Powerful men and Hollywood silence
May 11, 2016 3:58 AM   Subscribe

Ronan Farrow writes about Woody Allen's free pass in Hollywood Tonight, the Cannes Film Festival kicks off with a new Woody Allen film. There will be press conferences and a red-carpet walk by my father and his wife (my sister). He'll have his stars at his side — Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg. They can trust that the press won't ask them the tough questions. It's not the time, it's not the place, it's just not done. That kind of silence isn't just wrong. It's dangerous. It sends a message to victims that it's not worth the anguish of coming forward. It sends a message about who we are as a society, what we'll overlook, who we'll ignore, who matters and who doesn't posted by rainydayfilms (4 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: We had a hell of an angry, painful, vituperative thread about this previously that devoured a whole lot of moderation time and membership good will, and I'm not seeing a very good reason to have a repeat of the exact same thing again. There are ways to talk here about the problem of powerful abusers, but this is probably not the post that will bring that more useful discussion. -- taz



 
It's worth having a read through Robert B. Weide's 2014 article on the subject.
posted by fairmettle at 4:12 AM on May 11, 2016


For some reason, of the people who have chosen to associate themselves with Woody Allen recently (after Dylan wrote her article), the one that makes me the saddest is Steve Carrell.
posted by sallybrown at 4:16 AM on May 11, 2016


From Allen's recent interview in THR -
How has your wife, Soon-Yi, changed you?

Oh, well, one of the great experiences of my life has been my wife. She had a very, very difficult upbringing in Korea: She was an orphan on the streets, living out of trash cans and starving as a 6-year-old. And she was picked up and put in an orphanage. And so I've been able to really make her life better. I provided her with enormous opportunities, and she has sparked to them. She's educated herself and has tons of friends and children and got a college degree and went to graduate school, and she has traveled all over with me now. She's very sophisticated and has been to all the great capitals of Europe. She has just become a different person. So the contributions I've made to her life have given me more pleasure than all my films.

You're saying how you changed her. How has she changed you?

(Allen pauses.) Well, she's given me a lot of pleasure. I adore her, and she's given me a wonderful life. We've been married 20 years. And we were together for a few years before that. And she has given me the great years of my life, personally. She's a great companion and a great wife. She has given me a stable and wonderful home life and great companionship. I guess whenever you meet somebody and they're the right person for you, there is a great emotional contribution they make to your life.

But has she changed you in any way?

(Pauses.) Changed me? I don't know if you could say she changed me. I don't know if I've changed. I might be the same person I was when I was 20. I'm not sure. I mean, I seem to have the same habits, the same work habits, the same phobias, the same enjoyments. I don't think I have changed much over the years at all. When you mention it, I try and think about the ways [I've changed]. I don't know if I've changed much.
Move along, totally normal, nothing to see here folks.
posted by sallybrown at 4:23 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


It's worth having a read through Robert B. Weide's 2014 article on the subject.

Sure...if you want to see someone blatantly lie about major facts of the case. For starters: that the police investigation wasn't stopped for lack of evidence (as Weide claims) but because they were afraid of the effect it was having on the children.
posted by zombieflanders at 4:26 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


« Older The Philosopher Who (Kinda) Outsmarted Einstein   |   "This is a bullshit marketing stunt" Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments