# 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:** 5
**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 10, 2023, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/81 "2023-09-10T03:14:04Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Farrow is ok with an unfaithful affair Sinatra and Allen were also O.K. with affairs. That whole community didn’t have much problem with affairs. Ronan’s biological parents isn’t much relevant to who had affairs, and I think that it doesn’t have much to do with who he looks like. What you want is more than a plausible case. It looks like we’re never going to get more than a plausible case, since Ronan seems to have no interest is doing a DNA test. ---
**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 10, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/82 "2023-09-10T04:07:12Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > As much as I question Mia Farrow’s motives, I have to say that as written, this is grossly unfair. I agree. I am definitely not in MF’s fan club, but the fact she adopted many children with medical problems doesn’t prove she “relish[es]” the suffering of others." I can easily imagine a person/couple who takes in kids with medical problems out of compassion and a sense that “we can do this, a lot of people can’t, let’s go for it!” Nothing wrong with that, and in fact children are lucky such people exist. ---
**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, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/83 "2023-09-10T11:53:25Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > in fact children are lucky such people exist. Sometimes. But then you read Moses Farrow saying this > [@](#): > > There’s a really powerful narrative that says adoptive parents are saving these children, that they’ll all live happily ever after, and that adoptees should just be grateful for being adopted. But those narratives don’t account for the individual experiences. He claims he was abused. > [@](#): > > There was abuse in his family, he wrote, but it did not come from his father. His mother, he wrote, was physically abusive to the children, and she “brainwashed” them, punishing them until they said what she told them to, even if they knew it was a lie. **”I had a disability and emotional sensitivities, and that lent itself to being a target,”** (My emphasis) > **[Moses Farrow: ‘I’d be very happy to take my father’s surname’](https://amp.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/11/moses-farrow-id-be-very-happy-to-take-my-fathers-surname)** > > In his first newspaper interview, the adopted son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen talks about an atmosphere of anger and hatred in his family, the problems of transracial adoption – and his certainty that his sister was not abused by their father Sun-Yi also reports abuse. > [@](#): > > Farrow “wasn’t maternal to me from the get-go.” As she grew up, Soon-Yi claims, **Farrow treated her and her adopted sisters, Lark and Daisy, like “domestics,” including grocery shopping, cleaning and ironing Farrow’s sheets**. According to Soon-Yi, Farrow became easily impatient with her “hopelessly backward” learning difficulties, would slap her on occasion, and once screamed, “I should send you to an insane asylum!” > > “Mia used to write words on my arm, which was humiliating, so I’d always wear long-sleeved shirts,” Soon-Yi told _New York_ . “She would also tip me upside down, holding me by my feet, to get the blood to drain to my head. Because she thought — or she read it, God knows where she came up with the notion — that blood going to my head would make me smarter or something.” (My emphasis) > **[Soon-Yi Previn Speaks Out About Woody Allen Marriage, Mia Farrow](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/soon-yi-woody-allen-marriage-mia-farrow-724957/amp/)** > > Soon-Yi Previn, Woody Allen's wife and the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, broke her decades-long silence in a new interview. Yes, there are wealthy people who use their good fortune to help others. But there are also people who belittle and abuse the kids they’ve taken in. And Munchausen by Proxy is also a real thing. I didn’t intend to _blame_ Mia for the deaths of her 3 kids, but rather to press the point that she wasn’t particularly helping or nurturing the family. 3 kids died young, and 2 others have disowned her. I’m not convinced (and of course this is just my speculation) that _any_ of Mia’s adopted kids were lucky to have found her. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/84 "2023-09-10T12:17:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > - There have never been any other accusations made against Allen. Somebody who has a psychological problem that leads them to molest young children is usually going to make several attempts. > - If Allen was a child molester, he was incredibly stupid one to try to commit a crime in a house full of potential witnesses. I just want to address two of these that I feel like are pretty weak sauce, then I will drop it. Neither of these sound like evidence. 1)Just because no other accusers have come forward doesn’t mean any other accusers exist. 2) Abusers are not geniuses and can do stupid things too, such as act out in front of witnesses. The rest of them seem plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/85 "2023-09-10T14:30:29Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > 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. I feel Dylan probably does believe that Allen molested her. But keep in mind that she was seven years old when this event supposedly occurred. She probably has no direct memories of events that occurred at that age. What she remembers is what her mother has been telling her happened for the last thirty years. ---
**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 10, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/86 "2023-09-10T14:34:18Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Sometimes. No, they are ALWAYS lucky that caring, compassionate, people exist. Not _every_ adoptive parent is a monster, and if you don’t take my comment out of context, it’s clear I was only saying that kids are lucky that GOOD adoptive parents exist. Was Mia Farrow such a parent? The evidence available suggests she wasn’t. ---
**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, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/87 "2023-09-10T14:44:08Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Not _every_ adoptive parent is a monster, and if you don’t take my comment out of context, it’s clear I was only saying that kids are lucky that GOOD adoptive parents exist. My apologies for taking your quote out of context. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > Was Mia Farrow such a parent? The evidence available suggests she wasn’t. I agree. ---
**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 10, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/88 "2023-09-10T14:49:21Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > [@Moriarty](#): > > > > Farrow is ok with an unfaithful affair > > Sinatra and Allen were also O.K. with affairs. That whole community didn’t have much problem with affairs. Ronan’s biological parents isn’t much relevant to who had affairs, and I think that it doesn’t have much to do with who he looks like. What you want is more than a plausible case. It looks like we’re never going to get more than a plausible case, since Ronan seems to have no interest is doing a DNA test. Maybe they were OK with affairs, but they were allegedly not at all OK with each other. One of Allen’s biographers alleges that when Mia took up with Allen, Frank Sinatra was so incensed that he considered ordering a hit on Allen, but Allen’s fame made it too risky. It’s one of those stories that’s probably just urban legend, but not beyond the bounds of credulity. ---
**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 10, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/89 "2023-09-10T15:52:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Frank Sinatra was so incensed that he considered ordering a hit on Allen, but Allen’s fame made it too risky. Mia and Frank were divorced 12 years before she began dating Woody. There was a husband between them. I just tried searching on whether Frank considered putting a hit on Woody, and some of the sources say that Frank couldn’t have persuaded the Mafia to do such a thing. Again, I don’t think there’s anything more than a vaguely plausible case that Frank was still sleeping with Mia around the time that Ronan was conceived, and until there’s a DNA test it’s impossible to say anything for certain. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/90 "2023-09-10T16:04:39Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > until there’s a DNA test it’s impossible to say anything He can’t be compelled to have his DNA tested, of course, but has Ronan spoken about his reasons for refusing to take a test and settle this matter once and for all? You’d think he’d be curious, if nothing else. ---
**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, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/91 "2023-09-10T16:20:25Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > has Ronan spoken about his reasons for refusing to take a test and settle this matter once and for all? He’s responded with a flippant joke. > [@](#): > > Listen, we’re all _possibly_ Frank Sinatra’s son. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/92 "2023-09-10T16:37:06Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > He’s responded with a flippant joke. I ask because I can’t think of a response that wouldn’t sound flippant, or defensive, or imbecilic. BTW, I’ve had my DNA tested and I can definitely say that I’m not Frank Sinatra’s son. ---
**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 10, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/93 "2023-09-10T16:46:39Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > 3 kids died young, and 2 others have disowned her. Sure, but the other 9 seem to have stuck with her. I don’t think any of this can really be unentangled. ETA: To clarify, I have no idea as to the guilt or non-guilt of anyone in this little morality play and I think anyone else that is certain is fooling themselves. ---
**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 10, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/94 "2023-09-10T18:20:48Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > but has Ronan spoken about his reasons for refusing to take a test and settle this matter once and for all? This makes it sound like people have asked him to take a DNA test, but he outright refused. That’s not what happened. He just made a joke after Mia made the claim about dating Frank around the time he was conceived. It appears that he simply doesn’t care. This isn’t a rare reaction. Lots of people, on hearing claims about who their biological parents really are, don’t think it’s worth the bother. They know who brought them up, and they consider that to be the only important thing. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/95 "2023-09-10T18:55:41Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It appears that he simply doesn’t care. Well, that’s what he’s professing. Most people, unlike him, have not had their paternity questioned and no one I’m aware of has had it questioned so publicly or repeatedly. I’m merely observing that if he wishes to dispute the repeated public rumors, there’s an obvious method of doing so, and he is choosing not to avail himself of it, thus allowing the rumors to continue flurrying. You may read into this what you wish, but I take it as a tacit acceptance of the rumors’ truth, namely that his mother slept with someone other than his putative father around the time of his conception. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/96 "2023-09-10T19:28:32Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > He can’t be compelled to have his DNA tested, of course, but has Ronan spoken about his reasons for refusing to take a test and settle this matter once and for all? You’d think he’d be curious, if nothing else. Maybe he did get tested and the results are none of our fucking business. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/97 "2023-09-10T19:30:36Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > the results are none of our fucking business Maybe. Or maybe they show that his mother was sleeping with her ex-husband when she was expressing outrage at Allen’s promiscuity. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/98 "2023-09-10T19:35:07Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > Maybe. Or maybe they show that his mother was sleeping with her ex-husband when she was expressing outrage at Allen’s promiscuity. Is that any of our business? ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/99 "2023-09-10T19:35:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Maybe he did get tested and the results are none of our fucking business. I wish more people felt that way. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/100 "2023-09-10T19:43:40Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > Maybe. Or maybe they show that his mother was sleeping with her ex-husband when she was expressing outrage at Allen’s promiscu Or both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894.md?page=6)