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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
In 1996, with his public image at a low ebb after a messy breakup with Mia Farrow, clarinetist and filmmaker Woody Allen set off on a tour of Europe with his New Orleans jazz band. Accompanying him were his sister, his soon-to-be wife Soon-Yi Previn, and Oscar-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple. Like Allen says as the beginning of the tour, 'Theoretically, this should be fun for us.'
Woody Allen has always been more widely appreciated in Europe than in the U.S., so it's no surprise that the concerts quickly provoke the kind of fan hysteria usually reserved for rock stars. This star however is clearly not comfortable with his fame. Whether he's giving a tour of his lavish hotel suite or prodding at an unexpectedly dry omelet, the director seems profoundly ill at ease and sometimes--when trapped by a crowd or harassed by a particularly persistent photographer--he appears to be both frightened and angry at the way celebrity shapes his life. The pressure to be funny on cue is the bane of any comedian's life, of course, and for Allen the seemingly endless round of receptions and parties is something to be endured, not enjoyed. In the face of this, the mutual support and affection shared by Allen and the woman he introduces as 'the notorious Soon-Yi Previn' comes across as both genuine and absolutely necessary. When they are together, he is at his funniest, and his least guarded.
What persuaded such a private artist to allow such a documentary to be made? Perhaps it was a desire to celebrate his love of music, something that appears to sustain him as much as his relationship with Soon-Yi. He may refuse to bob his head and tap his feet to please his audience, but when he launches into a soaring solo we finally see Allen at ease, transported by the thrill of playing jazz. --Simon Leake
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Sanitized Woody Allen
While this is, technically, an adequate-to-good documentary (Barbara Kopple always does technically proficient work) -- as for its *truthfulness* about the characters involved, specifically, Woody and his now-wife Soon Yi, it's an excellent example of Woody Allen's ongoing manipulation of the media.
Consider this: It's the late 1990s, Woody Allen is in a world of trouble over his affair with a young, underage girl, Soon-Yi, who at one time was the adopted child of Woody's common law ... Read More
Rating: - Dry yet Quirky...
In all honesty, I found this film only MILDLY amusing because of the "voyeuristic" pleasure of getting to see Woody Allen "off camera" - - but let's face it, a documentary crew was following the guy around... so when you see him and Soon Yi chatting away in their robes in the privacy of their hotel room, do you really believe they're alone and unwatched and not trying to ACT as they want to be perceived...? So the question is, who was doing the acting ? Based on the fact that both came across as ... Read More
Rating:  - Music, fun, and an interesting look at being a celebrity
If you like music and Woody Allen, you will love this endearing documentary by Barbara Kopple. Go behind the scenes as Woody, Soon-Yi, and his band go on a European tour. Allen's wit and quirky but charming personality expose him for the humble and intelligent man he is. But, oy...his mother!
Rating:  - Un-Wild Man Blues
Barbara Kopple's "Wild Man Blues" is decidedly un-wild. That's its first fib. It is the un-intense and un-penetrating chronicle of Woody Allen's 1997 European tour with his New Orleans jazz band. Released in 1998, "Wild Man Blues" came hard on the heels of a period of public scandal for the notoriously private filmmaker, prompting critics to dub it a "public relations corrective". There is a whiff of mendacity about this film. Its motive is abstruse and its meaning convoluted. It carries an air of ... Read More
Rating:  - Woody can do no wrong
This is a fabulous documentary. Fun all the way, good music, good charm and witt. A new slant on his lovely wife plus his parents are too funny. Loved it.
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