Reconstructing Woody (Allen)‪.‬

MAURICE YACOWAR is Dean of the faculty of Fine Arts, University of Calgary, and author of Loser Take All: The Comic Art of Woody Allen (Continuum, 1991). Woody Allen is not the only individual who wishes his private life had remained more private (ask Bill Clinton), but he is in a unique position to strike back at those he feels have tarred him unjustly. Since his much publicized breakup with Mia Farrow, Allen has made a number of interesting films, some of which have hinted at his off-screen troubles. But in his most recent release he comes out swinging, and whether his longtime fans love this film or hate it, they will have no doubt that this is a milestone in the director's long career.