This independent investigation delves into the controversial private life of Woody Allen, one of cinema's most celebrated and complex filmmakers. Until now, his life remained largely unexamined, as Allen viewed biographers as threats to his carefully crafted public persona. His prolific achievements in film are unmatched, and for many fans, his work serves as an ongoing autobiography that reveals his self-deprecating and analytical nature. However, in 1992, his tumultuous personal life became tabloid fodder, exposing the cracks in his public image and blurring the lines between art and reality. Marion Meade has interviewed numerous individuals from Allen's past, including childhood friends, neighbors, early colleagues, and prominent actors, many of whom have never spoken to a biographer before. She also highlights the parallels between Allen's life and his films, particularly regarding his marriage to the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow. Through this exploration, Meade examines the cult of celebrity in America and how public fascination with fame has enabled Allen to skillfully navigate both media and audience perceptions.
Marion Meade Book order (chronological)
Marion Meade is an American biographer and novelist whose subjects span from 12th-century French royalty to 20th-century stand-up comedians. She is best known for her insightful portraits of literary figures and iconic filmmakers. Her writing excels in its deep psychological insight and its ability to transport readers into the historical periods she explores. Meade masterfully brings past lives to life, revealing their complexity and humanity.
La folle vie de Woody Allen
- 453 pages
- 16 hours of reading
Tout ce que voulez savoir sur cet individu tourmenté est raconté dans cette passionnante biographie : l'enfance de Woody, l'acteur comique et le metteur en scène, ses films, ses relations avec les femmes, en particulier ses tribulations récente avec Mia, son ex-femme, son remariage avec Soon-Yi, sa "fille adoptive" et bien d'autres détails sur le marasme de sa vie privée. [SDM]
The Unruly Life of Woody Allen
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Marion Meade tells the whole story of Woody Allen's life, from his working class beginnings in the Bronx, through his early career as a gag writer for New York newspaper columnists, his struggles as a stand-up comedian, to his break-through into films with What's New Pussycat (which he wrote and starred in alongside Peter O'Toole). As a writer/director he has made many films most notably Annie Hall (starring Diane Keaton with whom he lived for many years), Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters (with Mia Farrow, with whom he had a 13 year relationship) and Broadway Danny Rose. Marion Meade's is an unauthorised life, but many of those close to Allen both professionally and personally have talked as her previous books on Keaton and Dorothy Parker were widely praised.
A compassionate and comprehensive account of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman of enormous intelligence and titanic energy. The wife of King Louis VII of France and then of King Henry II of England, she became the key political figure of the 12th century. A stunning biography of one of the most exciting and powerful personalities of all time.