I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order.
The jokes come at an even pace, a good mix of satire, slapstick, surrealism, and sight gags. The semi-improvised dialogue has a "stand-up" feel to it.
What's surprising is just how consistent it is. I'm used to being able to sit through 15 minutes of a Woody Allen film without a single laugh - Bananas sets up a relentless modern pace.
You can buy Bananas from Amazon
I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order.
It's possibly the first "mockumentary" and, as such, is a trail-blazing piece. But as with his earlier films the gags are few and far between. Once the jokes hit, they're often substandard and fall flat.
I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order.
Set in Paris, a struggling writer on the brink of a loveless marriage seeks solace in the city's many nocturnal delights. Featuring a suicidal young woman, a cameo by Toulouse-Lautrec, and some delightful shots of Paris and its surrounding countryside.
It is a film of its time - a bawdy sex comedy set in the swinging sixties - so it seems rather unfair to judge it too harshly. Nevertheless it is a noisy and confusing mess. There are snatches of comedic genius in among the confusing plot strands.
Peter O'Toole may be the most devastatingly handsome leading man ever to light up the screen. And of course, only Woody Allen would have the chutzpah to write himself into a role which involves undressing a bevy of strippers.
Sadly, even the sight of Ursula Andress in her underwear fails to lift the film which, by the end, descends into slapstick.
It's not a particularly great start to my Woody Allen Challenge experience. At times the "groovy" costumes elicit greater laughter than the writing.
The film was only written by Woody Allen - he didn't direct it.
I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order.
I'll confess, I tried watching What's Up Tiger Lilly a few years ago. I didn't get more than 40 minutes into it before switching it off in a mixture of boredom and disgust.
I'm not sure who first came up with the idea of revoicing a movie - making snarky comments about the action on screen - but this is one of the most influential and successful.
How it became so successful is entirely a mystery to me. For a comedy film, it is almost utterly devoid of jokes.
One thing I do when I'm watching comedies which I don't find funny is to count the number of jokes I think there are supposed to be. If there are jokes that I don't find funny - that's ok, we all have a different sense of humour. But this is a comedy film which goes minutes without a single identifiable joke.
The main problem is that the original film has large stretches without dialogue. Rather than edit this down, the audience is left watching "action" on screen which is simply dull.
What few jokes there are range from pretty decent to annoying and repetitive - but it's not enough to sustain the film.
You can buy "What's Up With Tiger Lily?" from Amazon
As I watched Woody Allen's latest film - Midnight in Paris - I realised that there are so many films of his that I haven't seen.
So, I have a brand new resolution for 2012.
Woody has made over 40 films - so I'll be aiming to watch one per week over the next year.
I'll be watching all the films he has directed and - where possible - those he has written.
Let's go!
