Woody Allen

[montgomery]

I think Allen's films are some of the most beautifully shot American films. His collaborations with DiPalma, Willis and Nykvist are all incredible. Celebrity was one of his most elaborate films in terms of cinematography, but since then, I don't think Allen's found a suitable DP (I haven't seen Match Point). Zhao Fei was the most effective, but only his use of color (and filters) really stood out. Sweet and Lowdown had a nice sheen to it, but the shots themselves seemed more lazy than Allen's previous films. This only got worse when Allen went to Dreamworks. I should mention that I think Allen is (was?) a genius, was my favorite working American director (especially in the 80s--it's amazing how those films aren't dated at all, unlike most 80s films), and I've seen all his films many times. I would see every film of his on opening day. When I rushed to see "Small Time Crooks," I thought it was devestating. There is not one thing (except a few jokes here and there) than I find redeeming about this film. Little did I know that it would only get worse. I do think that Allen's last masterpiece was "Husbands and Wives," which is incredible, and was possibly his most well-written film (with great performances all around, except maybe by Sydney Pollack's young girlfriend). He seemed to be entering new, darker territory with that film. Although Allen denies it, I think the scandal hurt (if not ruined) his career, though there were many factors involved. He denies that it had any effect on him emotionally, but it's hard to believe, judging by the drop in quality in his work, and also many allusions to having "made a mistake" in some of his later films (not that I claim to know how autobiographical they are). Also, in the industry, Allen was tolerated as an auteur, and had more artistic freedom than any other director of his status, but the scandal did damage to his already poor reputation among the masses. Finally, the loss of his leading lady (who is seriously underrated--Farrow was an amazing chameleon who was tailor-made for his films--or vice-versa) and, later, his core crew, caused irreperable damage. There's something a little off about all of his post-scandal films, although Harry-Celebrity-Lowdown (which appears to be a kind of trilogy) broke some new ground (they are probably his darkest and most introspective films). But even in those films, there's many flaws. Some of the performances are wretched (though some are brilliant, most notably Sean Penn), the scripts are poorly paced and contain a lot of groan-inducing (and recycled) jokes, and they just seem clumsy in parts. Anyway--sorry I'm ranting (I just found this thread)--nothing could prepare me for the Dreamworks films. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I cannot defend them in any way. Not only are not up to par, but some of them are among the most poorly made films I've seen (Hollywood Ending is so badly shot that I almost want to assume that Allen was intentionally making the film that his blind character is making in the film). I seriously doubt that Allen does any rewriting (though it seems like he's using ideas that he threw away decades ago), that he does more than one take of any scene, that he pays any attention to anything whatosever. I can't think of a more extreme example of someone phoning it in on every level. I know some people around here defend Melinda & Melinda, but I found myself literally wincing half the time. I had hoped that it was Dreamworks' influence on him (he supposedly had artistic control there, but they would not let him do dramas, although he was allowed to do them for other studios while under contract to them), but after Melinda & Melinda, I can't blame them anymore. Also, I went to see the 2 plays Allen has written and director for the Atlantic Theatre Company in NY (one contained 2 slight one-act comedies, and the other was supposed to be a serious drama), and they were both poorly written and terribly directed. I'm hoping for the best, but it's hard to believe the hype about Match Point (especially because Allen has a lot of trouble writing younger characters. The scene with his punk-rock son in Hollywood Ending is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen). I think he's probably working mostly with sycophants now, and probably the kind who only really like Annie Hall, or think that working with Allen will get them an Oscar. There aren't too many people working in Hollywood (or maybe anywhere else) who still have the European sensibility that Allen's films require, or used to require (notice how many over-the-shoulder reversal shots there are in his recent films, something he used to avoid at all costs). Can you imagine Allen trying to make a Bergman-esque drama a la Another Woman these days? I don't think Lindsey Lohan or whoever would be in it would quite cut it.
(By the way, on the topic of DP's, it'd be interesting to see Allen work with Robby Muller, though I doubt they'd get along).

[Andre Jurieu]

Some things never change. I had Jay Leno on in the backround tonight as I was cleaning my room and he makes a joke about Woody Allen, he said that therapy hasn't been working for Woody and proof of that is because he married his daughter. Leno probably knows the specifics, but I guess a quick joke can't hurt him, right? I guess I should take that with good humor, but this sort of thing doesn't help the dreadfully common misconception of Allen's marriage (how many times do I have to shout "adopted daughter of his girlfriend?").

I'm completely indifferent to Allen - he's made great films, he's made some awful films, he's made some mediocre films. I also don't really care about his personal life all that much, unless it starts effecting his work. I have no real opinion on his current marriage.

Having said all that, I'm having trouble figuring out why it's so perplexing to others that certain people find his current marriage so creepy. It's not a question of defining his marriage, but rather a questioning of his sense of decency, which some people now believe to be suspect. I'm fairly sure most people know Allen is married to Mia Farrow's adopted daughter and not actually his own biological daughter. It's fairly well-known information. Logically, this should make it OK in terms of biology and legality, but what people are taking offense to here isn't scientific or legal, it's his morality.

If Woody and Soon-Yi are happy and love each other, I have no real reason to complain about their marriage. Since I don't know the exact details of their relationship, I can't say conclusively whether or not it's a pleasant marriage. However, I can easily see how others are uneasy about their relationship.

Yes, Allen had no concrete legal or biological standing as Soon-Yi's father, but when you date someone's mother figure you usually automatically assume a role as a father figure, particularly when you spend so much time within their household and act as a family. This is the assumption people are making because it appears reasonable based on how families form their dynamics. So when the "father" breaks up with the "mother" and starts dating the "daughter" afterwards, it interferes with the general conception of the family dynamic. That can be particularly upsetting for onlookers, especially since we do not know the details of their relationship or how it started.

You can define their relationship with as many qualifiers as you want, but it doesn't change the fact that some people identify Allen to have taken advantage of, exploited, or violated, the dynamic within his "family" - whether or not the family has legal or biological standing. For some people, the fact that the woman in this case is his girlfriend's adopted daughter, and not the daughter that he conceived with his wife, might make it less creepy, but it still remains creepy for them. That's perfectly understandable for people who firmly believe in a traditional family dynamic. Perhaps they should discard their rigid rules, but I can see how Allen's situation could make anyone uncomfortable, and that reaction is perfectly understandable considering we only have vague information of their relationship and know very little of the details.

It doesn't make sense logically to judge Allen so harshly without knowing all the facts, and we certainly shouldn't start judging his films based on our preconceptions of his personal life (unless his art starts mimicking his personal life). However, considering we constantly discuss how certain films made us feel and our immediate gushing emotional reactions when viewing art (and often against logical analysis in some cases), can we really be so dismissive of how people initially react to Allen situation? Their reaction is not always based on a misconception of Allen's relationship, but instead often on a sense he has debased what the "normal" bonds within a family “shouldâ€

[zedz]

I think Andre has hit it on the head about the creepiness of Allen's situation. The relationship is some degrees removed from textbook incest, but it's the presumed relationship dynamics that set off the warning signals. A large part of the discomfort people feel about incestuous relationships is not to do with biology or eugenics, but to do with power relationships within the highly volatile family unit, and it seems natural to assume that Allen acted as a father figure to his long-time partner's child.

If we're all agreed that marrying your biological daughter is wrong, then it's just a case of how many degrees of separation make such an action acceptable. If Allen and Farrow had been married, would it still be OK? (Frankly, given the duration of their relationship, I don't see that this distinction would be material, and downplaying that relationship by calling Farrow Allen's 'girlfriend' seems rather disingenuous to me.) If Soon-yi had been Farrow's biological daughter, would it still be OK? If Allen had publicly acknowledged his father-status in some way, would it still be OK? If Soon-yi had been five years younger, would it still be OK? People probably have different answers to these questions, but I think it's quite understandable that some people consider Allen's situation to be too close to the unacceptable to be condoned.

[Gregory]

I agree that many people who talk about the scandal are ignorant, but I also agree with much of what Andre and zedz have said. If would have been different if they had only dated a short time, but they were together for nearly ten years. Even though they never lived together Allen must have had contact with Soon-Yi throughout her girlhood, especially because Farrow and Allen had a biological child and two adopted children together. It also does not help that Allen has stated that his marriage to Soon-Yi has a "paternal feeling to it." Part of what is going on is that Farrow's accusations that he molested her 7-year-old (as well as the deception involved in what Allen actually did) have reinforced people's prejudices of Allen and his often somewhat devious/pathetic persona, established in such roles as Danny Rose when he puts his arm around a 12 year old girl and asks if she's married. This is unfair, but Allen defenders can be just as unfair, such as this Woody Allen FAQ which belittles Farrow by stating that she merely "collected children as a hobby."

[devlinnn]

Dylan, it's an old debate, but we are talking about a gifted, Jewish, New York, democrat voting, intellectual, rich man obsessed with sex and death who fell in love with a young woman of Asian persuasion who was the adopted daughter of a woman who shared his bed for a while and who was the adopted mother of his own adopted children. I would asume there would be a few people in the US (and elsewhere) who would resent this and therefore have no interest in his work. But as the joke goes, "I could run for the French Presidency...".

I would also suggest he's a drama queen in the finest tradition who just loves to piss the right people off with his flippant moral codes. For that, we should be thankful. Also, why worry what a moronic, right-wing, flag waving, vintage car-collecting chat-show host who reads autocues for a living says in between late-night commercials? You call that living a moral code? Flip the channel and open a window...

[Dylan]

I opened up some worms here. First off, devlinn, I admitedly watch Leno about once or twice a month, usually when I'm about to sleep or if I'm doing something at night that needs some backround noise. I don't care about him or who or what his targets are, though in this case I was just unhappy to hear Woody smashed for 'marrying his daughter' and, worse, hear applause because I guess I'm naturally disappointed with his negative reputation and such a thing isn't going to help it.

Second, I don't really care what artists, or anyone else, do in their spare time, most of it doesn't matter and none of it effects what I think of their work. Roman Polanski snuck out of America and Charlie Chaplin was exiled, both for having sexual relations with underage girls (Chaplin, from what I know, had a few different cases of this), but you know what, I love their work, and I personally wish Polanski all the best. Richard Wagner was a notorious anti-semitist, and yet I still love "Tristan and Isolde."

I care about Allen because I often feel alone in my admiration for him, but most of all I simply think it's overdue for Allen to have a positive public light, but I guess it won't happen. The main thing is that Allen didn't drop out of the film world after the scandal, and he was very brave not to do that, but then again he never did care about what people thought of him. And Allen didn't have a relationship with her before she was legal, which is another common misconception. Soon-Yi was 22 when it was announced he had been dating her, and they married soon after. So she's the adopted daughter of his former love interest; he was always known as a hopeless romantic, he just moved on, and then he settled with the eggs. I'd say that Allen, one of my favorite directors and personalities, is deeply and unfairly publicized/criticized for the marriage, and I don't care if he bed with his wife's adoptive mother, right now he's been with Soon-Yi longer than he was with Mia Farrow, and the relationship will be 14 years old in just a few months. I've seen "Wild Man Blues" and have read various segments in books about the marriage, and as I said in my first post on this thread, it seems like a very good one to me, and very sweet.

With that said, I wanted to heartily thank you guys, particularly Andre, for shining an intelligent light on the psyche and perceptions of those who dismiss Allen, and of course the logical points of view of the consensus that's certainly important of course when trying to understand the dismay. I suppose it comes down to personality and morals as far as how you perceive something like Allen's marriage, or Chaplin's exile.

[Andre Jurieu]

I was just unhappy to hear Woody smashed for 'marrying his daughter' and, worse, hear applause because I guess I'm naturally disappointed with his negative reputation and such a thing isn't going to help it.

The applause is usually for a joke that works well, rather than an actual display of how much each audience member despises Woody or thinks negatively about his actions. With these monologues, by Leno, Letterman, or Conan, none of the jokes ever really stick as actual criticism of the subject. It's disposable humor, with words that can be easily discarded. His joke probably won't make that much of a difference on Allen's reputation, because the mainstream is pretty indifferent to Allen's personal life and work, so it's not like he's a topic still under discussion very often.

I care about Allen because I often feel alone in my admiration for him...

As this and any other thread dedicated to Allen on this forum demonstrates, I'm pretty sure you are not alone in your admiration, as there are numerous Allen fans still around and he retains a loyal, devoted, passionate following.

… but most of all I simply think it's overdue for Allen to have a positive public light, but I guess it won't happen.

I can understand that it's difficult when your favorite artist isn't praised by the establishment as much as you feel he/she should be, but it's a common occurrence for many artists. However, it's kind of a futile battle to wage considering the general public doesn't view film, or literature, or music as anything above amusement. It's better just to accept that this is currently the natural human tendency and enjoy art through your own personal experience. Does the general consensus ever matter that much when it comes to art?

And Allen didn't have a relationship with her before she was legal, which is another common misconception.

How could anyone outside of Allen, Soon-Yi, and maybe their close inner circle possibly know this to be a fact? This is an assumption we are being asked to make by the parties involved, and could very well be incongruent with reality. That's the thing – we just don't know the actual circumstances of their relationship, and we can only base our highly subjective opinions based upon the little information and speculation we have received so far.

Soon-Yi was 22 when it was announced he had been dating her, and they married soon after… Allen, one of my favorite directors and personalities…

Well, I think the important word here is “announcedâ€

[Dylan]

It's tough to accept the fact that our favorite celebrities are flawed people, but it's also a reality. I'm sure most of my favorite directors, actors, personalities are massive tools during their everyday lives.

Very interesting, and I completely agree with you, I was sort of getting at that when I brought up Polanski, Chaplin, and Wagner, though neither are among my favorite artists. A really good friend of mine loves the music of Michael Nyman (who wrote the wonderful score for "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" among others) and was having a bit of trouble around a year ago when somehow he found out through various resources that Nyman was a jerk. I can't remember what devloped from there, but in the end Nyman remained his favorite living composer and he still loves his music.

Similarly, back when I was a senior in high school I was obsessed with Orson Welles, and when you love Welles you hear/read some of the strangest personal stories. I remember getting very defensive about Welles in a thread somewhere online where people believed a book that connected him to the Black Dahlia murders, which seemed utterly ridiculous to me (and still does).

My favorite artist is Fellini, who had a reputation for being a womanizer (then again, who doesn't?). This doesn't change what I think of the maestro, and some of the stories his lovers tell are very interesting and entertaining (anybody see the documentary where Sandra Milo takes the crew to various spots where she and Fellini had sex?). Meanwhile, I've probably read more about Godard than I have about Fellini, and Godard was a first-class fit thrower and paid little to no attention to his wives (well, until he met Anne-Marie Meivelle). I just saw "Fitzcarraldo," and I thought that Klaus Kinski was absolutely amazing in it, and I knew of his absolutely bizarre and lunatic reputation before hand, which made the performance more fascinating. Obviously, what calls me to the artist is their art, and usually who they are makes their art much more interesting (particularly everybody I've mentioned here). With that said, most of the artists I'm interested in, especially the cinematographers and composers, seem like nice people; I'm not vouching for them, though sometimes you really can tell.

And I've always enjoyed art with my own personal experience. I was always the only kid in elementary and middle school who liked black and white movies and 'old music.' When I first got into foreign films as a Sophomore in high school, of course nobody I knew had seen anything foreign other than "Crouching Tiger," which I didn't care for. I think I've been on this forum since late 2002, through most of its incarnations.

I don't really feel more 'alone' in my admiration of Allen than I do with other artists I'm interested in (if I want to talk about feeling truly alone in something I feel passionately about, I'll talk about old/foreign film scores, almost nobody anywhere cares for those), Allen simply seems like the one who gets picked on the most, for reasons that don't sit well with me (in terms of 'pick worthy'). And after Fellini and Bertolucci, Allen is my favorite, and you really have to carry a ton of critical bricks if you become an Allen fan. I first got into him through my father, who loves him, but my mother 'hates' him, so this sort of thing isn't new to me. I've mentioned the reasons why he means a lot to me in my first post on this thread, so I won't get into that again, but he is definitely the artist I most shield for whatever reason.

As far as how long he and Soon-Yi were going out, she was 22 when it was announced, and I sort of doubt it had been going on for more than four years. She's still with him, and based off of Allen it sounds like she really loves him, so I don't think it matters, though of course only they know for sure. As far as "announced" goes, it's easy to look over the information that preceded the announcement. Allen has never publically stated what it was exactly that attracted him to Soon-Yi, and I suppose we'll never really know other than it's an opportunity to have a younger girlfriend you can teach life, art, and ideas to, and who can look up to you as somebody experienced and successful. I don't believe everything my favorite artists tell me (for example, I'll eventually read Klaus Kinski's autobiography, which I hear stretches the truth to pieces, but it still sounds absolutely fascinating), but to some extent I trust them and I take it to heart. I trust these men as artists, as people I feel some sort of connection to, people I indentify with in some interesting or strange way (or just somebody who totally fascinates me, re: Kinski). Sometimes I have to ask myself, if I were a filmmaker would I be completely honest in interviews? In that respect, knowing they stretch the truth a bit makes me feel more at home with them. They may be geniuses in my eyes, but I still think they're still human.

[zedz]

My favorite artist is Fellini, who had a reputation for being a womanizer (then again, who doesn't?).

George Cukor?

[jorencain]

Sold out!!! I can't believe it. I'm totally bummed right now. Did anyone on the forum get tickets to this?

[godardslave]

David Cronenberg, just after. if woody allen is so underrated why is he like 4 times more expensive than cronenberg? What a Bargain!

[Dylan]

I somehow recall Cronenberg doing an all nighter that was more expensive than this, though perhaps memory is playing tricks. Also, this is more of a lecture and a Q&A, and from what I know, Cronenberg gets around and is much more of a public person (he does conventions, Q&As, DVD commentaries, etc.).

Keep in mind that Woody Allen doing anything remotely like this is bascially unheard of, and I'm excited to hear how it goes. This night with Woody (which is also taking place at a separate location) is a conversation between he and an interviewer, 'illustrated with film clips' likely with some sort of commentary, and they're screening "Match Point," so it sounds like this goes on all night. The bottom line is that this is more of an event as Allen just doesn't do things like this. I'm not sure how big this autotorium is, but the higher prices are likely for the closer seats (if you want to ask Allen a question, see everything clearer, etc.), the other seats are as low as $30. I certainly wish I could go and see Woody talk about his work and filmmaking (or see him play in his jazz band, which he does every Monday night at the same night club), but I live on the other side of the US.

[godardslave]

Im sorry, really i was just trolling.

thanks for providing such a thoughtful answer though.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Woody turns 70 today. A couple of pieces on the man and his films: David Thomson in The Independent, Donald Hiscock in The Guardian, this one's in German but there is a nice little photo gallery to check out, and a substantial interview with Woody in the NY Observer

[jorencain]

Thanks for pointing that article out; I'm pretty glad to hear that "Scoop" may be Woody's last comedy. I've been waiting for some more serious stuff from him for awhile. Can't wait to check out "Match Point."

I just checked out "Celebrity" again yesterday, and I have to say that it's one of Woody's best from the last decade. As stated above by other posters, the cinematography is gorgeous (besides the scene with Winona Ryder & Kenneth Branagh meeting at midnight, the lingerie fashion show scene sticks out for me), and I think it has one of the strongest endings in Woody's catalog; up there with "Manhattan". In fact, the second half of the film works much better than the first half for me, beginning with Branagh's class reunion. What a powerful scene that is, and it just sort of builds from there until the end. Branagh keeps thinking that he can better his situation and keeps grasping at straws, but just can't get things right. And it builds until the very end, with "HELP" written in the sky. He's about as lost as Sean Penn's character at the end of "Sweet and Lowdown", except he isn't even able to express himself through his work.

Unfortunately, some of the humor doesn't hit it's target; the banana/blowjob scene just isn't funny, for instance. Branagh's "Woody" character doesn't bother me a bit, but I think seeeing Woody himself fumbling around with Charlize Theron would have been much funnier. I do love the scene where he's hounding Leonardo DiCaprio and ends up in bed with him and the two women, though. If the humor was a little more even, I think I would rank this as one of Woody's best. As it is, it's still a very good film.

[zedz]

Based on some of the raves on this forum I picked up Celebrity cheap and couldn't stand it! The cinematography is, as noted, simply gorgeous, but gorgeous cinematography and stunt casting (this is like the stunt casting Olympics, with not one, but two pseudo-Woodies hogging the oxygen) can't make up for the numbing lameness of every single joke.

[denti alligator]

I have to agree with zedz. I consider myself a big Allen fan, and this--Celebrity--is one of the few films that I could barely sit through. I mean, I'll take Curse of the Jade Scorpion over this any day.

But then again, I didn't like Deconstructing Harry, either, so I probably won't find much sympathy for my views here.

[Dylan]

Allen is on such a magnificent roll. I love it.

Variety
Woody Allen Plans Paris Flick

Woody Allen has set his sights on Paris to shoot a film this summer, rather than lensing a planned third project in London following "Match Point" and the upcoming "Scoop" reports Variety.

New film will shoot entirely in the City of Lights, no details of the plot are available though one person close to the Paris project describes it as "an American movie set in Paris".

After making two pics in London, Allen decided to abandon the U.K. in favor of Paris after Wild Bunch Films swooped in to negotiate backing on the new project.

Allen's already committed to shoot another pic next year in Barcelona for Mediapro, using international and Spanish actors.

It's an exciting time to be an Allen fan. Am I the only one pleasantly surprised that Woody himself made the "Scoop" poster (remember the 'don't mention Woody Allen' promotion of "Anything Else?")? "Match Point" seems to have opened up a market for his films again, which I couldn't be happier about (the advertising is also attractive with the deck of cards and the red background). I'm guessing it will be a November release.

[tavernier]

Will this also premiere at Cannes in May, or will they wait until he makes his "French" film?

[Dylan]

According to Screen Daily, it will premiere at Cannes, (along with Babel, The Fountain, Breaking And Entering, The Black Dahlia, Inland Empire, Volver, Bobby, Fast Food Nation, and Youth Without Youth, among others).

[devlinnn]

It's an exciting time to be an Allen fan.

As it has been for the past 25 years. Dylan, make sure you catch up with the recently released Dick Cavett Comic Legends set. Included is a 70 minute one-on-one interview/chat with Woody from '71 in front of live audience. Priceless.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

According to Screen Daily, it will premiere at Cannes, (along with Babel, The Fountain, Breaking And Entering, The Black Dahlia, Inland Empire, Volver, Bobby, Fast Food Nation, and Youth Without Youth, among others).

The Hollywood Reporter is saying it won't be ready in time.

[Dylan]

As it has been for the past 25 years. Dylan, make sure you catch up with the recently released Dick Cavett Comic Legends set. Included is a 70 minute one-on-one interview/chat with Woody from '71 in front of live audience. Priceless.

Netflixed! Thank you so much, I can't wait to see a live interview with Woody. Should be pretty wonderful. And that's strange "Scoop" won't be ready in time for Cannes, I thought the film was pretty much completed (it was shot in London last summer). I look forward to more information on it as it becomes available, as well as the trailer.

[devlinnn]

France? Spain? Woody must be in his Two Weeks in Another Town phase. All this travelling may enhance the colourful picture-postcard locales, but I just hope the whoring doesn't get in the way of him telling the stories his way. Another Woman is one of his major works, yet it's just a few rooms, a couple of streets, and a bit of Central Park.

If the stories are true and Scoop is his last straight out comedy, I hope the budgets can be contained so that he can shoot back on his home turf with A-Grade actors very soon.

[Dylan]

A few things to post. First of all, according to boxofficemojo, the release date is July 28th.

And an article from Movie City News:

DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS TO WOODY ALLEN'S NEW COMEDY, SCOOP, ACQUIRED BY FOCUS FEATURES;

NEW YORK, April 20, 2006 - Domestic distribution rights to writer/director Woody Allen's new film Scoop, which is currently in post-production, have been acquired by Focus Features. Focus has also acquired rights to the feature for Australia and New Zealand. Focus president James Schamus made the announcement today.

Scoop, which was shot on location last summer in London, stars Mr. Allen, Hugh Jackman (soon to be seen in the eagerly awaited X-Men: The Last Stand), Scarlett Johansson (who recently starred for the filmmaker in Match Point, for which she earned a Golden Globe Award nomination), and Ian McShane (the Golden Globe Award-winning star of Deadwood).

Producers on the film are Letty Aronson and Gareth Wiley. Stephen Tenenbaum is the executive producer, with Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe co-executive-producing, and Nicky Kentish Barnes and Helen Robin co-producing. The picture was financed by Ingenious Films, BBC Films, and the Bank of Ireland.

In the contemporary comedy, Ms. Johansson portrays a student journalist for a college paper visiting friends in London who happens upon the scoop of a lifetime. Along the investigative trail, she finds magic, murder, mystery - and perhaps love, with a British aristocrat (Mr. Jackman).

Mr. Allen commented, "I've always been very blessed by having great people distribute my films over the years and this good fortune continues with Focus, a company I have enormous admiration for. I had a great time shooting Scoop. I was over my head acting with Hugh Jackman and Ian McShane, who are both amazing, and of course Scarlett Johansson, who I knew was sexier than me and smarter but she also turned out to be faster and funnier."

Mr. Schamus said, "Scoop is another extraordinary reminder that when Woody Allen matches his skills as a master filmmaker with his talents as a comic genius, filmmaking gets no better. Everyone here is delighted to be working with Woody Allen, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McShane for the first time, and with Scarlett Johansson again after our great success together on Lost in Translation."

Looking incredibly forward to it.