THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 1, 1995 TAG: 9502010060
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: BY GAIL GRIFFIN
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
FEW AMERICAN filmmakers have struggled with the blurry line between art and life as much as Woody Allen has.
In ``Woody Allen on Woody Allen'' (Grove Press, 304 pp., $22), a collection of interviews with Swedish filmmaker Stig Bjorkman, Allen tries to set the record straight by separating illusion - his neurotic screen persona - from reality.
Unfortunately for Allen fans, that reality proves more than a little disappointing. The stable pragmatist who emerges throughout the extended discussion isn't as sharp, or funny, as the Woody we know from the screen. But neither is he as self-obsessed - or annoying.
Instead, Allen comes across as a serious workaholic who intends to keep making at least one movie a year for the foreseeable future, one who relies on work as the guiding force in his life.
Bjorkman interviewed Allen during 1992-93, when the schism in the director's relationship with companion Mia Farrow exploded into a media circus. But the book touches on Allen's personal life only briefly, when he condemns critics and viewers who confuse his life with his art. Allen explains that although his work has autobiographical elements, his characters are fictional.
Bjorkman asks direct, thoughtful questions about all aspects of Allen's movies, from conception to release. Allen explains how he writes, casts, shoots and edits his films, revealing lots of interesting tidbits in the process (such as that ``Annie Hall'' was originally intended as a murder mystery, an idea he picked up 15 years later in ``Manhattan Murder Mystery''). He also discusses his influences, from childhood to present day, and some of his themes: reality vs. fantasy, the nature of art, and the transience of relationships.
The book devotes a chapter to each of Allen's releases, from his first directing effort, 1969's ``Take the Money and Run,'' to 1993's ``Manhattan Murder Mystery.'' Along the way, readers can trace the progression of Allen's career from early '70s slapstick (``Bananas'' and ``Sleeper'') to more intellectual comedies in the late '70s (``Annie Hall,'' ``Manhattan'') and finally to his widely diverse later work (``Crimes and Misdemeanors,'' ``Husbands and Wives,'' ``Manhattan Murder Mystery'').
Because Allen rarely grants interviews, his fans, and film fans in general, will appreciate the depth of ``Woody Allen on Woody Allen, ''which is filled with discussion about the art and craft of movie-making. Casual film-goers, though, may find it more difficult to get through. Bjorkman's interviews require the reader to know Allen's work and at least something about his influences - filmmakers ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Ingmar Bergman.
The book stumbles in its poor editing (names are misspelled fairly frequently) and in the erratic quality of the interviews. Several chapters are way too short, while others could stand editing.
Despite those nitpicks, ``Woody Allen on Woody Allen'' succeeds in delivering insight into the ups and downs of Allen's movie career. And it places emphasis squarely where it belongs - on Allen's art and not his personal life. MEMO: Gail Griffin is a staff editor. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
by CNB