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Woody Allen: Bergman 'was the finest director of my lifetime'
www.thelocal.se ^ | 07/30/2007 | AFP

Posted on 07/31/2007 7:41:34 AM PDT by WesternCulture

American film icon Woody Allen on Monday said he was devastated to hear Swedish filmmaker and playwright Ingmar Bergman had died, hailing him as cinema's greatest director.

"I was very sorry to hear Ingmar passed away," Allen told Swedish daily Aftonbladet's website.

"He was a friend and certainly the finest film director of my lifetime," added Allen, who has also expressed great admiration for Bergman in the past.

In a 70th birthday tribute in 1988, Allen said Bergman was "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera."

Bergman, considered one of the most influential directors of the 20th century, died Monday at his home on the Swedish island of Fårö. He was 89.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: art; cinema; culture; film; hollywood; ingmarbergman; movie; movies; scandinavia; sweden; tribute; woodyallen
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1 posted on 07/31/2007 7:41:38 AM PDT by WesternCulture
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To: WesternCulture

Woody Allen is the creepiest director of my lifetime.


2 posted on 07/31/2007 7:46:32 AM PDT by Atlas Sneezed ("We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them, I won't chip away at them" -Mitt Romney)
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To: WesternCulture

If Woody Allen told me rain was wet, I’d feel obliged to go outside and check.


3 posted on 07/31/2007 7:48:10 AM PDT by ClaudiusI
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To: Beelzebubba
Woody Allen is the creepiest director of my lifetime.

He is still #2 after Roman Polanski in my book. At least the woodman stuck around after his underage sex proclivities.

4 posted on 07/31/2007 7:51:13 AM PDT by pikachu (Be alert -- we need more lerts!)
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To: WesternCulture
All of Allen's serious films like September, Husbands And Wives, and Match Point are extremely derivative of Bergman.

Allen has been obsessed with his work for decades.

5 posted on 07/31/2007 7:53:03 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: WesternCulture; Coleus; Borges
I will now come out of the closet to you folks.

I am a Woody Allen fan. Although I think most of his output since "Stardust Memories"* has been sub-par, Annie Hall, Sleeper, Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Love & Death are some of the greatest comedies ever made. Although most of what followed was dreck, Woody still hits the occassional home run ("Crimes and Misdemeanors") or a solid triple ("Matchpoint", "Radio Days") every now and then.

As for his contention that Bergman is the greatest director, well I wouldn't go that far. Despite being a huge fan of "Scenes from a Marriage" and "The Seventh Seal", I always thought that Ingmar was rather inconsistent in terms of pacing and execution. Nevertheless, he was never as indulgent as Fellini, nor as manipulative as Hitch.

6 posted on 07/31/2007 7:54:53 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: WesternCulture

And that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.


7 posted on 07/31/2007 7:55:21 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: WesternCulture; Coleus; Borges; Calpernia
I will now come out of the closet to you folks.

I am a Woody Allen fan. Although I think most of his output since "Stardust Memories"* has been sub-par, Annie Hall, Sleeper, Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Love & Death are some of the greatest comedies ever made. Although most of what followed was dreck, Woody still hits the occassional home run ("Crimes and Misdemeanors") or a solid triple ("Matchpoint", "Radio Days") every now and then.

As for his contention that Bergman is the greatest director, well I wouldn't go that far. Despite being a huge fan of "Scenes from a Marriage" and "The Seventh Seal", I always thought that Ingmar was rather inconsistent in terms of pacing and execution. Nevertheless, he was never as indulgent as Fellini, nor as manipulative as Hitch.

*BTW: Coleus and Calpernia: Stardust Memories ("inspired" by Fellini's 8 1/2) is one of the great "Jersey movies." It was filmed in Asbury Park and Ocean Grove, using said cities as a near stand-in for Rimini!

8 posted on 07/31/2007 7:56:14 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: pikachu
I agree with your ordering.

Polanski forcibly raped a 13 year old girl whom he barely knew.

Allen had consensual intercourse with an adult woman - but an adult woman who was 35 years his junior and the adopted daughter of his girlfriend of 12 years.

Both very creepy - but Polanski is worse.

9 posted on 07/31/2007 7:56:57 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: WesternCulture

Sorry Woody!

Names like Ford, Hitchcock, Wells, Hawks and Wyler come to mind first for me, when naming best directors of all time.


10 posted on 07/31/2007 7:57:00 AM PDT by Reagan Man (FUHGETTABOUTIT Rudy....... Conservatives don't vote for liberals!)
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To: Clemenza

Allen’s best flick was “What’s Up , Tiger Lily?”.


11 posted on 07/31/2007 7:57:52 AM PDT by Carl LaFong ( Enough Is Too Much !)
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To: Reagan Man

Wyler’s rep has gone down considerably since his death.


12 posted on 07/31/2007 7:59:13 AM PDT by Borges
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To: Carl LaFong

“Awh, you mean the recipe for egg salad...”


13 posted on 07/31/2007 7:59:20 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: ClaudiusI
Woody's problem was that he got to thinking with his, ahem, name so to speak.

Whatever juices have flowed since that happened haven't been creative ones.

He hasn't had a movie worth watching in some 20 years, and saying nice things about dead greats won't change that.

14 posted on 07/31/2007 7:59:58 AM PDT by lOKKI (You can ignore reality until it bites you in the ass.)
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To: Borges
I've always been a fan of Lina Wertmuller, although her reputation has gone down considerably.

I think she alienated too many people with "The Night Porter" (which is a movie I enjoyed, although Dirk Bogarde was not very convincing as a heterosexual).

15 posted on 07/31/2007 8:02:06 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: Borges
Wyler’s rep has gone down considerably since his death.

True, but amusingly he has two camps of dedicated fans: evangelical Christians who love Ben Hur and homosexual men who love Roman Holiday.

16 posted on 07/31/2007 8:02:56 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: Clemenza

I agree with you on this. WA has made some great films.


17 posted on 07/31/2007 8:03:58 AM PDT by The Louiswu (Never Forget!)
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To: Clemenza

I agree with you on this. WA has made some great films.


18 posted on 07/31/2007 8:04:02 AM PDT by The Louiswu (Never Forget!)
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To: wideawake
True, but amusingly he has two camps of dedicated fans: evangelical Christians who love Ben Hur and homosexual men who love Roman Holiday.

Don't forget the homosexual men who love Ben-Hur.
19 posted on 07/31/2007 8:04:08 AM PDT by Borges
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To: wideawake
True, but amusingly he has two camps of dedicated fans: evangelical Christians who love Ben Hur and homosexual men who love Roman Holiday.

LOL!

I was not a fan of 300, but it has one of the oddest followings of any movie in recent memory: macho, war-movie devotees (including many military) and gay men.

20 posted on 07/31/2007 8:04:53 AM PDT by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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