Woody Allen At Work

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Any Real Woody Allen Fan
Review: Anyone who loves the work of Woody Allen will appreciate this book. The photography is gorgeous, with behind-the-scenes shots as well as stills from the films. In addition, Woody comments on the making of the films.

Rating:
Summary: A Must For Any Real Woody Allen Fan
Review: Anyone who loves the work of Woody Allen will appreciate this book. The photography is gorgeous, with behind-the-scenes shots as well as stills from the films. In addition, Woody comments on the making of the films.

Rating:
Summary: A film career described in photos and an essay
Review: This book is mainly a collection of photographer Brian Hamill's shots of Woody Allen at work. While many of the photos are simply photos taken directly from Woody Allen's films, twenty two of which are featured in this book - including Manhattan, Annie Hall, Stardust Memories, and Bullets Over Broadway - there are a large number which show how Woody Allen does his work. One scene from Manhattan, in which Woody Allen is conversing with his co-star Mariel Hemmingway in a café, shows a classic close-up of Hemmingway shot over Woody's right shoulder, with light aimed, controlled and diffused so as to give her eyes an attractive glow. Another photo of a scene from Stardust Memories shows how the special effects crew uses hoses and sprinklers placed outside the frame on either side in a "movie-within-the-movie" sequence in which Woody co-stars with Charlotte Rampling as they kiss in the rain.

Both photographer Ham ill and Woody Allen write mutually admiring and complementary pieces at the beginning of the book of each other. As does Charles Champlin when he reviews Woody Allen's career in an essay which precedes over 150 pages of photographs. This is thus not a critical book of the work of the film maker.

If you enjoy or have enjoyed Woody Allen's films, this book is a nice coffee table book which will remind you of some of your favorite scenes and how they were made.