Product Details

• Actors: Woody Allen, Letty Aronson, Soon-Yi Previn, Dan Barrett, Simon Wettenhall
• Directors: Barbara Kopple
• Producers: J.E. Beaucaire, Jean Doumanian, Kathleen Bambrick Meier
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, French, Italian
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 9, 1999
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0780624378
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,653 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In 1996, with his public image at a low ebb after a messy breakup with Mia Farrow, clarinetist and filmmaker Woody Allen set off on a tour of Europe with his New Orleans jazz band. Accompanying him were his sister, his soon-to-be wife Soon-Yi Previn, and Oscar-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple. Like Allen says as the beginning of the tour, "Theoretically, this should be fun for us."

Woody Allen has always been more widely appreciated in Europe than in the U.S., so it's no surprise that the concerts quickly provoke the kind of fan hysteria usually reserved for rock stars. This star however is clearly not comfortable with his fame. Whether he's giving a tour of his lavish hotel suite or prodding at an unexpectedly dry omelet, the director seems profoundly ill at ease and sometimes--when trapped by a crowd or harassed by a particularly persistent photographer--he appears to be both frightened and angry at the way celebrity shapes his life. The pressure to be funny on cue is the bane of any comedian's life, of course, and for Allen the seemingly endless round of receptions and parties is something to be endured, not enjoyed. In the face of this, the mutual support and affection shared by Allen and the woman he introduces as "the notorious Soon-Yi Previn" comes across as both genuine and absolutely necessary. When they are together, he is at his funniest, and his least guarded.

What persuaded such a private artist to allow such a documentary to be made? Perhaps it was a desire to celebrate his love of music, something that appears to sustain him as much as his relationship with Soon-Yi. He may refuse to bob his head and tap his feet to please his audience, but when he launches into a soaring solo we finally see Allen at ease, transported by the thrill of playing jazz. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alvie Singer Picks Up a Clarinet, July 10, 2008

By 

Anthony Lombardo "Compass56" (Birmingham AL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wild Man Blues (DVD)

If you're a fan of both New Orleans jazz and/or the movies of Woody Allen, Wild Man Blues is a must buy. This documentary is interesting in that it gives us a glimpse into Woody in an unfamiliar setting. Here, Woody abandoned his beloved Manhattan for Europe. Also, his focus here is on playing traditional jazz (as opposed to the psychoanalysis, self-doubt, and relationships with women found in most of his movies).

The more things change, however, the more they stay the same. As we watch Woody trot across Europe with his band, we see the line between Woody Allen the clarinetist and the protagonists in his movies blur before our very eyes. All of the doubts, fears, guilt, wit, and desire of his characters display themselves here in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Woody the musician is essentially the same character as Alvie Singer (Annie Hall), Isaac Davis (Manhattan), and Mickey Sachs (Hannah and her Sisters), and the other memorable characters from Woody's classic films.

From a musical standpoint, the film is interesting in unevenness. Woody's usually-no-better-than-average clarinet playing is juxtaposed with outstanding playing by some of NYC's best jazz musicians. (Cynthia Sayer, Eddy Davis, John Gill, etc.) This juxtaposition leads to performances by the band that go from weak (Paris) to spotty (Spain) to brilliant (London). The uneven nature of the musical performances leads Woody to make many hilarious comments that would make his best protagonists proud.

I would recommend this movie to any of the countless fans of Woody's movies. Watching Wild Man Blues will amplify, augment, and deepen one's understanding and appreciation of those classic Allen protagonists. Once you watch it, you'll probably want to pop in your Annie Hall DVD immediately. Even if (like me) you've seen it many times before, you'll have a whole new perspective on that great movie after you've seen Wild Man Blues.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great insight into Woody's life, May 8, 2008

By 

K. O. Zink (Austin,TX,USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wild Man Blues (DVD)

I LOVE this documentary of Woody Allen's tour as a Clarinetist with his small band through Europe. To see him as a musician is a delight (especially if you have a heart for Dixieland tunes) but what makes it precious are all the glimpses "behind" the scenes and just to be able to accompany him visually on his journey. You'll get a good idea of the human being called Woody Allen who just can't stop cracking jokes even when it's more than obvious than he's not enjoying all of the aspects of his journey himself - and the scene with his parents in the end is the highlight of all...more won't be said! Go and watch this if you are a Woody Allen fan like me! You certainly won't be disappointed!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside Look at a Genius Filmmaker, March 10, 2000

By 

Ann Shillinglaw - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Man Blues [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Having long enjoyed Allen's films, I was fascinated to get an inside look at what the human being Woody Allen is like. I found it especially moving to see this small-sized guy looking so tiny amid the hordes of fans crowding around him, and I admire his bravery more at having allowed himself, an intensely private person, to become "public" for the sake of the New Orleans jazz he loves. The interaction with Previn is especially surprising, since the media portrays her as a silent figure. My favorite detail was that his Oscar award statues sit like so many knick-knacks on his parents' upper shelf. If only the directors who live in Hollywood were as down to earth as Allen. Made me realize the difference between the Hollywood crowd and directors who chose to live outside the cocoon. Allen jokes about himself as a "scumbag" at one point, feeling like a real outsider amid opulence. This is a touching, interesting film, and the music is very charming. I also loved the fact that when he makes a witty side comment, his companions are clearly so used to it that they barely notice any more that he is constantly making sly wisecracks.