Woody Allen has that fantastic ability to make people laugh. His dialogues are witty and subtle. “Take the Money and Run” is his directorial debut and is different from his other ventures.
This is the story of Virgil Starkwell. From the early childhood and youth of Virgil, to his failure at a musical career, and his obsession with bank robberies.
Woody Allen was a famous stand-up comedian and writer for other comics. He wrote the screenplay for this film and send it to Jerry Lewis to direct. But when Lewis refused, Allen decided to direct this one himself. After the chaos that was “Casino Royale” (in which he starred in 1967), he wanted to take the decisions and the studio let him do whatever he wanted, he had final say on the screenplay and final cut, a freedom he still has to this day. Without really knowing what to do he directed the very first mockumentary (fake documentary). After a failed screen-test, the producers offered him the help of the famous editor Ralph Rosenblum (“The Night They Raided Minsky’s”, “The Producers”) who changed the film drastically, the end was cut and various scenes which Allen had cut were put back into the feature. The collaboration between the two went so well, they worked together on “Bananas”, “Love and Death”, “Sleeper” and “Annie Hall”.
Still a novice in directing, his style is not there polished, but the fantastic strengths of the film is of course his comedic timing, his dialogues and the way Allen acts as the loser Virgil Starkwell. The film is a serious of fake interviews, gags and parodies of famous films. A great directorial debut for one of the greatest comics of all time.
