ALLEN, Woody (born in 1935)

ALLEN, Woody (born in 1935)

Autograph letter signed « Woody » to Bernard Cohn
[New-York, 23 nov. 1983], 1 p. in-8° on brown paper on his letterhead
With autograph envelope

Busy with the production of his next film, the director laments an American market structurally dominated by Hollywood blockbusters

« Dear Bernard :
You always sound so despairing like Kafka. Hope you can send me the new translation of your scenario. I will pass on a copy you approved to the few movie moguls I know. At the moment the American film market is quite the opposite of the serious adult films (like yours) and is devoted things like Star Wars type films & horror films. Still, we can try. I am filming & work very hard – sometimes 7 days a week – which is unusual but we need certain weather. If I open a film in Paris – which I may – (before opening it in the U.S.A.) I will let you know. Say hello to M. Benhayoun [sic, Robert Benayoun] & give him my best,
Woody »

French film critic Bernard Cohn became an assistant director at the turn of the 1970s. He worked, among others, with Woody Allen on the set of Love and Death (1975). It was during this period that the two men formed a friendship. Cohn became a privileged contact for the American director in France, serving as an interface with the Parisian professional milieu. In return, Woody Allen offered him valuable advice and would attempt, as this letter attests, to facilitate his access to the American market. Cohn ultimately directed only one feature film, Natalia, released in 1988.

Woody Allen was at this time most likely in the midst of shooting The Purple Rose of Cairo, which he has often cited as his favourite film. The reference to Star Wars is in all likelihood an allusion to Return of the Jedi, released in theatres in the spring of 1983.

Autograph letters by Woody Allen are exceedingly rare on the market, all the more so with content of this nature.