Wild Man Blues

In 1996 Woody Allen did a tour of Europe as a clarinettist for a couple of weeks. He played in a professional Dixieland band, and the concerts brought in capacity crowds. The American documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple had never heard Allen play, but when she was asked to make a documentary, she immediately jumped at it. With music documentaries like No Nukes and Hurricane Irene to her name she knew what was in store for her. Her only condition was that she was given a completely free hand. Surprisingly Allen, who is publicity-shy by nature, consented.The film swings back and forth between the events in the concert halls and Allen‘s off-stage moments in the most prestigious hotels of cities like Milan, Paris and Vienna. Especially the Italian audience - Allen mainly performed in Italian cities - was frenzied at times. We see Allen blowing kisses to the audience like a proficient pop star. Apart from that he is strikingly candid about his relationship with the young Soon-Yi Previn, who is with him constantly. Kopple follows Allen like his shadow. She tries to catch him in his most intimate moments. We see him roaming hotel hallways in a dressing gown and swimming a few lengths in a small pool.,,I wanted to show a side of Woody Allen that nobody knew yet‘, Kopple says. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)