Deconstructing Harry
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| Deconstructing Harry | |
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| 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 |
| Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
| Editing by | Susan E. Morse |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista International |
| Release date(s) |  December 12, 1997 April 17, 1998 |
| Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Deconstructing Harry is a film by Woody Allen released in 1997. The title of the film comes from the philosophy of Deconstructionism, of which many of its elements are represented throughout the film. 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. However, there are many flash-backs, parts of his stories that are played out, and interactions with his characters.
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[edit] Cast
- Woody Allen as Harry Block
- Richard Benjamin as Ken
- Kirstie Alley as Joan
- Billy Crystal as Larry
- Judy Davis as Lucy
- Bob Balaban as Richard
- Elisabeth Shue as Fay
- Tobey Maguire as Harvey Stern / Harry's character
[edit] Awards and Nominations
Woody Allen was nominated an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Deconstructing Harry. The film was also nominated a Golden Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.
[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. An author thinly disguising his or her private life as the lives of the fictitious characters is borrowed from Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly.
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 Harry may also be a reference to Hermann Hesse's character in his novel Steppenwolf, who views himself as torn apart by the struggle between his "human" (everything that is cultural, abstracted, sophisticated about him) side and his "wolf" (all his animal instincts, his wild, chaotic traits) side. In the course of the book Hesse makes the point that this is actually a gross simplification, and argues that each person is actually made up of hundreds of thousands of such personality poles.
The name Block is obvious, ironic and narratively appropriate 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.
- Billy Crystal has said that appearing in a Woody Allen film was a lifelong dream fulfilled by being cast in this film.
- Tobey Maguire had to audition 12 times for his role in the film.
- Jennifer Garner briefly appears in an elevator scene.
