Woody Allen: A Documentary
| Woody Allen: A Documentary | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Written by | Robert B. Weide |
| Directed by | Robert B. Weide |
| Music by | Paul Cantelon |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Robert B. Weide |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 3 hrs 12 min |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | November 19 – November 20, 2011 |
Woody Allen: A Documentary is a 2011 documentary television miniseries directed by Robert B. Weide about the comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen.[1] It premiered as part of the American Masters series on PBS. The film covers Allen's career as a standup comedian, sitcom writer, film director, and film auteur. At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received two nominations: for Outstanding Documentary Series and for Directing for a Documentary Program.
Summary
The series covers Allen's childhood living with a large
Participants
The many artists, historians, and critics that are interviewed include:
- Diane Keaton
- Dianne Wiest
- Scarlett Johansson
- Penélope Cruz
- Mariel Hemingway
- Mira Sorvino
- Naomi Watts
- Julie Kavner
- Louise Lasser
- Owen Wilson
- Antonio Banderas
- John Cusack
- Josh Brolin
- Sean Penn
- Chris Rock
- Larry David
- Martin Scorsese
- Dick Cavett
- Annette Insdorf
- Leonard Maltin
- Richard Schickel
- Juliet Taylor
- Gordon Willis
- Vilmos Zsigmond
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | Robert B. Weide | November 19, 2011 | N/A |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Robert B. Weide | November 20, 2011 | N/A |
Production
Susan Lacy, who created the PBS series American Masters and had overseen programs about subjects ranging from Buster Keaton to Jerome Robbins and John Lennon to Bob Dylan, served as an executive producer on the project, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "This is the Woody doc everybody has been waiting for, and I am delighted that this creative giant is finally assuming his rightful place in the American Masters library".[2]
Reception
The two-part documentary series received positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 90% based on 21 reviews, with an average score of 6.7/10; the site's "critics consensus" states: "Driving aside the most polemical aspects of the director's biography, Woody Allen: A Documentary draws an interesting picture of the filmmaker's opus while allowing some glimpses of his intense personal life."[3]
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter praised Weide and the series, writing: "Writer and director Robert Weide got unfettered access to one of the country's great and most prolific directors whose private life and personal feelings about his work had never been adequately captured. Credit Weide, who spent a year and a half with Allen, including at home, traveling and on the set of a working film, for not botching such a grand opportunity."[2]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary Series | Woody Allen: A Documentary | Nominated | [5] |
| Directing for a Documentary Program | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Woody Allen: A Documentary". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Woody Allen: A Documentary". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Woody Allen: A Documentary". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ^ "Woody Allen: A Documentary - Review". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "64th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
External links
- Woody Allen: A Documentary at the TCM Movie Database
- Woody Allen: A Documentary at IMDb
- PBS American Masters
