Produced and directed by noted Time magazine writer and filmmaker Richard Schickel, the 90-minute show delves into the career of one of the foremost American filmmakers of the 20th century. Allen will share anecdotes about his extensive body of work from the past three-and-a-half decades to help audiences understand why these films continue to entertain the public as well as his technique of using both humor and drama to tackle personal issues and explore universal themes such as life, death, religion and sex.
Born Allan Stewart Konigsberg in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1935, Allen got his start writing for radio and television. He wrote and starred in his first film, What's New, Pussycat? (May 18, 4 a.m.), in 1965 and has since gone on to make more than 40 films. "I've tried to make a serious, and intimate yet entertaining portrait of a great filmmaker's development and creative processes," said Schickel. "I don't believe Woody has ever spoken so openly about the way he works or offered such frank opinions about his own films in any other camera interview ever."
His latest film, Hollywood Ending, which Allen wrote, directed and co-starred in, also features Debra Messing, Treat Williams, Tea Leoni and George Hamilton. Allen stars as an out-of-work movie director who tries to make a comeback.
Schickel, one of the nation's most influential film critics, has been reviewing movies for Time magazine since 1972. He has also made a name for himself as a producer, writer and director, and, in addition to The Men Who Made the Movies, he has more than 20 documentaries, including four star portraits for Turner Network Television (Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy, Barbara Stanwyck and Clint Eastwood), Emmy-nominated biographies of directors Vincente Minnelli and Elia Kazan as well as a study of legendary special effects artist Ray Harryhausen. His most recent film was Shooting War, a two-hour history of World War II combat cameramen for ABC. He is also the author of 29 books, among them The Disney Version, D.W. Griffith: An American Life and Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity. His most recent volume is Matinee Idylls, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He was recently awarded the Maurice Bessy Prize for his lifetime achievements in film criticism.
BW & C-89m. Closed captioning.
