I thought Deconstructing Harry was such a magnificent film that I've been quite surprised to discover how many people seem to dislike it – and they seem to react against it not for the film itself, but because of Woody Allen's reputation as a seducer of young women. In the light of this, Wild Man Blues, Barbara Kopple's marvellously candid documentary on Allen's European jazz tour, is exceptionally revealing.
Given an apparently free hand, Kopple follows Allen, Soon-Yi Previn and Allen's sister, Letty Aronsen as they travel from city to city for performances of the trad jazz band in which Allen plays clarinet. If you like jazz, you're in for a great treat; Allen modestly claims not to be a great performer but he, and the other players, are terrific. But what's revealing about this film is the way Allen behaves when out of the spotlight, and especially his relationship with the very worldly Soon-Yi.
I found Wild Man Blues riveting material. It's been beautifully shot, and it's exceptionally intimate. Right at the end comes on of the very best scenes – Woody and Soon-Yi, back from their travels, visit his nonogenarian parents in their New York apartment – and what follows is like a scene from a Woody Allen movie – except that it's all painfully, hilariously true.
