WOODY ALLEN: “I HAVE SQUANDERED MY OPPORTUNITIES”

It will no doubt come as a surprise to no one that Woody Allen is his own toughest critic. Interviewed by the London Times in connection with the opening of his film Whatever Works today (Friday), Allen readily admitted that he is not happy with his films. “I’ve squandered an opportunity that people would kill for. I have had complete artistic freedom. Other directors don’t get that in their lifetime,” he observed. Nevertheless, he acknowledged, “I have a very poor record given the opportunities I’ve had. Out of 40 films I should have 30 masterpieces, eight noble failures and two embarrassments, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Many of the films are enjoyable by the mean standards of movies, but look at what has been accomplished by people who have done beautiful things — Kurosawa, Bergman, Fellini, Buñuel, Truffaut — and then look at my films. I have squandered my opportunities and I have nobody to blame but myself.” Allen indicated, however, that as he has grown older — he is 74 –he has uneasily come to terms with his deficiency in the greatness category. “You aspired to greatness when you were younger. but either through lack of industry or lack of discipline or simply lack of genius you didn’t achieve greatness. The years go by and you realize: ‘I’m this mid-level guy. I did the best I could.'”