The Unruly Life of Woody Allen: A Biography (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Woody Allen once controlled the press like his actors--and as critic Andrew Sarris observed, Woody "is almost a ventriloquist and all his actors are marionettes. It's his nature. He has to be on top." The Soon-Yi scandal cost him $7 million and his protected reputation, and now we've got Marion Meade's unblinking look at his blighted life (superior to John Baxter's Woody Allen, not quite as good as Meade's Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?). The son of a loveless dad and mom who respectively ignored and beat him daily, Woody grew up mean, scarred, and scared: he slept with a night-light until his early 40s and considered suicide daily until at least age 51. His uncanny gift for comedy gave him no comfort, but movies did. His most autobiographical character is Cecilia in The Purple Rose of Cairo, who took refuge in theaters from "the ugly light" of real life.

Boy, does Meade cast ugly light on Woody and his work. His best role for a woman, Annie Hall, is "basically stupid," as Diane Keaton said. In life and art, Woody sought leading ladies he could dominate. He stalled Mia forever before granting her the right to keep her shampoo at his apartment "alongside toiletries belonging to Diane Keaton, preserved there like so many fossilized relics in King Tut's tomb for more than a decade." Mia was horrified that he spilled her family's nasty secrets in Hannah and Her Sisters, and fretted over his obsession with Keaton and her sisters, Mariel Hemingway's sister, and Mia's own sister Steffi--whose photos she discovered (shades of Soon-Yi!) in his apartment. Woody's lovable persona was as fake as his transplanted, dyed hair. And Mia's no sweetheart herself: having caught her scuzzy dad with Ava Gardner one night as a child, she married Ava's squeeze Frank Sinatra at 19, and then stole her friend Dory Previn's husband, André, saying, "You don't fight what feels good."

If Meade's sour, thorough tome is true, nobody in Hollywood fights what feels good, and they all come out looking pretty bad. --Tim Appelo

From Publishers Weekly

In the second Allen bio in as many months, novelist and biographer Meade (Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?) provides a psychologically nuanced, tough-minded portrait of the filmmaker that's a good counterpoint to John Baxter's exhaustive coverage of Allen's oeuvre in Woody Allen: A Biography (Forecasts, Nov. 15). While Meade certainly doesn't slight Allen's work, she has a better feel than the Paris-based Baxter for Allen's milieu, including the role of New York film critics, and uses a broader mix of sources to reconstruct it. (Allen refused to cooperate.) Accenting her agile narrative with pertinent shtick from his films, she presents Rashomon-like observations from friends and enemies about Allen's loyalty and ethics. Once Allen's affair with Soon-Yi Previn was made public, even sympathetic interviewers--like 60 Minutes's Steve Kroft--related to the author that Allen was oblivious to the impropriety of a relationship with his wife's adopted daughter. Meade's lengthy account of the child custody battle between Allen and Farrow will remind readers that the judge considered him a terrible father, perhaps even an abuser. When it comes to Allen's work, Meade admires films like Crimes and Misdemeanors and lets caustic critics of works like Stardust Memories have their say. Though she recognizes that "the ubiquitous Greek chorus" of film critics still debate Allen's legacy, and that the filmmaker has indeed endured his scandals, Meade's pointed citation of Allen's ongoing rancor toward both his first wife and Farrow is what lingers in the reader's mind. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (February 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684833743
• ISBN-13: 978-0684833743
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,708,310 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What was the point?, September 11, 2001

By	Matthew A. Brown "Matt" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

As with any book, I would expect a certain amount of author bias toward the subject. From the first few pages it is obvious that Marion Meade doesn't respect Woody Allen professionally, believes his success a matter of luck, detests his films, and thinks even less of him as a person. So why bother writing about him?

There is a lot of biographical information about Woody's childhood, his family, his stand-up career and his filmmaking--which is the only reason I gave this book 2 stars. I did force myself to finish the book. However, every topic the author covers is tainted by her low opinion of Mr. Allen. I don't agree with the personal choices Woody Allen has made with regard to the Mia Farrow, Soon-Yi fiasco, but at the same time, I do like Woody Allen's films and respect him as a director. Ms. Meade doesn't, so her book is a difficult load to swallow.

If you're looking for a biography that gives Woody Allen credit for his contribution to American cinema, avoid this one.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An obvious axe to grind -- skip this one, August 29, 2000

By	Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I like Woody Allen. But I don't like this book. Author Marion Meade appears hell-bent on painting Woody to be a pedophile, homewrecker, misogynist, master manipulator of the media (not to mention the public) and a noteworthy but deeply flawed human being. (Actually, I just boiled down her book for you, hitting all the key words and concepts so now you can save your money for more worthy purchases.) Better, less barbed, Woody books are "Reconstructing Woody," by Mary P. Nichols and "Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation With Stig Bjorkman." Actually, if you're one of the few people who believe everything you see in films, and always thought Woody was the same kindly self-deprecating schlemiel off-screen as he was on (in other words, many of his movies are autobiographical), then maybe you need Meade's book. Frankly, I doubt few stars (be they movie stars, rock stars, sports stars or -- and this may come as a shock to Meade -- authors) are the same behind the scenes as they are in public. And the more creative a star is, the quirkier he or she is likely to be in private. No surprise there. Yet Meade seems to think everyone has been hoodwinked by Woody Allen over the years...and only she has the guts to set the record straight, tell it like it is, blow the lid off, dig up the dirt, etc. Baloney. Woody Allen is a creative genius, but he's not perfect. No one is. And I don't need Marion Meade to tell me that. Do you?

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Visionary vs. voyeur, contributor vs. parasite, June 26, 2003

By	Thomas "Reader, Writer, Music Fan" (Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews

What a great opportunity a Woody Allen biography represents. Here's one of the great masters of American cinema, an artist who has been producing prolifically for over thirty years. Before our eyes, he went through mastering various cinematic styles and then transcending them all, contributing as a philosopher, writer, comedian, actor, director, even musician. Along the way, Allen produced a body of work replete with a quality all too rare in any, particularly American motion pictures: a thinking, interesting approach. The audiences and critics speak for themselves: here's a true visionary.

Unfortunately, those who make a name for themselves are destined to attract parasites. Enters Marion Meade, the voyeur. Unable to create worthwhile art or even advancing the cause of understanding it better or enjoying it more intelligently, she has nothing to offer that's pertinent to the art of Woody Allen. What she does offer is plenty of gossip and garbage. After having the Allen-Farrow "scandal" publicly dished out for too long, who needs more of this? Is it really a surprise to anyone after watching W.A. movies that the man should have character flaws, past pain and ongoing neuroses. Isn't the genius of his work to allow us to identify so readily with his character?

If you need gossip to make yourself feel superior to a man who has had something genuinely great to offer, then don't pass this one up. If you prefer some degree of integrity in your writing, and are desirous to learn about subjects worth remembering, avoid this one at all cost.