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June 26, 2005

Confessions of an ex-Woody Allen fan

Notes from an ex-Woody fan in the Forward, by Andrew Heinz, author of "Jews and the American Soul: Human Nature in the Twentieth Century": An ex-fan never gives up hope. That's what makes him, or her, different from a fair-weather fan, who loves for a time and easily moves on... My theory about Allen's fate has two premises: First, an artist cannot write beyond his personal maturity; and second, an artist cannot always tell where his true talent lies... The other conspicuous problem of Allen's private world—his long-lived preoccupation with teenage girls—is not one that I, as a loyal ex-fan, want to dredge up. Suffice to say that he produced some of his best work while involved with a talented contemporary, Mia Farrow, and some of his worst while living with the post-adolescent Soon-Yi Previn. But aside from the artistic consequences of an artist's maturities and immaturities, there is another important question: Does Allen understand the nature of his own talent?" [Heinze briskly (and insightfully) runs down the list of bad and good at the link, with an emphasis on Broadway Danny Rose.]

Posted by at June 26, 2005 01:58 PM

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