Woody Allen (USA, b. 1935) has been a major comic director since the 1970s. Writer, director and actor, his self-portrayal as a neurotic, intellectual, sex-obsessed, Jewish New Yorker seeking comfort in psychoanalysis brought him immense popular success and acknowledged status as a writer (Manhattan, 1979; Deconstructing Harry, 1997). In the 2000s he left New York to work in Europe, winning over a new audience with fresh inspiration and young actors, including Scarlett Johansson in Match Point (2005) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).

MASTERS OF CINEMA
Essential introductions to the work of the world’s greatest directors

Comprehensive, authoritative, yet concise and accessible monographs on leading figures in the history of cinema

Organized chronologically, from the director’s earliest works to their most recent films

Clear and insightful texts written by some of the world’s most respected specialists – film critics, journalists and scholars

Richly illustrated with 100 images, including film stills, set photographs, film sequences and posters, some of which have rarely been seen before

Useful guide to the seminal films of the best directors

Includes a detailed biography, filmography and plot summaries