Woody Allen premiered his 46th film, “Café Society,” at the Cannes Film Festival in France this past week. That kind of longevity in the business of Hollywood is so rare that many consider it to be a great accomplishment. I, on the other hand, consider it to be signifier of our failure as a society that we have allowed this man to have a prosperous career.
It’s no secret that Woody Allen has been accused of molesting his daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was 7 years old – and yet, this information has not slowed down his career one bit. I suppose this shouldn’t be a shock since so many other artists have been given a similar pass. And I admit, it’s hard to know where to draw the line in terms of the connection between art and the artist, especially when the work produced is so great. Some argue that if you stop watching Woody Allen movies, you have to stop listening to Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendricks or John Lennon. You have to deprive yourself of T.S. Eliot and other greats because history has revealed them to have committed terrible acts as well. The difference between Woody Allen and a lot of other questionable artists is that his art and public persona directly mirror the unspeakable crimes that he’s committed.
In 2014, Dylan Farrow published a piece in "The New York Times" where she went into detail about her past and the abuse her father, Woody Allen, inflicted on her. It’s triggering, but a powerful read, Shortly after it was published, "The New Yorker" television critic Emily Nussbaum also dug up a child molestation joke from "Honeymoon Hotel," a play by Woody Allen about an older man who runs off with his son’s bride. The joke is uncomfortably similar to the details alleged by Dylan Farrow and was written just five years ago.
Woody Allen's dark past with underage girls doesn't just stop at Dylan Farrow, though. Nancy Jo Sales wrote an article about how when she was 13 years old, Woody Allen was her only friend and pen pal. You can read more about the account here, but one letter from Allen reads rather disturbingly:
Dear Nancy,
Hard to believe you're 13! When I was 13 I couldn't dress myself, and here you write about one of life's deepest philosophical problems, i.e., existential boredom. I guess it's hard for me to imagine a 13-year-old quoting anything but Batman--but T. Mann? Anyway, there`s too much wrong with the world to ever get too relaxed and happy. The more natural state, and the better one, I think, is one of some anxiety and tension over man`s plight in this mysterious universe...
Next time you write, if you ever do, please list some of the books you've enjoyed and movies, and which music you've liked, and also the things you dislike and have no patience with. And tell me what kind of place Coral Gables is. What school do you go to? What hobbies do you have? How old are your parents and what do they do? What are your moods like? Are you energetic? Are you an early riser? Are you "into clothes"? At the moment, I am re-filming some parts of my next film which have not come out so good.
Best, Woody
This pattern of Allen's to show interest in much younger girls applies even to his current wife, Soon-Yih Previn. Another daughter of Mia Farrow's, she is 35 years younger than Allen and was 21 when their relationship began. And though technically their relationship began when she was of age, that kind of connection is hard to shake. In an interview last year with NPR, Allen described his relationship with Previn:
"I think that was probably the odd factor that I'm so much older than the girl I married. I'm 35 years older, and somehow, through no fault of mine or hers, the dynamic worked. I was paternal. She responded to someone paternal. I liked her youth and energy. She deferred to me, and I was happy to give her an enormous amount of decision-making just as a gift and let her take charge of so many things. She flourished. It was just a good luck thing."
Though creepy, this kind of description might be more easily forgotten if Woody Allen didn't consistently make films that feature a young woman falling for a much older, usually off-beat, quirky man--not unlike Allen himself. It makes it hard to watch a film and not see them as an extension of himself. In "Magic in the Moonlight," (2014) Emma Stone is 28 years younger than her romantic lead, Colin Firth. And in "Irrational Man" (2015) Emma Stone is fifteen years younger than Joaquin Phoenix. And let's not forget one of his most beloved films, "Manhattan" (1979), where Allen plays a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl, Mariel Hemingway (who was actually 16 when they shot the film).
Yet, despite these kinds of similarities between Allen and his work, his films remain as watched as ever. Stars line up to be involved in his films, he just received a tribute at the Golden Globes two years ago, and this year Amazon greenlit production on a new series created by Allen as well as secured distribution rights to "Cafe Society."
Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen and brother of Dylan Farrow, responded to this news in an article he wrote for "The Hollywood Reporter" last week. In his article he talks about his past unwillingness to discuss the allegations against his father now and what that silence has done to his sister. He also connects that to the premiere of Allen's new movie in which, during the press tour, no one worried if they would be asked about the allegations.
"That kind of silence isn't just wrong. It's dangerous. It sends a message to victims that it's not worth the anguish of coming forward. It sends a message about who we are as a society, what we'll overlook, who we'll ignore, who matters and who doesn't."
Ronan Farrow's call to action seems to be one where people start talking about sexual abuse and sexual assault, as he finishes with:
"[T]here is more work to do to build a culture where women like my sister are no longer treated as if they are invisible. It's time to ask some hard questions."
And while Ronan Farrow is right, it is time to start asking hard questions and demanding answers, he makes an even bigger point about the support of big collaborators. He stressed that there's a massive line of people lining up to continue to work with Allen, like Amazon, and they're paying big money to do so. But how do we get this cycle to stop? How do we get actors to stop lining up to work with him, and more importantly, how do we get big companies to stop bankrolling him? Speaking up, like Ronan Farrow suggests, is certainly part of it, but it all depends on who you speak up to. In this case, speaking up with money, choosing to not buy a ticket to his next film, shows those that you do not support Allen or his work, which would help make studios uncomfortable with moving forward with new Woody Allen projects. Without backing in Hollywood, eventually, Allen's power would diminish. And that would show the world and those who have been victims of sexual abuse that they can and should be heard.
