A complicated tribute for a complicated guy.
With all the news headlines that came out of that fateful Golden Globes night last Sunday, Woody Allen’s tribute and Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award could have gone largely unnoticed. The filmmaker wasn’t at the award show to pick it up in person, so instead Allen’s longtime collaborator Diane Keaton accepted it on his behalf, toasting her friendship with Allen. In her brief speech, Keaton said their 45-year friendship fills her heart with "pride, affection and even love."
The Annie Hall star heaped praise on the director, who kickstarted her career.
In the end though, it wasn’t the tribute or Keaton’s speech that drew the most media attention. On Monday, news websites were flooded with headlines about Allen’s family –ex-wife Mia Farrow and Allen’s son, journalist Ronan Farrow.
So did his most recent star, Emma Stone.
The reason was a single biting tweet, posted by Ronan during the award show. Farrow’s live twitter coverage of the Golden Globes included the following status: “Missed the Woody Allen tribute - did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after Annie Hall? (sic),” referring to the accusations made by Allen and Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Dylan that the director molested her as a child.
Missed the Woody Allen tribute - did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after Annie Hall?
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) January 13, 2014
This put more than a slight damper on the festivities, but even without it, Keaton’s toast was slightly bizarre. After Emma Stone – Allen’s starlet du jour – finished her speech, the Annie Hall actress took the stage. Stone stars in Allen's upcoming film, Magic in the Moonlight.
"It's kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that 179 of the world's most captivating actresses have appeared in Woody Allen's films," she said, quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. "And there's a reason for this. And the reason is, they wanted to. They wanted to because Woody's women can't be compartmentalized. They struggle, they love, they fall apart, they dominate, they're flawed. They are, in fact, the hallmark of Woody's work. But what's even more remarkable is absolutely nothing links these unforgettable characters from the fact that they came from the mind of Woody Allen."
Despite Allen's worldwide recognition, his personal life remains highly controversial.
There were quotes by the filmmaker, a highlight reel and quite a bit of ego stroking going on. Finally, the speech wound down, with Keaton mentioning that if her longtime friend had been watching he'd say, "get the hook and get her off the God damn stage." After some mild swearing, dutifully bleeped out by the Golden Globes production team and a rendition of the Girl Scouts song, it was over, leaving everyone to wonder what on earth it was they had just witnessed.
Woody Allen with his adopted daughter-turned-wife, Soon-Yi Previn.
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