Woody Allen, who came to present his 50th feature film at the Venice Film Festival, responded to an interview for Variety, referring in particular to cancel culture and the #MeToo movement.
After Rifkin’s Festival, released in July 2022, Woody Allen will be back at the cinema with Coup de chance, in theaters on September 27. This time, the filmmaker set up his cameras in Paris with an entirely French cast: Lou de Laâge, Niels Schneider, Melvil Poupaud, Valérie Lemercier, Grégory Gadebois, Guillaume de Tonquédec and Elsa Zylberstein.
Allen tells us the story of Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud). The latter have everything of the ideal couple: fulfilled in their professional life, they live in a magnificent apartment in the beautiful districts of Paris and seem to be in love as on the first day.
But when Fanny crosses, by chance, Alain, a former high school friend, she is immediately capsized. They see each other again very quickly and get closer and closer.
Coup de chance was recently screened at the Venice Film Festival, over which hangs a scent of scandal following the selection of Woody Allen, Luc Besson and Roman Polanski. Due to their involvement in cases of sexual assault, the arrival of these directors at the Festival was very badly perceived by certain associations, which decided to show their disagreement by demonstrating near the red carpets.
DISTURBED CHANCE PROJECTION
Thus, as indicated by the Huffington Postthe projection of Lucky Strike has been disrupted. “About 20 people arrived in a group, chanting ‘aggressor’ against Woody Allen. The demonstrators stripped their torsos and raised their hands painted red in front of the Venice Cinema Palace located on the Lido.”
“They then tried to sneak onto the red carpet but were pushed back by security. The group walked off shouting, ‘The rapist is not sick, he’s a healthy child of the patriarchy,’ a chant from feminist demonstration in Italy.”
For her part, the French actress Ariane Labed also denounced the selection of Roman Polanski, Luc Besson and Woody Allen. In front of the photographers, she posed with an explicit message inscribed on the chest: “More honors for abusers”.
The feminist collectives Tapis rouge anger noire and Punto Froce also carried out collage actions in Venice to protest against the invitation of these filmmakers. “Through these repeated selections, film festivals continue to weave a transversal network of alliances and support which should apply to victims of gender-based and sexual violence and not to filmmakers accused of this violence”said the Black Anger Red Carpet Collective.
Woody Allen, who therefore presented his 50th feature film, Coup de chance, in this tense climate, also mentioned his possible retirement, at 87 years old. Asked by varietythe director asks himself the question.
WOODY ALLEN RETIRED?
“I was thinking this was my 50th film and I had to decide if I wanted to do more. I thought about two things. One is that it’s always very difficult to find money for a film. And do I want to go through it?asks the filmmaker.
“Making the film is one thing, but finding the money to finance it, you know, it’s tedious and it’s not very glorious. However, if someone comes out of the shadows and says, ‘I’m going give you money to make your film’, it will be a factor that will influence the making of another work. The other thing is the direction in which feature films are going. I don’t like the idea – and I don’t know any director who likes it – to make a film and find it two weeks later on television or streaming”said Woody Allen.
“We don’t live in a great cultural era. There were a lot of wonderful films in the past, and you don’t see many of them today. When I wanted to go to the cinema, there were three or four films that I was dying to see”he adds.
We are not living in a great cultural era. There were a lot of wonderful movies in the past, and you don’t see many of them anymore.
“Every week there was a film by Truffaut, Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and Kurosawa. Today, very few European films are shown in the United States. I think we are not in a wonderful situation on a cultural level, and certainly not in the field of cinema”laments the director of Manhattan and Match Point.
CANCEL CULTURE
Woody Allen also spoke of the “cancel culture”, ensuring that he was not worried about his work despite the accusations of sexual abuse denounced by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. The filmmaker has always denied these allegations, calling them “false and shameful”. As Mediapart points outthe filmmaker imputes them “to a heated divorce coupled with a legal battle for the custody of the children, and accuses Mia Farrow of having manipulated their adopted daughter into questioning him.”
Even if there were no legal proceedings against him, the director suffered the full brunt of the MeToo movement, with a large part of Hollywood turning its back on him. “Famous actors and actresses have publicly regretted working with him”recalls Mediapart.
“The situation has been reviewed by two major bodies, two major investigative bodies. And both, after lengthy and detailed investigations, have concluded that these accusations are unfounded. The fact that this is still going on still makes me think that can “Maybe people like the idea that it’s going on. Maybe there’s something appealing to people. But why?”, wonders Woody Allen at the microphone of Variety.
“I don’t know what you can do other than investigate, which they did very meticulously. One lasted less than a year, the other several months. They spoke to everyone involved and, you know, both investigations came to exactly the same conclusion.”
I find this all so silly. I do not even think about it. I don’t know what it means to be canceled.
The director also develops his thoughts on the “cancel culture.” “I find it all so silly. I don’t even think about it. I don’t know what it means to be ‘cancelled’ [annulé]. I know that over the years, everything has stayed the same for me. I make my films. What has changed is the way we present feature films”he explains.
“I work and it’s always the same routine for me. I write the script, I raise the funds, I make the film, I shoot it, I edit it, it comes out. The difference does not come from the “cancel culture”. The difference is in the way people present my films now. That’s the big change”says the filmmaker.
bestimage Woody Allen
THE WEATHER MOVEMENT
Woody Allen also spoke about the MeToo movement, saying he supports it, even if it sometimes goes too far in his opinion: “If a movement brings something positive, for women in this case, it’s a good thing. When it becomes nonsense, it’s just silly. Sometimes it’s justified and very beneficial for women. women, and so much the better. But sometimes I read things in the newspaper that seem grotesque to me and I find it silly.”
If a movement brings something positive, for women in this case, it’s a good thing. When it becomes nonsense, it’s just stupid.
The director then recalls that of the 50 films he has made, no woman has filed a complaint against him. “I’ve been saying this for a few years and it shocked. But the truth is the truth. I’ve done 50 movies. I’ve always had great roles for women, I’ve always had women in my teams, I have always paid them exactly the same amount as my male actors. I have worked with hundreds of actresses and I have never had a single complaint at any time.”
“Not a single one said, ‘Working with him, he was mean or he harassed me.’ It’s just never been a problem. My editors are women. I have no problem with that. It’s never really concerned me. I hire who I think is good for the role. As I have said, I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses, known and unknown. No one has ever complained and there’s nothing to complain about”says Woody Allen.
I have made 50 films. I’ve always had very good roles for women, I’ve always had women on my teams, I’ve always paid them exactly the same as my male actors. I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses and never had a single complaint at any time.
At our microphone, the actress Lou de Laâge, the main role of her new feature film, had spoken of her collaboration with the director: “It’s one of the most gentle, simple and benevolent shoots I’ve done. It was a little magic bubble. I’m not the only one to think so, I can also say so for my partners and everyone. team. It’s one of the shoots that leave traces, I’ll remember it”she said in December 2022.
Will Chance be the 50th and last film of Woody Allen’s career? The future will tell. The feature film will be released in theaters on September 27.