Fresh
Kopple's discreet, quietly revelatory style creates a fine balance between public and private personae that veers more pointedly toward the personal in an incongruous but fascinating coda.
David Rooney, Variety
Overview
Wild Man Blues is a 1998 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple, about the musical avocation of actor/director/comic Woody Allen. The film takes its name from a jazz composition sometimes attributed to Jelly Roll Morton and sometimes to Louis Armstrong and recorded by both (among others). Allen's love of early 20th century New Orleans music is depicted through his 1996 tour of Europe with his New Orleans Jazz Band. Allen has played clarinet with this band for over 25 years. Although Allen's European tour is the film's primary focus, it was also notable as the first major public showcase for Allen's relationship with Soon-Yi Previn.
Director and cast
- Barbara Kopple Director
- Woody Allen as himself, the Clarinetist
- Letty Aronson as Herself, sister of Woody Allen
- Soon-Yi Previn as herself
- Dan Barrett as himself, the trombonist
- Simon Wettenhall as himself, the trumpeter (as Simon Wettenthall)
- John Gill as himself, the drummer and vocalist
- Greg Cohen as himself, the bassist
- Cynthia Sayer as herself, the pianist
- Eddy Davis as himself, the band director and banjoist
- Nettie Konigsberg as herself, mother of Woody Allen
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
86%
Tomatometer
Fresh
It provides some generous insights into his psychic background when his unsupportive parents greet him back in New York at the end.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fresh
[Kopple's] made a greatly enjoyable film, but you can't help wondering if she's fallen under her subject's spell.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh
[Kopple] might seem an unlikely choice for this material, but no doubt her track record gained Allen's trust.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten
Wild Man Blues has a tendency to become repetitious, especially during the final forty minutes.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
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