Woody Allen - a chilling tale

[Esceptico]

Just read a long piece in the Guardian on Woody Allen, principally about the child abuse allegations from 1992. Pretty worrying read. The allegations were investigated at the time and he wasn’t even charged. He is 84 and there is no evidence that anyone else has ever accused him of something similar (not his other children nor third parties). Yet he is being cancelled and treated like a pariah. I haven’t seen or liked everything he has done but he has made some films I really enjoyed (Annie Hall,
Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanours,
Hannah and her Sisters to name a few).

I generally have a very low opinion of actors (attention wes who have over inflated opinions of themselves because they are good at playing make believe) but even with that low opinion in mind it is jaw dropping to see people who worked with him line up to disown him and his work in case it taints them.

[buckline]

iirc his son Roman disowned him too. Not just Hollywood actors. I’d be inclined to believe the family particularly when they are respected journalists. Woody Allen is a piece of st.

[Gecko1978]

Did he not have a relationship with his adopted daughter so while not perhaps illegal certainly worrying. Years ago I read some worrying things about him but of course innocent till proven guilty.

[greygoose]

Gecko1978 said:

Did he not have a relationship with his adopted daughter so while not perhaps illegal certainly worrying.

They are still married.

[Dr Jekyll]

Gecko1978 said:

Did he not have a relationship with his adopted daughter so while not perhaps illegal certainly worrying. Years ago I read some worrying things about him but of course innocent till proven guilty.

I think she was not technically the daughter of the woman who wasn't technically his wife. So not technically illegal but seriously dodgy.

[Ridgemont]

buckline said:

iirc his son Roman disowned him too. Not just Hollywood actors. I’d be inclined to believe the family particularly when they are respected journalists. Woody Allen is a piece of st.

I would be cautious about leaping to conclusions. It’s a pretty mixed up family. Ronan Farrow’s account has been challenged by his brother Moses who, along with Woody himself, claims that Mia Farrow pretty much coached Dylan into making those allegations.

[bloomen]

The Soon YI thing is gross enough for me.

But unless I was in the room when all these allegations took place I'd wait for a conviction before officially condemning someone for anything else.

They didn't have to denounce him. They didn't have to say he's a great guy either.

[g4ry13]

Dr Jekyll said:

Gecko1978 said:

Did he not have a relationship with his adopted daughter so while not perhaps illegal certainly worrying. Years ago I read some worrying things about him but of course innocent till proven guilty.

I think she was not technically the daughter of the woman who wasn't technically his wife. So not technically illegal but seriously dodgy.

Apparently their sexual relationship started when she was in her 20s. It might have been a big age gap but not like he did anything breaking the law.

[Pothole]

buckline said:

iirc his son Roman disowned him too. Not just Hollywood actors. I’d be inclined to believe the family particularly when they are respected journalists. Woody Allen is a piece of st.

Read the article unless you already know far more than most of the world's population about the man.

This paragraph might help you initially:

article said:

Allen is innocent: this is according to the law and the agencies that investigated him. Dylan and Ronan believe he is guilty. It is the latter view that has led some to lobby universities to drop him from film courses, exclude his movies from film festivals and talk about him as if he were a criminal. But this attitude is immoral unless it is proved he committed a crime – and, 28 years later, no one has been able to pin so much as a parking fine on him.

[Derek Smith]

His relationship with his adopted daughter is something that seems creepy but is not illegal, so his and her behaviour seems ethical. It offends my morals, but that's the problem with one's morals; they apply to no one else.

I admire his writing, and his scripts. His opening the Manhattan has become a classic. He's done nothing to colour or limit my admiration.

If you want weird, then the life of Eric Gill would turn you against reading British Rail nameplates, signs and station names as Gill Sans for all but universal in the day. And paperbacks.

I've got a copy of Manhattan. I'll think I'll view it over the weekend. That'll show them.

[Pothole]

Derek Smith said:

His relationship with his adopted daughter is something that seems creepy but is not illegal, so his and her behaviour seems ethical. It offends my morals, but that's the problem with one's morals; they apply to no one else.

I think you should read the article too. You may not know the story as well as you think.

[Esceptico]

Pothole said:

I think you should read the article too. You may not know the story as well as you think.

I don’t believe it was his adopted daughter it was Farrow’s and he didn’t really have any contact with her until she was already an adult. Yes it is a bit weird a 21 year old going with a 57 year old but aren’t you being a little bit judgemental? Plus 28 years later they are still together.

[Esceptico]

buckline said:

iirc his son Roman disowned him too. Not just Hollywood actors. I’d be inclined to believe the family particularly when they are respected journalists. Woody Allen is a piece of st.

I pray to god you never serve on a jury with an attitude like that. Yeah fk facts, investigations and the truth. Let’s just believe witnesses and convict everyone on personal testimony. I’m sure that will work out well...

[Macneil]

Absolutely bang on with Eric Gill, it rhter raises the question of whether a person can be judged on the whole by one aspect of their character.

Is saying Woody Allen is a gifted film maker like saying Fred West was a cracking brickie?
What about your mate who'd come roOr the und and dig your garden if you have a bad back but hates "P****'s"?

[Esceptico]

I think Allen’s case is proof that if you throw enough mud some of it sticks

[jtremlett]

Pothole said:

buckline said:

iirc his son Roman disowned him too. Not just Hollywood actors. I’d be inclined to believe the family particularly when they are respected journalists. Woody Allen is a piece of st.

Read the article unless you already know far more than most of the world's population about the man.

This paragraph might help you initially:

article said:

Allen is innocent: this is according to the law and the agencies that investigated him. Dylan and Ronan believe he is guilty. It is the latter view that has led some to lobby universities to drop him from film courses, exclude his movies from film festivals and talk about him as if he were a criminal. But this attitude is immoral unless it is proved he committed a crime – and, 28 years later, no one has been able to pin so much as a parking fine on him.

Yes read the article.

I don't know whether he did what he is accused of or not but he has been investigated and wasn't found guilty or even charged. I think it is also pretty clear, from what her own children have said about her, let alone anyone else, that Mia Farrow is not necessarily someone who should be believed without question.

Regardless of guilt or innocence, the allegation has been well known for years and plenty of people were happy to work with him long after it first surfaced when they thought they might get an Oscar out of it and dropped him like a stone when the wind changed which says more about them than anything else.

[Pothole]

Esceptico said:

Pothole said:

I think you should read the article too. You may not know the story as well as you think.

I don’t believe it was his adopted daughter it was Farrow’s and he didn’t really have any contact with her until she was already an adult. Yes it is a bit weird a 21 year old going with a 57 year old but aren’t you being a little bit judgemental? Plus 28 years later they are still together.

I think you may have wanted to quote Derek Smith as well...

[Esceptico]

Pothole said:

Esceptico said:

Pothole said:

I think you should read the article too. You may not know the story as well as you think.

I don’t believe it was his adopted daughter it was Farrow’s and he didn’t really have any contact with her until she was already an adult. Yes it is a bit weird a 21 year old going with a 57 year old but aren’t you being a little bit judgemental? Plus 28 years later they are still together.

I think you may have wanted to quote Derek Smith as well...

I think you are right! Sorry about that.

[toohuge]

I think some of the disapproval surrounds the alleged relationships with Stacey Nelkin and Babi Engelhardt....

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Derek Smith said:

His relationship with his adopted daughter

Soo Yi wasn't his adopted daughter, but the adopted daughter of his girlfriend, just for clarity. So nothing illegal. But...she was in his life from the age of 13 (with him being 47), which isn't great. But.....they didn't start their relationship until she was around 21 (and he was 55) and they've now been happily married for 23 years.

So a mixed bag of good and bad.