Start to Finish: Woody Allen and the Art of Moviemaking

Lax (Faith, Interrupted), author of several books on Woody Allen including a 1991 biography, charts the director’s creative process, from script writing through postproduction, using the 2015 film Irrational Man as a case study. Lax’s book provides a clear and entertaining introduction to the moviemaking process, one that explains the roles of various collaborators in the process such as the casting director, production designer, and sound mixer. Over half of the book covers the movie shoot, on location in Rhode Island. Lax includes numerous script excerpts to provide context, so familiarity with the movie isn’t a prerequisite to reading the book. Having clearly enjoyed an impressive level of access to Allen, Lax includes a generous number of quotations from him, including reminiscences about past works and thoughts on cinema in general, which fans will savor. Allen reveals, for example, that he’s unimpressed by much classic screen comedy, saying that “I actually laugh at the Marx Brothers, at certain Bob Hope movies, and W.C. Fields,” but not “much else.” Cast members Emma Stone and Parker Posey both share the actor’s perspective, though the absence of Joaquin Phoenix, the film’s lead, is notable. Any disappointment that the book covers one of Allen’s less-celebrated films quickly dissipates as the reader becomes immersed in the careful work that goes into his films. The book succeeds simultaneously as biographical snapshot, primer on filmmaking, and documentary of an artwork’s creation. (Oct.)