopple is a noted documentarian of quality- see Harlan County, USA. But, this film is nothing but a manifest ploy to rehabilitate the man's image after his 1991 scandal of splitting up with actress Mia Farrow and shacking up with her daughter.Documentaries are supposed to enlighten and give insight into their subject matter. This film does not, even at a bloated hour and forty-five minutes in length. This could have been cut to an hour, with ease, had most of the execrable jazz been cut. It's not that the music is so bad as the fact that Allen and his compatriots are so utterly meager. Without Allen, the rest of the musicians could never have gotten a gig at a bar mitzvah.But, the real problem with Wild Man Blues is that Allen is never allowed to display his wit and intellect. There are a few good Vaudevillean one liners (a lady says to Allen, 'You are so intelligent;' and he replies, 'Well, yes. It is a burden, though, sometimes. With this much intelligence comes great responsibility. You know. It's lonely at the top.'), but mostly endless scenes of Allen blowing on his clarinet, making nice with Soon-Yi in their chi-chi hotel digs, hobnobbing with sycophantic mayors of European cities who give him the keys to their respective cities, and a number of oddball scenes that serve no purpose in the narrative- such as a French fan who disbelieves Allen has any prowess as a musician, only to- after the show, become a true convert. I mean, did the filmmaker- Kopple, really believe the viewer would be surprised or enlightened that the man had changed his opinion? There are about two minutes devoted to the scandal, an equal amount of time on Allen discussing his films, but absolutely nada on Allen's career in stand up comedy, early television, much less his day to day life before and during celebrity. So, again, what was the point for this film, save to burnish Allen's reputation as a human being?Perhaps that is good enough to carry a film if it provides a modicum of the other qualities previously mentioned. But, Wild Man Blues does not. Even for Allen fans who define the original intent of the term as fanatic, this film is something of coitus sans ejaculation. Nowhere do we get a glimpse of Allen unguarded; do we really believe that he and Soon-Yi in white robes, eating a gourmet Spanish breakfast, is a revelation of any sort? Of course, that question would be better addressed to director Kopple, who made a highly regarded Oscar winning1976 documentary called Harlan County U.S.A., about a miner's strike- as well as many others, but in this film seems to be on cruise control.At best, Wild Man Blues is a competent little film- a travelogue with a celebrity, but not one which will leave a lasting impression to the uninterested observer, even if it does, occasionally appeal to the architecture lover out there. There are no great techniques nor style explored- the way an Errol Morris or Ken Burns documentary is manifestly theirs. Thus, this film is recommended only for Allen fans who desire to have the man's whole oeuvre- as director, writer, actor, or what not. And, yes, I am one of those people. But, for the rest of you, go watch Another Woman or Stardust Memories. Trust me on that!

mrcaw1 Wild Man Blues (1997) From the maker of Harlan County USA comes this documentary on the wild and woody Mr. Allen and his new bride. As ever, the filmmaker's eye acts as a scalpel exposing the great Woody like a pheasant under glass. While I can appreciate the skill and quality of what the movie accomplished, I found Mr. Allen in real life to be a rather self-absorbed, petulant personality. In fact, I wish I hadn't seen it, and actually tried to forget it as soon as possible so I could go on enjoying his own movies. As the saying goes, the truth hurts.