# Why is Woody Allen still making movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894 "2003-07-25T15:36:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/61 "2023-09-09T01:02:00Z")
> [@Latimera](#): > > Woody Allen apparently dated those girls when they were teens and he was 40 or 41. OK. you don’t approve. But how does that make him “a pretty gross human being” or “kinda scummy”? Given that they were both **minors** when he started relationships with them…yes, it does, IMO. And, in general, yes, I am kinda creeped out by a person in their 40s or 50s who is having a romantic relationship with someone who’s in their teens or early 20s, even if the younger person is legally an adult. There’s likely to be a tremendous power imbalance in such a relationship, especially when the older person is in a position of authority or fame. > [@Latimera](#): > > And he and Soon-Yi have been married since 1997. Is that gross and scummy? That they have been married for 26 years isn’t. The fact that she was the adopted daughter of Allen’s romantic partner (who was also the mother of three children – two adopted, one biological\* – who had Allen as their father) when their relationship started _is_, as well as the fact that, as noted above, it began when she was 20-ish, and he was 55. Again, IMO. \*- Yes, I know the rumors about Ronan’s actual father, but regardless, Allen is the father on his birth certificate, and Allen helped to raise him. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/62 "2023-09-09T01:49:42Z")
> [@Latimera](#): > > On what do you base that opinion? That he got involved with Soon Ye Previn. Yes, I get it - consenting adults and all that. And I know that contrary to what some people say, Woody was NOT married to Mia, so he didn’t start an affair with his stepdaughter. I don’t think he is criminally liable for that. Just kinda icky. ETA: I see that several other posters have covered the matter well. That’s what I get for navigating to the thread via the notification, instead of just reading the thread where I left off. ---
**Author:** ![Latimera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/latimera/32/497_2.png) [@Latimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latimera)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/63 "2023-09-09T02:32:07Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I don’t think he is criminally liable for that. Just kinda icky. To be honest, that doesn’t seem equivalent with “[he] is most likely a pretty gross human being.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/64 "2023-09-09T03:29:13Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > He is OBVIOUSLY Frank Sinatra’s kid. Here are some photographs from all four of them around the same age: > **[Frank sinatra in his 20s | Cantores americanos, Fatos interessantes, Cantores](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2111131063249727/)** > > 6/fev/2019 - 💋💛💄👑atara👑💄💛💋 encontrou este Pin. Encontre (e salve!) seus próprios Pins no Pinterest. > **[Woody Allen does not retire - Montenapo Daily](https://montenapodaily.com/en/2022/09/22/woody-allen-non-si-ritira/)** > > The news that Woody Allen plans to retire has been denied. His entourage rectifies the misunderstanding with the newspaper La Vanguardia. > **[In Photos: Mia Farrow's Most Iconic Moments in the '60s and '70s](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g6808/mia-farrow-photos/)** > > Prepare yourself for pixie cut envy. > **[Ronan Farrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Farrow)** > > Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow (born December 19, 1987) is an American journalist. The son of actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen, he is known for his investigative reporting on allegations of sexual abuse against film producer Harvey Weinstein, which was published in The New Yorker magazine. The magazine won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for this reporting, sharing the award with The New York Times. Farrow has worked for UNICEF and as a government advisor. > Farrow was bo... ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/65 "2023-09-09T03:43:43Z")
> [@Latimera](#): > > To be honest, that doesn’t seem equivalent with “[he] is most likely a pretty gross human being.” Hey, I’m just giving my irrelevant opinion on a message board, because that is kinda sorta what we do. If you want to say that in YOUR opinion, Woody Allen isn’t likely “pretty gross,” that’s fine. I’m not trying to prove a thing, just offer my idle speculation. You are more than welcome to disagree. (And honestly, I prefer defenses of WA to claims that he is a child abuser. While I agree with neither extreme, it seems to me that the evidence doesn’t support the latter.) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/66 "2023-09-09T05:58:44Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Ronan Farrow…is OBVIOUSLY Frank Sinatra’s kid. Just curious: What are you basing that on? Because you might be right, but if you’re going strictly by his face, I’m thinking of the “proof” that James Hewitt is Prince Harry’s biological father. Always the same to photos, with each looking to his left. Sure, from that angle they look strikingly similar. But look at Harry from slightly above, and those are the Windsor ears. That is the Windsor nose. So you might be right; I’m not going to rule it out. But what are your reasons for thinking that? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/67 "2023-09-09T09:12:37Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > But look at Harry from slightly above, and those are the Windsor ears. That is the Windsor nose. In other words, you know that Harry is Charles’s son because of the physical resemblance. I was unaware (and am happy to remain in that state) of the whole James Hewitt speculation, but it sounds from what you say that the photos that purport to prove his paternity are somewhat forced - “always the same” angle. I shouldn’t have said “OBVIOUSLY.” I should have said it obviously can’t be ruled out. Personally, I see a very striking resemblance between Ronan and Frank without having to play games with which photos are being compared. Whereas I see none with Woody. I just don’t see how Ronan is so adamant about his paternity when clearly there are questions. Not that it’s any of my business, of course. Though that didn’t stop me from commenting, did it? I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/68 "2023-09-09T09:35:19Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > Lucas is the only one who has basically retired. Lucas was a one-trick pony whose only continuing relevance was the spin-off of other businesses. > [@Rilchiam](#): > > I believe Woody really did molest Dylan Really? Based on the claims of a deranged ex-wife with a history of vindictiveness? And after a thorough police investigation found no evidence of such molestation? Do you also believe in flying unicorns? The moral sins of Woody Allen, if one wants to consider his peculiarities to be sins, have involved an attraction to younger women. The relationship of Allen with his then-stepdaughter Soon-Yi Previn was, at worst, creepy, but since they’ve been happily married for more than a quarter of a century, I think it’s about time for the sanctimonious critics to back off and find something else to whine about. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/69 "2023-09-09T16:43:15Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@Rilchiam](#): > > > > I believe Woody really did molest Dylan > > Really? Based on the claims of a deranged ex-wife with a history of vindictiveness? And after a thorough police investigation found no evidence of such molestation? To add to the credulity, Mia Farrow appears to relish in the suffering of others. She’s made a point to adopt lots of children suffering from medical issues. Including biological children, she’s had 14 kids. And rather than help them, 3 of her kids have died prematurely (one from a drug overdose, and another by suicide), and Moses Farrow wants nothing to do with her. > **[Moses Farrow: ‘I felt inherently like I was a bad kid. The abuse at home...](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/moses-farrow-i-felt-inherently-like-i-was-a-bad-kid-the-abuse-at-home-reinforced-that-1.4434026)** > > Mia Farrow and Woody Allen’s son on family hatred and the problems with being adopted Meanwhile, Ronan is a genius (he graduated college at 15), but has some ridiculously huge blind spot about his mother, including (in my opinion) the _obvious_ fact that he’s Frank Sinatra’s son. (I know it was stated upthread already. I join in saying that it’s impossible to deny the associated appearances). It seems to me that if he admits that fact, he risks acknowledging that his mother is indeed a liar. > [@](#): > > Ronan, who is now a journalist and lawyer, responded to the report humorously on Twitter: "Listen, we’re all _possibly_ Frank Sinatra’s son. > **[Mia Farrow: Sinatra might be father of her son Ronan Farrow](https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article328721.html)** > > Mia Farrow told Vanity Fair magazine that her 25-year-old son with Woody Allen, Ronan, is "possibly" the biological son of her ex-husband, Frank Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/70 "2023-09-09T17:04:17Z")
Okay, well, why I think Woody molested Dylan is because of her interview in the Allen vs. Farrow documentary. Yes, she’s probably been heavily coached, but I don’t quite have it in me to disbelieve someone who’s in tears telling their story. However, I agree that WA’s attraction to **adolescent** girls (Mariel Hemingway) is a different category from touching a seven y/o in the swimsuit area, and is not an indicator. As for Sinatra/Ronan, listen, I see the resemblance too! Like Schwarzenegger and the housekeeper: that kid looks enough like Arnold to be his stunt double. I was just unsure about the timing. But if Mia herself says they “never really broke up,” there you go. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/71 "2023-09-09T17:08:09Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Yes, she’s probably been heavily coached, but I don’t quite have it in me to disbelieve someone who’s in tears telling their story. Don’t forget that she’s a freaking professional _actor_, and not the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/72 "2023-09-09T17:12:50Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Don’t forget that she’s a freaking professional _actor_, and not the worst. I think she’s talking about Dylan Farrow, not Mia. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/73 "2023-09-09T17:15:26Z")
Ah sorry, I misunderstood. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/74 "2023-09-09T18:41:45Z")
Yeah, I meant Dylan has been coached _by_ Mia. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/75 "2023-09-09T18:52:57Z")
Looking at the pictures from my links in post #64, the only thing I can say is that Ronan in his 20s looks a whole lot like Mia in her 20s. So he’s definitely her son, which tells us nothing new. It’s possible for a child to look a lot like one parent but not the other: [In the Genes: Where Baby's Looks Come From](https://www.parents.com/getting-pregnant/genetics/tests/baby-looks/#:~:text=Sometimes%20children%20end%20up%20looking,plenty%20of%20room%20for%20variation). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/76 "2023-09-10T01:09:14Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Allen used to be one of the funniest writers I knew. His short stories in _Getting Even_, _Without Feathers_ and _Side Effects_ are consistently hilarious, but it took nearly a decade to extract those three out of him – from 1971 to 1980 – as he’s much more interested in writing screenplays and filmmaking. > > It would be 27 years before another collection appeared, _Mere Anarchy_. That last one contains many of those New Yorker pieces you mention, and while some are pretty funny, he’s definitely losing the comedic craziness that made his early writings so hilarious, and seems to be engaging instead in a sort of obtuse pretentiousness. I’m guessing that if someone not named Woody Allen submitted the exact same material to the _New Yorker_ so that it was evaluated on its merits, most of it or all of it would be rejected. > > As for his films, I agree that the quality isn’t consistent, but it’s hard to maintain a consistently high level of quality when you’re making movies at such a prodigious rate. I don’t think Allen even at his filmmaking worst is ever really bad, though; it’s more that some of his films are truly excellent and some are just mundane. Quoting the whole post to say I agree with it 100%. The three “early” books are still terrific. I prefer his earlier films, haven’t seen a lot of them from the past 20 years or so. For me his masterpiece was “Hannah and Her Sisters” and nothing since then has really impressed me. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/77 "2023-09-10T01:35:57Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > … Mia Farrow appears to relish in the suffering of others. She’s made a point to adopt lots of children suffering from medical issues. Including biological children, she’s had 14 kids. And rather than help them, 3 of her kids have died prematurely (one from a drug overdose, and another by suicide),… As much as I question Mia Farrow’s motives, I have to say that as written, this is grossly unfair. She may be guilty of having more children than any parent can reasonably provide for (attention-wise), but even the best parents have been struck with the death by suicide or overdose of a kid. I say this having a good friend whose family also adopted 11 children, in addition to 3 bio kids. There’s just so much parental attention to go around. And some of the kids had issues that no one could have fixed. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/78 "2023-09-10T01:39:53Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Looking at the pictures from my links in post #64, the only thing I can say is that Ronan in his 20s looks a whole lot like Mia in her 20s. So he’s definitely her son, which tells us nothing new. It’s possible for a child to look a lot like one parent but not the other: Ditto - I look _nothing_ like my father, and very much like my mother. I’ve done DNA testing and am definitely my father’s bio-kid. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/79 "2023-09-10T01:47:26Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Ronan in his 20s looks a whole lot like Mia in her 20s. So he’s definitely her son, which tells us nothing new. It’s possible for a child to look a lot like one parent but not the other: But it’s not just appearances that factor into the supposition that Ronan is Sinatra’s son. We _know_ that Mia had a relationship with Sinatra. We _know_ that Mia has said that they never “really broke up”, thereby tacitly admitting to having a relationship with Sinatra even when she was with Allen. And we _know_ that Farrow is ok with an unfaithful affair, given her history with Previn. Now, add to _that_ Ronan’s similarities with Sinatra, and then fact that he doesn’t look like Allen, and you have a plausible case. > [@needscoffee](#): > > There’s just so much parental attention to go around. And some of the kids had issues that no one could have fixed. That’s sort of my point. Mia Farrow made a point of adopting kids with ailments; she seems to gravitate to the idea that she is a “rescuer” of people. To me, that matches her story of Dylan, her poor maligned daughter that she has had to “save”. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/80 "2023-09-10T01:52:25Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > That’s sort of my point. Mia Farrow made a point of adopting kids with ailments; she seems to gravitate to the idea that she is a “rescuer” of people. Yeah, but you blamed her for the deaths of her children. Many parents, including on this board, have lost a son or daughter to overdose or suicide, despite not having a dozen children. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894.md?page=5)