Apropos of 'Apropos of Nothing'

Apropos of Nothing, by Woody Allen (Arcade Publishing, 2020; First Paperback Edition 2021)

New York Times Bestseller “In this candid and often hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. Beginning with his Brooklyn childhood and his stint as a writer for the Sid Caesar variety show in the early days of television, working alongside comedy greats, Allen tells of his difficult early days doing standup before he achieved recognition and success. With his unique storytelling pizzazz, he recounts his departure into moviemaking, with such slapstick comedies as Take the Money and Run, and revisits his entire, sixty-year-long, and enormously productive career as a writer and director, from his classics Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters to his most recent films, including Midnight in Paris. Along the way, he discusses his marriages, his romances and famous friendships, his jazz playing, and his books and plays. We learn about his demons, his mistakes, his successes, and those he loved, worked with, and learned from in equal measure.” – Amazon.

Not in the Archive, but it has been my daily reading for almost a week. I’ve been reading and enjoying Allen since I was in high school; watching his movies, too, until about Radio Days, after which his films became a little less ubiquitous. Then, of course, there was that Mia Farrow business, and things became more fraught.

 “In 1980, Allen began a professional and personal relationship with actress Mia Farrow. Over a decade-long period, they collaborated on 13 films. The couple separated after Allen began a relationship in 1991 with Mia's and Andre Previn's 21-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Allen married Previn in 1997. They have two adopted daughters. In 1992, Farrow publicly accused Allen of sexually abusing their adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. The allegation gained substantial media attention, but two judicial investigations and a custody trial did not find it credible. Allen was never charged or prosecuted and has vehemently denied the allegation.” – Wikipedia. The situation was not helped by the libidinous persona he had projected through the years.

Apropos of Nothing is a memoir, a little less formal than an autobiography, and most reviews emphasize its humorous aspect, and it does have that. But it’s hard to read it as anything less than an apology, in the old-fashioned Greek sense of the word, an explanation and a plea for understanding, if somewhat wryly put. While Allen gives all props to Farrow as to her talent and beauty, she comes across as less than a Supermom, as she adopts children almost as fashion accessories, and more like a Medea, striking back at Jason through the children.

Allen’s career cannot now be discussed without addressing this business, and the absolute truth may never be known. But he relates his narrative in a convincing manner, and I put down the book (which is hard to do in media res as there are no chapters throughout its 392 pages and few formal pauses) feeling more inclined to accept his side of things. He claims he does not care what anyone thinks of him or what his legacy will be when he's gone, but I think this may be the most disingenuous statement in the whole book.