Deconstructing Woody: The Neurotic Urban Comedies of Woody Allen

In the late 1970s and 1980s, as Hollywood embraced the blockbuster heroics of Rocky, Rambo, and Indiana Jones, Woody Allen was busy creating a whole gallery of neurotic Jewish intellectuals who could barely get through a dinner date, let alone save the world. This course explores Allen’s screen persona and his signature blend of urban comedy, psychoanalysis, farce, and existentialism in films such as Annie Hall (1977), Zelig (1983), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Oedipus Wrecks (1989), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), and Deconstructing Harry (1997). Particular attention is given to his reflections on how cinema transforms our experience, compared with the meta-cinematic narratives of other filmmakers. Finally, we confront the elephant in the Upper East Side living room and address the issue of whether art should be separated from the artist. Allen’s provocative response in Deconstructing Harry serves as a springboard for discussion.