Woody Allen: Myriad controversies follow master filmmaker

Woody Allen, one of American
cinemas stalwarts, has decided to retire from filmmaking. In September, Allen
is expected to finish shooting his last film, Wasp 22, a film shot in France,
with French dialogues and a French cast. Allen’s career began as a comic writer.
He then went on to perform stand-up comedy, and eventually began writing for
and directing films. Celebrated for films such as Annie Hall, a bunch of
controversies started following Woody Allen from the 1990s.

In 1979, Allen initiated a
romantic relationship with Mia Farrow, the actress, after he had been married
twice, first to Harlene Rosen and then to Louise Lasser. Allen and Farrow
collaborated on 13 films before their relationship ended in 1992. Throughout
their relationship, the two lived in separate apartments on opposite sides of
Central Park, Manhattan.

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After four years of being
together, Mia proposed the two have a child. Allen agreed only if he would not
have to be involved in childcare. By then, Mia already had seven children.
Three biological sons from her marriage with composer Andre Previn and three
adopted children – two Vietnamese and one South Korean. Allen and Mia had a
child in 1987 – Satchel Farrow, later known as Ronan Farrow.

In 1992, Allen announced to the
world that he was in love with Soon-Yi Previn. While the media lambasted the
director for engaging in a romantic relationship with her ‘stepdaughter’, Allen
maintained that he was not a father to Mia’s adopted children in any sense of
the world and that Soon-Yi Previn did not look at her as a father figure.

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Soon after Mia learned of Allen’s
sexual relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, Allen was also accused of sexually
assaulting of another of Mia’s children – Dylan Farrow. Allen denied the
allegation and said the accusation was made as an act of vengeance. Dylan has
gone on to repeat the allegation several times as an adult.

Allen and Previn married in
1997.

Woody Allen has addressed Dylan’s
allegations against him in his memoir Apropos of Nothing. There, he said Dylan’s
narrative had a “rehearsed quality” and she was “likely coached or influenced
by her mother.”   

A member of the New Hollywood
wave of filmmakers, Woody Allen is counted with directors such as Martin
Scorsese, Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet.