Deconstructing Harry
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| Deconstructing Harry | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Woody Allen |
| Produced by | Jean Doumanian |
| Written by | Woody Allen |
| Starring | Woody Allen Kirstie Alley Bob Balaban Richard Benjamin Eric Bogosian Billy Crystal Judy Davis Hazelle Goodman Mariel Hemingway Amy Irving Julie Kavner Eric Lloyd Julia Louis-Dreyfus Tobey Maguire Demi Moore Elisabeth Shue Stanley Tucci Robin Williams |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista International |
| Release date(s) | 12 December 1997 |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Deconstructing Harry is a film by Woody Allen released in 1997. This film tells the story of a successful writer called Harry Block, played by Allen himself, who draws inspiration from people he knows in real-life, and from events that happened to him (sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result).
The actual plot is that of Block driving to a university from which he was once thrown out, in order to receive an honorary degree. The passengers he takes with him on the journey are his son, whom he has kidnapped from his divorced wife, a black prostitute and a friend who dies of a heart attack en route. However, there are many flash-backs, parts of his stories that are played out, and interactions with his characters.
The film earned Allen an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
[edit] Influences
Allen is well-known as an admirer of many European directors whose primary body of work was completed sometimes decades before his first script, and his films in particular often draw upon the works of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. The rough outline of the plot of Deconstructing Harry, that of an academic on a long drive to receive an honorary award from his old university while reflecting upon his life's experiences, essentially mirrors that of Bergman's Wild Strawberries.
It is also widely acknowledged that Allen based the name of Harry Block on Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), the protagonist from Bergman's The Seventh Seal. Some critics, including Roger Ebert, have suggested that the character of Harry Block is based on real-life author Philip Roth and not on Allen himself.
The name Block is ironic in the film because the character suffers from writer's block.
[edit] Trivia
Allen offered the role of Harry Block to Elliot Gould, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper and Albert Brooks before casting himself in the role.
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