Famous for so many reasons both positive and negative, Woody Allen is one of the world’s most famous men.  Love him or hate him, there are undeniable facts about Mr Allen that can’t be ignored. The most basic of which is that he makes quality motion picture. Woody’s voyage of self discovery through film has taken us from 1966 to the very present day.   This is the man who brought us Annie Hall, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Deconstructing Harry, Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris – all films which gather no dust on my DVD shelf. By watching his films, some heralded as masterpieces and classics, we’ve taken that journey with him.  The man has a certain knack in engaging us as viewers into his world, into his mind, his thoughts, his neurosis’s and his loves.   After all, this is the man who once quipped:
Hey, don't knock masturbation! It's sex with someone I love
For so long a man intent on bearing his self-proclaimed nerdy, anxious, ugly soul for the world to see, it’s no wonder that of late he has turned away from that voyage and started sharing his love for the world and the cities it presents. Blending these two veins together was the case with the film Manhattan (1979).  After a long hiatus, Woody has in recent times worked to expose how we relate to each other and used cities of the world as metaphors for this.  He has sought to offer us his thoughts on how we as people are affected by cities in his more recent films such as Vicky Christina Barcelona, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Midnight in Paris and now, To Rome with Love - to be released in Australian cinema today, 19 October 2012. We haven’t seen the film yet, that’s slated for tonight, although we’ve no doubt that it’s going to be an instantly recognisable Allen film.  We understand the film is another travelogue about love and life – and that’s a voyage we are ready for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7iaXqWXoZY