Woody Allen: Six Films (1971-1978) (Blu-ray) (Arrow Academy) [UK]

[paulboland]

Release date: September 26th, 2016
Purchase links: Arrow Films - Amazon UK
Price: £59.99 (Arrow Films) - £48.99 (Amazon UK)

Spoiler

Collection includes:

Bananas (1971)

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Sleeper (1973)

Love and Death (1975)

Annie Hall (1977)

Interiors (1978)




Exclusive to this collection:
Annie Hall and a 100-page hardback book
Featuring new and archive writing on all the films by Woody Allen, Michael Brooke, Johnny Mains, Kat Ellinger, John Leman Riley, Hannah Hamad and Brad Stevens

 

[C.C. 95]

I am not sure about what films exactly you like but Hannah and her sisters is a bit of a slow, i would give the others a go first then maybe put it near the back, its got Michael Caine in it but it's very slow. I'd say try Manhattan Murder Mystery it's another old one but good one.

Match Point isn't great but Scarlett may get you through it. but if you like her a later one I really like is Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Manhattan Murder Mystery was great because it was Woody and Diane Keaton back together after years of not working together.
Hannah has a great story and script (which won the Oscar along with Supporting Actor and Actress).

 

[C.C. 95]

Hannah and Her Sisters is also on Netflix, so I'll give that a go at some point too. Would you recommend Match Point? That's on there as well... although I'll probably just watch it for SJ either way.

Yep!
Watch them all chronologically!
It really has been fascinating watching him develop over the years (I became aware of him in the mid 80s). He is definitely a fascinating artist. He really cares about the craft, and honors the great filmmakers before him.

 

[PunkNinja]

You need to do a little reading about his different periods of work. His earlier slapstick (Bananas, Sleeper) his Dramady (Manhatten, Annie Hall), his drama (Interiors, Another Woman), his noir/period (Radio Days, Purple Rose, Shadows & Fog).... The dude has made a LOT of great movies. But there are a lot of people who only prefer the earlier, funnier films, and people who prefer the Dramedies, etc.
There is a LOT to choose from. I love almost all of them. (Although, I admit to not being a fan of his Ingmar Berman inspired dramas like Interiors and Another Woman. And, like any filmmaker - he has some clunkers.)
But his films really run the gamut. I, personally have the most fondness for his mid to late middle period with Manhatten, Annie Hall, Radio Days, Purple Rose of Cairo, Broadway Danny Rose, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Shadows & Fog, Midsummers Night Sex Comedy....
But his early slapstick is some of the greatest comedy ever made. Love & Death, Sleeper, Take the Money and Run, and Everything you Wanted to Know about Sex are Brilliant. (Love & Death's dialog is so clever it hurts your brain while laughing hysterically (He actually made a Dostoyevsky comedy!) And EYWTKAS has a rampaging giant breast terrorizing the countryside! Sleeper has the "slipping on the banana peel" gag to end them all! And Take the Money and run shows you what can go wrong when you misspell Gun (as Gub) in a bank robbery ransom note, or how making a fake gun out of soap can be your undoing if it rains!)
Then, his later work are just brilliant pieces of cinema all around (brilliant scipts, acting, cinematography, set design, etc.)
Watch all of his movies!!!

Amen to that.

 

[PunkNinja]

My fave Woody films. Sleeper, Love and Death and Manhattan

 

[adarkcorner]

Are these films considered his best works? I've only seen two Woody Allen films (Blue Jasmine and Magic in the Moonlight) in my life, and I found them to be just ok.

I would recommend watching every film he made up until around 1992. After that he went downhill incredibly fast, and permanently. I love virtually every film he made up to and including Husbands and Wives, but I can't think of a single film he's made since then that I've truly liked.

His early slapstick movies like Bananas, Sleeper, and Take the Money and Run were childhood favorites of mine (I still watch Sleeper at least once a year), but I think his best films are Love and Death, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Husbands and Wives.

Damn, you guys got me all excited--I'm gonna load up Sleeper and watch it right the hell now .

 

[Noodles]

I am not sure about what films exactly you like but Hannah and her sisters is a bit of a slow, i would give the others a go first then maybe put it near the back, its got Michael Caine in it but it's very slow. I'd say try Manhattan Murder Mystery it's another old one but good one.

Match Point isn't great but Scarlett may get you through it. but if you like her a later one I really like is Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I like all sorts really... although it depends on my mood at the time lol. I can do slow, so long as the dialogue is good. I'll probably move on to Hannah and her Sisters once I've done with Annie Hall and Manhattan, since they're the only ones I have access to at the moment. I'll more than likely check out the majority of his stuff over time.

Yep!
Watch them all chronologically!
It really has been fascinating watching him develop over the years (I became aware of him in the mid 80s). He is definitely a fascinating artist. He really cares about the craft, and honors the great filmmakers before him.

I do usually prefer to watch stuff chronologically, but sometimes it's just not possible... would be helpful if there was a box set containing all of his films, but we all know that's never going to happen. Seems like Annie Hall and Manhattan are a good place to start though!

I would recommend watching every film he made up until around 1992. After that he went downhill incredibly fast, and permanently. I love virtually every film he made up to and including Husbands and Wives, but I can't think of a single film he's made since then that I've truly liked.

His early slapstick movies like Bananas, Sleeper, and Take the Money and Run were childhood favorites of mine (I still watch Sleeper at least once a year), but I think his best films are Love and Death, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Husbands and Wives.

Damn, you guys got me all excited--I'm gonna load up Sleeper and watch it right the hell now .

That's obviously where I went wrong then... not that I hated them or anything, but the only two films of his that I've seen so far were both released in the last few years lol.

I honestly never thought I'd like slapstick, but after recently getting in to Chaplin, I've found it's something I actually love! Definitely looking forward to checking out Allen's hand at the genre. One thing's for sure... I've got a hell of a lot of catching up to do! Sounds like I'm in for a treat though.

P.S. How did your millionth viewing of Sleeper go?

 

[nefilim]

Are these films considered his best works? I've only seen two Woody Allen films (Blue Jasmine and Magic in the Moonlight) in my life, and I found them to be just ok.

meant to answer but @C.C. 95 said it prettu much all.

my favourites (vary from time to time) at the moment are sleeper, zelig and manhattan.

IMO his recent works pale in comparison what he used to do. they are 'just' ok, as you said. early works are brilliant.

 

[C.C. 95]

Sounds like I'm in for a treat though.
P.S. How did your millionth viewing of Sleeper go?

Probably...

 

[nefilim]

...and gonna get this box. note : annie hall and manhattan are released in France in nice digibooks. got those ...

 

[nefilim]

...and I think maybe, just maybe, mr Allen has started to take him self too seriously as he has aged. I dunno ???

 

[C.C. 95]

I think this release as a "collection" is kind of lumpy.
The first four go together nicely since they are from his straight comedy era.
Then, Annie Hall which is a more mature dramedy/romatic film - and then Interiors?!!
Interiors is a hardcore depressing, Bergman style drama. What the hell is that doing in there?
I can see a box set of Interiors, Another Woman, and September (all the serious dramas).
But Interiors is a weird inclusion. Annie Hall is at least a comedy. (But not the goofy kind like the others).
It's like doing a Spielberg boxed set of E.T., HOOK, and SCHINDLER'S LIST.

 

[adarkcorner]

P.S. How did your millionth viewing of Sleeper go?

I laughed as hard as I did the first time I saw it . There's plenty of slapstick at its best (most of it accompanied by infectious Ragtime music), but there's also a lot of brilliant cultural observation arising from the differences/similarities between the early 70s world from which Allen's character originates and the dystopian future that he wakes up to from cryogenic sleep (which is in itself an amusing stab at a 70s obsession). Some of the references and humor in the film might be lost on someone who wasn't alive at the time or doesn't know much about 70s culture--I'm not sure. But I was thinking when I posted last night that you'll probably love Sleeper and his other slapstick movies since you've recently discovered that you really like Chaplin's films. I see a lot of Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd in Allen's early films.

Allen never attended any kind of film school; he was self-taught, having been an obsessive film lover his entire life. He often pays tribute to his favorite filmmakers in his own films; in addition to the above-mentioned directors, he seems to especially love Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. But don't let that scare you off !

He's also an accomplished jazz musician (clarinet). I went to see him play with an ensemble in a small club in NYC in the mid-nineties, and my girlfriend at the time and I talked to him briefly afterwards! I was worried he'd be irritated and rude, but he wasn't at all. He was quite gracious, in fact. I think he even found my bizarre, sycophantic, motor-mouth girlfriend genuinely amusing.

 

[C.C. 95]

I laughed as hard as I did the first time I saw it . There's plenty of slapstick at its best (most of it accompanied by infectious Ragtime music), but there's also a lot of brilliant cultural observation arising from the differences/similarities between the early 70s world from which Allen's character originates and the dystopian future that he wakes up to from cryogenic sleep (which is in itself an amusing stab at a 70s obsession). Some of the references and humor in the film might be lost on someone who wasn't alive at the time or doesn't know much about 70s culture--I'm not sure. But I was thinking when I posted last night that you'll probably love Sleeper and his other slapstick movies since you've recently discovered that you really like Chaplin's films. I see a lot of Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd in Allen's early films.

Allen never attended any kind of film school; he was self-taught, having been an obsessive film lover his entire life. He often pays tribute to his favorite filmmakers in his own films; in addition to the above-mentioned directors, he seems to especially love Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. But don't let that scare you off !

He's also an accomplished jazz musician (clarinet). I went to see him play with an ensemble in a small club in NYC in the mid-nineties, and my girlfriend at the time and I talked to him briefly afterwards! I was worried he'd be irritated and rude, but he wasn't at all. He was quite gracious, in fact. I think he even found my bizarre, sycophantic, motor-mouth girlfriend genuinely amusing.

One of my favorite bits from SLEEPER is when he wakes up in the future he is given a cigarette and told to inhale the smoke deep into his lungs - "It is one of the healthiest things for you"! Didn't they also say he should have a diet that is rich in Banana Splits and Hot Fudge?!! (Hot fudge being one of the healthiest food groups!) It's been too long since I've seen it. But the giant banana peel gag always has me crying every time! And holding the nose hostage...and....damn, I gotta watch it today!!

 

[Noodles]

Sorry to say, but Annie Hall just wasn't for me... I'm not sure if it was Woody Allen himself or just the character he played, but I found him and his constant babbling quite annoying. Obviously I'm not going to judge him based on that one performance though, so will give some of his other films a chance at some point. I need to wash the sour taste from my mouth first however.

I laughed as hard as I did the first time I saw it . There's plenty of slapstick at its best (most of it accompanied by infectious Ragtime music), but there's also a lot of brilliant cultural observation arising from the differences/similarities between the early 70s world from which Allen's character originates and the dystopian future that he wakes up to from cryogenic sleep (which is in itself an amusing stab at a 70s obsession). Some of the references and humor in the film might be lost on someone who wasn't alive at the time or doesn't know much about 70s culture--I'm not sure. But I was thinking when I posted last night that you'll probably love Sleeper and his other slapstick movies since you've recently discovered that you really like Chaplin's films. I see a lot of Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd in Allen's early films.

Allen never attended any kind of film school; he was self-taught, having been an obsessive film lover his entire life. He often pays tribute to his favorite filmmakers in his own films; in addition to the above-mentioned directors, he seems to especially love Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. But don't let that scare you off !

He's also an accomplished jazz musician (clarinet). I went to see him play with an ensemble in a small club in NYC in the mid-nineties, and my girlfriend at the time and I talked to him briefly afterwards! I was worried he'd be irritated and rude, but he wasn't at all. He was quite gracious, in fact. I think he even found my bizarre, sycophantic, motor-mouth girlfriend genuinely amusing.

His slapstick stuff is definitely what I'm most looking forward to checking out. Chaplin is the the only one from the names you mentioned that I've explored so far, but I find it really excited to know that he's just one of a few that perfected the genre, as I have a lot to look forward to by the sound of it.

Very cool that Allen took the time to talk to you and made the experience a pleasant one. The thing you said about your "motor-mouth" girlfriend made me laugh, especially after what I said about Allen's character in Annie Hall babbling.

 

[adarkcorner]

One of my favorite bits from SLEEPER is when he wakes up in the future he is given a cigarette and told to inhale the smoke deep into his lungs - "It is one of the healthiest things for you"! Didn't they also say he should have a diet that is rich in Banana Splits and Hot Fudge?!! (Hot fudge being one of the healthiest food groups!) It's been too long since I've seen it. But the giant banana peel gag always has me crying every time! And holding the nose hostage...and....damn, I gotta watch it today!!

Right?! Exactly how I felt last night. And still feel now, actually. I think I'm gonna marathon his slapstick movies this weekend .

The cigarette/junk-food bit and the nose scene ("checking the cell structure, cell structure . . ." ) instantly come to mind for me too whenever someone mentions this movie. But my favorite part has always been the inflatable "hydro-vac suit" scene. When I first saw this film as a little kid in the 70s, that suit and the way he flails about in it was probably the single strangest-looking and most hilarious thing I'd ever seen. It still makes me laugh uncontrollably every time I watch it.

Sorry to say, but Annie Hall just wasn't for me... I'm not sure if it was Woody Allen himself or just the character he played, but I found him and his constant babbling quite annoying. Obviously I'm not going to judge him based on that one performance though, so will give some of his other films a chance at some point. I need to wash the sour taste from my mouth first however.

His slapstick stuff is definitely what I'm most looking forward to checking out. Chaplin is the the only one from the names you mentioned that I've explored so far, but I find it really excited to know that he's just one of a few that perfected the genre, as I have a lot to look forward to by the sound of it.

Very cool that Allen took the time to talk to you and made the experience a pleasant one. The thing you said about your "motor-mouth" girlfriend made me laugh, especially after what I said about Allen's character in Annie Hall babbling.

Damn, sorry to hear you didn't like it, Noodles! And I hate to have to tell you this, but his character in Annie Hall is pretty much the same character he plays in nearly all of the films he acts in. I'm pretty sure it's at least a partial version of his real self. But it's not shocking to hear your reaction. It's kind of a universal thing: people either love that persona or can't stand it. There's very little middle ground. And it's pretty much impossible to accurately predict on which side a person will fall, no matter how well you know them or how intelligent they are. Over the years, I've introduced Allen's films to more than a few people that I was 100% positive would love him, only to find that he annoyed the hell out of them. Some of those people really like the films that feature little or no Woody-Allen-the-actor, but they simply can't bear to sit through the films in which he has a prominent acting role.

Unfortunately, there is some degree of that persona even in his slapstick movies, although not nearly as much as there is in subsequent films like Annie Hall. But I still think you'll enjoy the early movies for their slapstick, so at least give one of those a try!

 

[C.C. 95]

Right?! Exactly how I felt last night. And still feel now, actually. I think I'm gonna marathon his slapstick movies this weekend .

The cigarette/junk-food bit and the nose scene ("checking the cell structure, cell structure . . ." ) instantly come to mind for me too whenever someone mentions this movie. But my favorite part has always been the inflatable "hydro-suit" scene. When I first saw this film as a little kid in the 70s, that suit and the way he flails about in it was probably the single strangest-looking and most hilarious thing I'd ever seen. It still makes me laugh uncontrollably every time I watch it.



Damn, sorry to hear you didn't like it, Noodles! And I hate to have to tell you this, but his character in Annie Hall is pretty much the same character he plays in nearly all of the films he acts in. I'm pretty sure it's at least a partial version of his real self. But it's not shocking to hear your reaction. It's kind of a universal thing: people either love that persona or can't stand it. There's very little middle ground. And it's pretty much impossible to accurately predict on which side a person will fall, no matter how well you know them or how intelligent they are. Over the years, I've introduced Allen's films to more than a few people that I was 100% positive would love him, only to find that he annoyed the hell out of them. Some of those people really like the films that feature little or no Woody-Allen-the-actor, but they simply can't bear to sit through the films in which he has a prominent acting role.

Unfortunately, there is some degree of that persona even in his slapstick movies, although not nearly as much as there is in subsequent films like Annie Hall. But I still think you'll enjoy the early movies for their slapstick, so at least give one of those a try!

I just was thinking about the Howard Cosell "pre-fight/pre-coup" interview in Bananas! where they discuss how he thinks the overthrow of the dictator is going to go!
Or in Love and Death how no one can figure out why Young Nehamkin is older than Old Nehamkin!
Pound for pound, Love and Death has the the most intelligent and still supremely silly dialog of all his films. (Imo)
Napoleon: Do you find me attractive as a man?
Sonja: Yes, I think that's your best bet.
-
Sonja: Oh don't, Boris, please. Sex without love is an empty experience.
Boris: Yes, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.
Sonja: There are many different kinds of love, Boris. There's love between a man and a woman; between a mother and son...
Boris: Two women. Let's not forget my favorite.
-
Sonja: Judgment of any system, or a priori relationship or phenomenon exists in an irrational, or metaphysical, or at least epistemological contradiction to an abstract empirical concept such as being, or to be, or to occur in the thing itself, or of the thing itself.
Boris: Yes, I've said that many times.

 

[Lollard2002]

I have to admit I love his early stuff. Very very funny... Not a fan of his later stuff but that set I"ll buy as it contains some gems. My favouirite of his films "Take the money and run". Haven't seen it in years but always made me laugh.

 

[dan8885]

Most of the movies Woody Allen did are amazing. Explained enough from the lads above me. I also like his recent ones like Midnight in Paris. I've bought the UK DVD collection with 20 of his movies for under 20 EUR last year. I'll pass here and stay with them for now. There should be a more complete collection. This set don't make sense to me. Especially not for 70 GBP. I'll wait for Criterion or German label Arthaus to pick them up as a set or individually. Sorry Arrow.

 

[Noodles]

Damn, sorry to hear you didn't like it, Noodles! And I hate to have to tell you this, but his character in Annie Hall is pretty much the same character he plays in nearly all of the films he acts in. I'm pretty sure it's at least a partial version of his real self. But it's not shocking to hear your reaction. It's kind of a universal thing: people either love that persona or can't stand it. There's very little middle ground. And it's pretty much impossible to accurately predict on which side a person will fall, no matter how well you know them or how intelligent they are. Over the years, I've introduced Allen's films to more than a few people that I was 100% positive would love him, only to find that he annoyed the hell out of them. Some of those people really like the films that feature little or no Woody-Allen-the-actor, but they simply can't bear to sit through the films in which he has a prominent acting role.

Unfortunately, there is some degree of that persona even in his slapstick movies, although not nearly as much as there is in subsequent films like Annie Hall. But I still think you'll enjoy the early movies for their slapstick, so at least give one of those a try!

You're exactly right mate... it turns out quite a few people aren't big fans of him either, and I realised that soon after expressing my dislike for Annie Hall on social media. I spoke to a friend last night who told me that he can't stand Woody Allen, but said Annie Hall is probably the one he dislikes least... that doesn't give me much hope for his other films.

Sad thing is... I think I would've actually enjoyed the film had it not been for him, so maybe I should just avoid the ones he has a role in. I'll most certainly check out his slapstick stuff though, and I'm still tempted to give Manhattan a watch sometime soon, just to be sure that I can't stand him as an actor.

 

[Futurhythm]

I don't think anybody's mentioned this yet, but this is only the first of three Woody Allen boxsets Arrow will be releasing. Arrow have the rights to all his MGM owned stuff which is 19 films in total and a final year of 1991 I think. Everything is being released chronologically so it's not just a random choice of films.