The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen
"Demonstrating an extraordinary grasp of Allen's work, Bailey argues that the heroes of the films have matured from stammering, insecure clowns... to older men and women who struggle to create order in their lives through some form of art, while their personal lives continue to disintegrate around them." -- America"His detailed treatment of Allen's work in the nineties is an especially welcome addition of the critical literature." -- American Studies"Bailey is a perceptive, sensitive, original commentator, who makes a convincing, often brilliant, case." -- Canadian Review of Comparative Literature"Bailey knows Woody Allen's work backwards and forwards, and his book makes many illuminating connections among the films in the Allen canon. In particular, Bailey reveals the significance of Allen's treatment of the role of the artist and the cultural function of movies in American life." -- Christopher Ames, author of Movies About the Movies"A splendid compendium of critical insights, production details, and sympathetic if frank appraisals of many films." -- Creative Screenwriting"An in-depth look at the films and the internal struggle that helped create them." -- Hollywood Inside Syndicate"Bailey engages Allen with a serious, intelligent, and creative critical imagination. Fans and students of Allen's films will gain new insights into both the most popular as well as some of Allen's neglected works." -- Sam B. Girgus, author of The Films of Woody Allen"Bailey's rigorous study will please the serious student of film and of 20th-century artistic impression." -- Virginia Quarterly Review