A programming alert for followers of Mid Century Cinema: on the occasion of his eightieth birthday (!), I have written an appreciation of the films of Woody Allen for Bright Lights Film Journal, which can be read here.
In the spirit of the occasion, below is a list of Allen’s feature films as writer-director, along with a few video captures. This list (which groups the movies into the five eras discussed in the Bright Lights Essay) excludes short films and television work, as well as the films of others that Allen appeared in as an actor. (Woody also acts the majority of his own films listed below, though much less frequently in the past decade. Note that (w) denotes as writer only.)
For the purpose of stimulating conversation (and, with luck, argument), I have denoted highly recommended films with stars (*), obviously, the more the merrier. (This is a version of the Halliwell system: stars are not ratings, but designations of merit. Which also means that are many good films – and lots of great moments – among the un-starred as well.)
And so, here they are, the films of Woody Allen:
— A Comedian Who Made Films
1965 What’s New, Pussycat? (w)
1966 What’s Up Tiger Lily? (w)
1969 Take the Money and Run*
1971 Bananas**
1972 Play it Again Sam* (w)
1972 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (Final segment*)
1973 Sleeper**
1975 Love and Death**
Bananas: Howard Cosell Covers The Honeymoon, Live
— Movie Star
1977 Annie Hall***
1978 Interiors***
1979 Manhattan***
1980 Stardust Memories**
1982 A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
1983 Zelig*
1984 Broadway Danny Rose
Manhattan: a Love Letter to the City . . .
But with Heartbreaks, Not to be Underestimated
— An American Institution
1985 The Purple Rose of Cairo**
1986 Hannah and Her Sisters***
1987 Radio Days*
1988 September**
1988 Another Woman**
1989 Crimes and Misdemeanors***
1990 Alice
1992 Shadows and Fog
1992 Husbands and Wives***
Hannah and Her Sisters: Subtext Lurks Behind Every Conversation
Another Woman: Marion (Gena Rowlands), Dining Alone?
Husbands and Wives: What, Me Angry?
— Consistency (and Drift)
1993 Manhattan Murder Mystery***
1994 Bullets Over Broadway*
1995 Mighty Aphrodite
1996 Everyone Says I Love You*
1997 Deconstructing Harry**
1998 Celebrity*
1999 Sweet and Lowdown**
Manhattan Murder Mystery: Life Imitates Art, via The Lady from Shanghai
2000 Small Time Crooks
2001 The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
2002 Hollywood Ending
2003 Anything Else
— Still Something to Say
2004 Melinda and Melinda**
2005 Match Point**
2006 Scoop
2007 Cassandra’s Dream
2008 Vicky Christina Barcelona**
2009 Whatever Works
2010 You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
2011 Midnight in Paris**
2012 To Rome with Love (Alec Baldwin segment*)
2013 Blue Jasmine
2014 Magic in the Moonlight
2015 Irrational Man
Midnight in Paris: These are the Good Old Days
Cafe Society (2016)
Wonder Wheel (2017) *
A Rainy Day in New York (2019)