The Woody Allen Pages Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Manhattan Murder Mystery is the 22nd film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 1993.

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton stars as Larry and Carol Lipton, a couple that live in a New York apartment building, across from an elderly couple. One night, one of the elderly neighbours die from a heart attack. Nothing seems strange, but Carol begins to suspect something – and she can’t let it go despite the doubt from her friends and husband.

After a period of drama – both on screen and off – Allen returns to something that is brightly comedic with Manhattan Murder Mystery. It’s a much needed breath of fresh air, compared to his previous film, Husbands And Wives. And in a crowd pleasing move, it reunited Allen with Diane Keaton.

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages podcast. This week, we look at 1993’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. How it was conceived, how it was made, and how it was a bit of a laugh. Spoilers are everywhere – so watch the film and then come back.

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The Woody Allen Pages podcast season 3 continues. It was split in two, and we have five more films and a special episode on the way in the next six weeks.

To listen, just look up Woody Allen Pages in your favourite podcast app. Or links are below.

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Rifkin’s Festival is the 49th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 2020.

Wallace Shawn stars as Mort Rifkin, a film teacher who accompanies his wife, Sue, played by Gina Gershon, to the San Sebastián Film Festival. During the festival, Mort has strange dreams that seem oddly familiar, and realises he has some regrets in his life that he has to face.

Filmed in gorgeous San Sebastián in Spain, Rifkin’s Festival is a playful conversation about cinema itself. But at the heart it is a somber character study of a man who might have left it too late.

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast. This week, episode 20, we talk about 2020’s Rifkin’s Festival. How it was conceived, how it was made and how it didn’t quite get released properly with COVID and all. Spoilers are everywhere so please watch the film and come back.

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Mighty Aphrodite is the 25th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 1995.

Woody Allen stars as Lenny Weinrib. Together with his wife Amanda, played by Helena Bonham Carter, the two adopt a child who turns out to be especially gifted. When Lenny gets obsessed by his son’s genetic heritage, he tracks down the mother only to discover she’s a lowly prostitute named Linda Ash, played by Mira Sorvino.

Woody Allen in the mid 90s was overcoming the turmoil of his private life to create some of his most fun films. Mighty Aphrodite came in the middle of this successful run, with memorable performances and lots of laughs.

This week, episode 19, we talk about 1995’s Mighty Aphrodite. How it was conceived, how it was made and how it’s really quite good. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film and then come back.

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The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion is the 31st film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 2001. 

Woody Allen stars as CW Briggs. An insurance investigator whose workplace rival is Betty Anne Fitzgerald played by Helen Hunt. Both come under the spell of a hypnotist named Voltan, and find they themselves chasing after criminals that are closer to home than they think.

The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion is a throwback to another era. It harkens back to the sparky, dialogue driven comedies of the 40s, and there’s plenty of fun. But the fun is cartoonish and sometimes it is so lightweight that it almost blows away. 

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast. This week, episode 18, we talk about 2001’s The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion. How it was conceived, how it was made and how it was a bit of a failure. Spoilers are everywhere so please watch the film and come back. 

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Manhattan is the 8th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 1979.

Woody Allen stars as Isaac Davis, and we follow him as he romanticises the hell out of New York City, falling in love, and dealing with the poetry of every day life. His story is divided by several women and one friend. And he’s made a decision to live a better life, if there is such a thing.

What do you say about Manhattan? It’s a masterpiece, and where Allen’s skill as a director finally matches his skill as a writer. It’s a triumph of production with a story that lays out everything Allen had been trying to say. Oh and it’s my favourite film of all time.

This week, episode 17, we talk about 1979’s Manhattan. I will try not to go too overboard about how great it is. But we will look at how it was conceived, how it was made, and how the bastards are wrong about it. Spoilers are everywhere – watch the film, then come back.

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Shadows And Fog is the 20th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released 1991.

Woody Allen stars as Max Kleinman, returning to being the sole lead for the first time since Broadway Danny Rose in 1984. He lives in a town that resembles old German expressionist films by directors such as Fritz Lang. The dark and foggy town is plagued by a killer. Kleinman has been roped in to search for the killer, but is given little or no facts to work with, and soon left on his own.

Shadows And Fog is one of the strangest films in Woody Allen’s canon. It’s a 90 minute, black and white allegorical play about death and religion. Lucky for Woody Allen that by this point, it had been decades since he had to pitch a film to anyone.

This week, episode 16, we look at 1991’s Shadows And Fog. How it was conceived, how it was made and how it flopped really badly. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film first and then come back. 

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Blue Jasmine is the 43rd film written and directed by Woody Allen.

Cate Blanchett stars as the titular Jasmine – a well-to-do woman who finds herself broke. Her financial criminal husband, played by Alec Baldwin, is no longer in the picture, so she moves in with her working class sister Ginger, played by Sally Hawkins. And she has to try and find a new life in San Francisco.

Blue Jasmine was a critical success for Allen and in particular Blanchett, who won all the awards. It is also one of Allen’s biggest box office earners. So is it really that good?

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast, by me, the creator of the Woody Allen Pages website. This week, episode 15, we look at 2013’s Blue Jasmine. How it was conceived, how it was made, and how it lives up to it’s reputation. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film first, then come back.

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The Purple Rose of Cairo is the 13th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 1985.

This film holds a special place in Woody Allen’s filmography. It is Woody Allen’s own favourite of his films, whilst he consistently rags on just about every other one he’s ever made. Even now, he claims it is the film that is closest to his original vision. From it, we can see what it is that Allen the filmmaker really wants to do. Beloved by critics if not so much by audiences – not only is it great, it’s the kind of film that only Woody Allen can make. That wonderful mix of American and European, comedy and tragedy, realism and magic. 

Mia Farrow stars as Cecilia, a down and out waitress in the depression era Jersey. She’s married to a man who beats her and she is poor and unhappy. Her only escape is the cinema, and she sees every film at the local cinema. Black and white, dramatic, sophisticated escapades, such as ‘The Purple Rose Of Cairo’. Just as her life hits bottom, one of the characters in the film leaps off the screen to whisk her away.

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast, by me, the creator of the Woody Allen Pages website. This week, episode 14, we look at 1985’s The Purple Rose of Cairo. How it was conceived, how it was made, and how Allen doesn’t hate this one. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film first, then come back.

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Celebrity is the 28th film written and directed by Woody Allen, first released in 1998. 

Kenneth Branagh stars as Lee Simon, a journalist with aspirations of higher writing and a better life. He has just split from his wife Robin, played by Judy Davis. The two go on separate searches for happiness through fame. Lee by hanging around it, Robin by accidentally becoming it.

Coming straight after Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity is another harsh, angry film. Shot in stark black and white and with a biting, sour message. It is one of Allen’s biggest casts and a large sprawling story. There’s a lot of film here to discuss. 

Welcome to the Woody Allen Pages Podcast, by me, the creator of the Woody Allen Pages website. This week, episode 13, we look at 1998’s Celebrity. How it was conceived, how it was made, and how just big it is. Spoilers are everywhere so watch the film first, then come back.

So much more at our website – Woody Allen Pages.

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