Friday 23 Lifestyle | Features Friday, January 19, 2018

Woody Allen backlash grows as daughter says telling ‘truth’

oody Allen faced a growing Farrow’s brother, Ronan, the biological son backlash Wednesday after his of Allen and Mia Farrow, in The New Yorker Wdaughter revived child molesta- last October that helped end Weinstein’s tion allegations against the legendary di- career. Since then, a growing number of ac- rector, asking the world to finally believe tresses, including Greta Gerwig, Rebecca A woman sits next to a poster of Russian film ‘Going Vertical’ in a lobby of the Pioneer cinema in her as a sexual harassment watershed Hall, Ellen Page and Mira Sorvino, have an- . — AFP sweeps the United States. Dylan Farrow’s nounced they regret working with Allen. claim that the director sexually assaulted her as a seven-year-old first surfaced a ‘Must be re-examined’ quarter of a century ago in the wake of her “I believe Dylan,” Oscar-winner Natalie Record-breaking Russian mother’s bitter split from Allen, who ran off Portman told Oprah Winfrey in a recent in 1992 with his lover’s adoptive daughter group interview with other actresses who from a previous marriage, Soon-Yi Previn, included Reese Witherspoon. Hall, who ap- 21 years old at the time. pears in his upcoming movie “A Rainy Day film relives US-Soviet The famed American director of more in New York” and starred in his 2008 ro- than 50 movies, winner of four Oscars and mantic comedy “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” showered with awards in Europe, has al- announced on Instagram that she had do- ways denied the allegations. The claims nated her wage from his latest film to the hoops showdown were never proven and the 82-year-old di- Time’s Up movement. “I see, not only how controversial Olympic basketball show- pathises with Americans no less than with So- rector has continued to enjoy a glittering complicated this matter is, but that my ac- down between the and the viet players,” he said. In line with a recent trend career. But the sexual harassment firestorm tions have made another woman feel si- US has become the subject of a record- in local films, “Going Vertical” elicits Soviet nos- that has brought down Hollywood titans lenced and dismissed,” she said. A breaking Russian film, as the country’s sports are talgia, with the multi-ethnic USSR squad sym- such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Up-and-coming actor Timothee Chalamet, mired in a doping scandal and relations with bolizing harmony between and the other Spacey has fueled a growing backlash who also stars in “A Rainy Day in New Washington are at a low point. “Going Vertical” republics in the union. against Allen. In the wake of the Time’s Up York” followed suit and also announced he shows Soviet players claiming victory over the But it also shows Soviet players receiving movement launched by Hollywood women was donating his entire salary from the film US in the final of the 1972 Munich Games, but salaries and medical care far inferior to Western to counter sexual harassment and sexism, to Time’s Up and other charities. skirts around the fact that the Americans never standards and resorting to smuggling contra- Allen’s estranged, adopted daughter said it “We are in a day and age when every- accepted defeat because of claims of incorrect band goods for extra cash. In one scene players was time for the world to finally listen. thing must be re-examined. This kind of refereeing. At a packed viewing in Moscow last bring tins of beluga caviar to America to sell, abuse cannot be allowed to continue. If this week, Russians teared up and broke into ap- while their luggage on the way back from an- means tearing down all the old gods, so be plause as photos of the USSR team were shown other foreign trip is stuffed with ordinary con- it,” wrote Sorvino in an open letter to Far- over the credits. Current scandals may have sumer goods like knitting yarn. The widows of row in HuffPost last week. Actor Alec Bald- boosted the film’s success, director Anton coach Vladimir Kondrashin and player Belov win, who won acclaim for portraying Megerdichev told AFP, but he said the “energy have sued the filmmakers over liberties taken in Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, is of that match could not leave anyone indifferent”. the script, but director Megerdichev said the one of the few to publicly defend Allen in The Americans were leading by one point work should not be judged as a documentary. recent days, saying it was possible to sup- with three seconds left when Soviet Ivan port survivors of pedophilia and sexual as- Edeshko heaved a pass across the entire court Unclaimed medals sault, and also believe he was innocent. and his teammate scored the The film ends on a high note and doesn’t Dylan Farrow detailed the alleged abuse winning basket as two US defenders fell over. delve into the fact that the US team refused their for the first time in her own words in an Edeshko, one of four surviving Soviet team silver medals and even decades later do not This file photo shows Woody Allen attending open letter published on a New York Times members, told AFP that the final-seconds, one- admit defeat. “We thought that the refereeing the ‘Wonder Wheel’ screening at Museum of blog in 2014. In a follow-up New York point victory was nothing short of divine inter- was improper and to this day our medals are sit- Modern Art in New York City. — AFP Times op-ed, Allen repeated his denial and vention. “It’s hard to win in three seconds ting in Switzerland,” said Tom McMillen, a for- launched a furious attack on Mia Farrow, without help, and that help came from God,” said mer member of the US squad. Megerdichev said denouncing her as “more interested in her Edeshko, now 72. he shot alternative endings, one of which showed “Why shouldn’t I want to bring him own festering anger than her daughter’s He recalled official expectations that his team the empty pedestal for second place, but settled down? Why shouldn’t I be angry? Why well-being.” Last December, Dylan Farrow could not beat the US, which had never lost at on a tighter finale. McMillen said the 1972 final shouldn’t I be hurt?” she told “CBS This wrote another op-ed in the Los Angeles the Olympic Games. “A second place was led to changes in the sport, encouraging the Na- Morning” in her first television interview, Times under the headline “Why has the planned for us, and when the Soviet Union, a tional Basketball Association to recruit interna- excerpts of which were broadcast on #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?” planned economy, plans, you can’t leap higher tionally. A rule barring professional NBA athletes Wednesday. The full interview is to air A New York judge who presided over the than that,” he joked. The movie has netted 1.82 from the Olympics was also eventually dropped. today. “Why shouldn’t I feel some sort of 1994 custody battle between Allen and Far- billion rubles ($32.4 million, 26.3 million euros) He said a symbolic rapprochement with Rus- outrage that after all these years, being ig- row ruled that the abuse allegations were since its December release, making it the coun- sia over the match was considered some years nored and disbelieved and tossed aside?” inconclusive, but at the same time lam- try’s highest-grossing film ever. ago and the US team even planned to meet Pres- Farrow added. Asked why people should basted the director as “self-absorbed, un- ident Vladimir Putin, but it fell apart, “I guess believe her now, she replied: “I suppose trustworthy and insensitive.” A Connecticut Soviet nostalgia from some geopolitical issues”. McMillen had that’s on them, but all I can do is speak my police investigation also failed to result in The Soviet players are portrayed as under- pitched the idea for the US team to accept dual truth and hope, hope that somebody will any charges. Allen remains with Soon-Yi dogs against their basketball-obsessed Cold gold medals, believe me instead of just hearing.” The film and the couple have two children. — AFP War rivals and the film was made by the Trite which would then be given to charity, but director’s agent did not immediately re- studio of Oscar-winner , teammates “feel strongly that they have won the spond to an AFP request to comment. known for his nationalist views. However game” and refused, he said. “It’s one of those It was a devastating expose of alleged Megerdichev stressed the film has “absolutely controversies that will go on and on.”— AFP rape, assault and harassment published by no anti-Americanism”. “We’re proud that we show two points of view and the viewer em-