This post explores statues of Woody Allen in Spain and Russia. If you believe that Allen molested his daughter Dylan then you shouldn't read this post. Here are what are considered to be both sides of the story.
He did it.
He didn't do it.
Also, the fonts are all over the place for this post. I am sorry about that. For a good time, skip down to the film "Woody before Allen."
Now for the post, already in progress.
I just completed reading Woody Allen's 'Apropos of Nothing.' The story of the book's publication and the issues that it raised could be the subject of a blog post, a magazine article, or an op-ed. But that is very off brand for Don's Basement. You can follow the tale of the book's publication below.
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| Protest occurred March 4. |
Time Line of Book's Publication
March 2 : April 17th Publication Announced by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group (HBG.)
March 3: Ronan (nee Satchel) Farrow announces that he will not work with HBG because their imprint is publishing the book.
March 4: Dozens of Hachette Workers walk out in protest over announcement.
March 5: Hachette decides "publication would not be feasible by HBG.”
March 9: Social distancing announced by New York State/
March 23: Skyhorse Press announces publication of the book.
March 28: Don Shearn downloads the book on Kindle as a reward for bringing in groceries in a safe and orderly way.
In the book, Allen references two statues (remember the theme of this post) that have been erected in his honor.
In 2002, the city of Oviedo, Spain unveiled their bronze Woody Allen statue. The city which is near the Bay of Biscay, 600 miles northeast of Barcelona was founded in 762 and became the capital on Asturias in 924. This is important because in 2002, Woody Allen received the Prince of Asturias award for the arts. Each year since 1981, the award (now called Princess of Asturias) is given to individual of groups in the following categories: Arts. Communication and Humanities. International Cooperation. Sports. Literature. Social Sciences. Technical & Scientific Research. Concord.
Allen who normally does not attend award shows chose to go to Oviedo. "So originally I passed on the Prince Asturias award...Suddenly I get a panic-stricken phone call from our movie distributor in Spain. I cannot refuse this. The is the highest award in Spain, huge in all of Europe. The prince and queen give it out. It is there hotel. Now I figure there's been a clerical error."
Here is Woody Allen's speech at the award ceremony where he praised European films and rips the bloated budgets and use of technology in Hollywood.
If you are ever in Oviedo, you can visit the Estatua de Woody Allen, currently ranked #26 of the 58 things to do by Trip Advisor.
Not everyone in Spain is thrilled with the statue. In 2003, the statue was vandalized for the second time.
The glasses had been removed. "No matter who many times they redo it, someone steals my glasses," writes Allen.
In 2018 after a Dylan Farrow interview, The Asturias Feminist Organization demanded the town remove the statue, which the organization says serves to “honor an abuser and pervert.”
As of February 2020, the statue still stands.
The tale of the Woody Allen statue in Kalingrad, Russia is less fraught with controversy although the city has had way more than its share. Prior to 1945, the city was called Konigsberg. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union annexed the city.
As fans, detractors, and movie geeks probably know Allan Stewart Konigsberg is Woody Allen's real name. Allen writes, "There is monument honoring me in in Konigsberg these day...and there is no reason to honor me in Konigsberg. I'm not from there, and have certainly done nothing to enhance the lives of the people there, but my name is the same and perhaps they are hard up for heroes."
Not so actually...there are monuments and statues aplenty in the town.
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| Favorite son Immanuel Kant |
In 2010, the town proposed the idea of a statue to Allen originally as a joke. A young film-maker
Masha "Vasyukova says the idea started as a joke, but quickly won the support of Kaliningrad's newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda. Vasyukova met the director in Berlin, to present him with a number of rival schemes."
Below is Vasyukova's film, "Woody before Allen." It is about 13 minutes long and tells the story of city and the statue. If you are big fan of Woody Allen or the former Soviet Union, you may like this movie.
Woody before Allen from Masha Vasyukova on Vimeo.
Visiting Kalingrad anytime soon (or ever), you can find the statue and the inscription at Cinema Zarya, the #1 fun and games attraction. Don't believe me. Read the reviews. In Russian.
Well it's obvious where the good people of Kalingrad got the glasses for their statue.
ReplyDeleteIt's not obvious to me. Unless you think that my glasses were used in Kalingrad....And on a side note, I am so impressed that I found that documentary about the Kalingrad status. I watched the whole thing. That film maker is an inspiration for nerds all over the world.
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