Film Biographies & Interviews, Entertainment Biography, Comedy
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Overview
Few celebrities are as instantly recognizable as Woody Allen. Few are as notoriously shy. And perhaps none are as elusive: Is Woody Allen a comedian who wants to be taken seriously? Or is he a serious artist whose films happen to be funny? The very fact that Eric Lax was granted access to Woody for 4 years in order to research this biography must be counted as a triumph, & what Lax has produced is a marvel of intimacy & insight: a book that traces Allens career from his precocious start as a gag writer to his apotheosis as a genuine auteur; a book that takes readers behind the scenes of many of his films. Photos.To research this intimate and insightful biography--a national bestseller in hardcover--Eric Lax spent four years by the side of one of our most private and contradictory celebrities. Woody Allen takes readers behind the scenes of Allen's most famous films and presents his candid opinions of his work, his influences, and his personal relationships. 16 pages of photographs.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
A feast for fans, this biography--a 10-week PW bestseller in cloth--leans heavily on Allen's own comments. Photos. Author tour. (July)Library Journal
After years of following Allen, Lax ( On Being Funny: Woody Allen and Comedy , LJ 5/15/75) offers a definitive biography of the multi-talented phenomenon. He delineates Allen's history, emphasizing the development of his creative personality while tracing his adolescent interest in magic (which later developed into an obsession with the ``magic'' of cinema). He shows how the artist disciplined himself to become one of the most respected minds in comedy, and one of America's top film directors. He lists comprehensive source references to show where Allen modeled a particular sensibility from, and includes interesting quips from the sources. Recommended for popular as well as serious film and comedy collections. BOMC alternate; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/90.-- Mike Tierno, New YorkSchool Library Journal
YA-- At age 16, Allan Konigsberg's jokes began to appear in the columns of noted New York newspaper writers, and Woody Allen was born. The one-liners grew into jokes for radio personalities, sketches for TV performers, routines for comics, and material for his own stand-up comedy appearances. His major work now is film, in which he is in complete artistic control. Lax's liking and admiration for his subject comes across well, and YAs interested in Allen's life and career will find a wealth of well-documented information, quotes, and excerpts from scripts. The five major sections of this funny and fascinating work are not for browsing, but should be read as units. A drawback for YAs is the poor index, which hinders quick searching for facts. --Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VABook Details
Published
July 1, 1991
Publisher
Diane Pub Co
Pages
386
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780756758929