Close Enough for Jazz: Film #207 - Wild Man Blues (1997)
Viewed July 26, 2006
Wild Man Blues documents Woody Allen’s 1996 European tour playing with his New Orleans Jazz band. Done on a whim, Allen soon found himself the center of a media frenzy as excitement over his rare performances outside his native New York City brought much more attention to the “tour” than Allen had anticipated. The whole event was captured by director Barbara Kopple and provides insight into not only the nature of an offbeat tour such as it was, but into Allen’s private life with wife Soon-Yi Previn as well.
Allen shows his natural sense of humor throughout, constantly cracking jokes very much within his normal neurotic persona as seen in his films. It makes it clear that while the onscreen Woody Allen personality may be partly constructed, it nontheless presents Allen’s natural sense of humor. His joking in real life differs little from his joking in his films.
The nature of Allen’s music, rough and crude New Orleans jazz, is put on display without trying to sugarcoat the level of Allen and his band’s abilities. They are decent musicians, but make no mistake about it, there’s a reason none of them are famous for it. But the style that they use is immensely entertaining anyway, proving that it is a great choice for a less skilled performer. The loose nature of the music allows the musicians to stretch to their limit without ever feeling like they are attempting to exceed it.
The nature of Allen’s controversial relationship to his wife (and adopted daughter of his former girlfried, Mia Farrow) is evident and it is amazingly mundane. Soon-Yi berates him and jokes with him in a typical wifely fashion and if you closed your eyes and just listened, you’d never know of their age difference. There’s a real comfortable feeling between the two of them, in sharp contrast to the anxiety-filled nature of most of Allen’s other relationships.
The film is contructed with something of a story arc as Allen becomes more and more comfortable in the role of professional musician. He starts out very dismissive of his abilities and questioning the justification for a man of his limited abilities to headline a tour of any kind. By the end, he can talk candidly about the set list and trying to make sure they don’t coddle the audience. While it is not the main thrust of the film, it gives it structure on which director Kopple hangs her examination of Allen.
Fans of Woody Allen’s films should feel right at home with Wild Man Blues. Despite the fact that he did not direct it, his sensibility fills evey frame. The persona that Allen displays is, naturally, quite similar to those he uses in his films. The underlying sweetness of a man of such stature still feeling out of his element is something that the usually harsher Allen would probably not script, but it serves to humanize a very private man, giving us a rare glimpse into his life.