Woody And Mia And Soon-Yi

I am usually able to separate the person from their work. Some people, I do not have much respect for as a person, but, their work thrills me. The opposite, sometimes apply, where the person seems wonderful, but, the work is God awful. Every once in a while the two will come together. In show business there are clearly lines drawn down the middle. Woody Allen is a prime example..... I admire much of Woody Allen's work. I like his films from the early slapstick comedies to his human relationship stories. He fails occasionally, as all artists do, but, he has a strong batting average in terms of the quality of his work. Woody Allen, filmmaker, I am a big fan of. Woody Allen, private citizen, I have tremendous contempt for.......Woody Allen and Mia Farrow started their romance together in 1980. She has starred in many of his movies, some of his finest films. They never married and kept separate homes. In the course of their relationship they adopted two children, Dylan Farrow [ now known as Malone ] and Moshe Farrow [ now known as Moses ]. The couple also conceived one child together, a son Satchell Farrow [ now known as Ronan Seamus Farrow ]. Mia Farrow also has several other children. Some adopted, some biological. One of these adopted children is a young girl named Soon-Yi-Previn [ the last name comes from Mia Farrow's second husband, Andre Previn ]. Got all that? Get your scorecards out because it gets more complicated....... From 1980 to the ending of their relationship in 1992, Woody and Mia had a seemingly good and solid romance. It certainly was a non-traditional family unit, but, this is show business and the normal rules at play that we all follow in life escapes their daily lives. It might have been flaky--- because Woody and Mia, for all of their gifts as performers, are flaky people---- but, all seemed quiet of the western front. Then, they separated suddenly in 1992. The reason? Mia discovered, by accident, nude pictures of her  daughter, Soon-Yi-, taken by Woody. Soon-Yi was twenty at the time that the pictures were taken, so, she was of age. Mia confronted Woody about the pictures, and, he admitted to taking them. He also admitted to having an affair with the twenty year old. According to him, the affair with Soon-Yi had been going on for some time, but, he did not give specifics....... Now the story goes from shockingly sleazy to public ugly. Woody and Mia began a long public custody battle of their three children [ the two adopted children and their biological child ]. During this court case, Mia Farrow threw in a grenade that exploded in front of the public and blew the case sideways. She claimed that Woody Allen had sexually molested their adopted daughter, Dylan, who was seven years old at the time....... The public airing of the dirty laundry of these two famous people became juicy fodder for the media and the always ready to here juicy gossip public. Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow's first husband and someone who she has always had a warm, distant friendship with, offered to have Woody Allen's legs broken for her. He also reportedly called Woody personally and said he didn't know what was going on there, but, ''I have my eye on you.'' Comedians and the general public went to town with jokes about the case and Woody Allen himself. The notorious shy and elusive Woody Allen, the professional schlep on-screen when it came to women, was, off-screen, it was charged,  a child molesting scoundrel, who was also having sex with his stepdaughter. At first, Woody played possum with the media, refusing all interview requests. Finally, as his reputation got more and more tarnished, he reluctantly gave a press conference--- where he just read a statement, but, answered no questions. He admitted his relationship with his stepdaughter, Soon-Yi, but, denied molesting his daughter, Dylan..... The court heard both sides of the case. The judge ordered a team of child psychologists to investigate the matter, which is standard procedure in cases like this. The psychologists would also interview Woody, Mia, and little Dylan. On June 7, 1993, after hearing all parties concerned, and, after having read the report by the team of psychologists, Judge Elliot Wilk gave his decision. In his 33-page decision Wilk denounced Woody Allen for carrying on an affair with Mia Farrow's daughter. By doing this, Wilk said, Woody was pitting family members against each other. He called Woody's behavior ''grossly inappropriate''. Judge Wilk said that it was unlikely that Woody Allen could be prosecuted for sexual abuse based on the evidence presented. While the experts concluded that Dylan was not abused, the judge said he found the evidence inconclusive. Judge Wilk called the report '' sanitized and therefore, less credible'', and added that he had ''reservations about the reliabilty of the report.'' Mia Farrow won custody of their children. Woody Allen was denied visitation rights with Dylan, and, could only see his biological child, Satchel, under supervision..... Woody and his team of lawyers immediately claimed victory on almost every level of the decision. His lawyers maintained that the charges were made up by Mia in revenge because of the affair with Soon-Yi. A scorned lover who went to any lengths possible to get back at her former suitor. Maybe. Lets hope that is true, not so much for Woody Allen, but, for the sake of the child, Dylan...... Woody Allen gave some interviews following the case. In one talk, he said, ''The heart wants what it wants.There is no logic to those things. You meet someone and you fall in love and that's that.'' Ok. That is true in many cases. But, when you start any affair it is because you find the person attractive and want them. Love and  companionship for the other person comes later. Hopefully, it will be long-lasting and fulfill all of your desires, not just the sexual one. Woody Allen did not fall in love with Soon-Yi at first. He wanted her sexually. The heart was not in play here, only his genitals. Perhaps, love soon flowered for the two of them after a period of time, but, it was only sexual passion at the beginning of their time together. And, part of the passion had to be the naughtiness of what they were doing. Now, they broke no laws and they were both consenting adults. However, Woody Allen's heart was a cold, calculating heart. A selfish heart. A users heart. His heart did not care what the fall-out would be from this sleazy coupling with his girlfriend's stepdaughter. No, he wanted cheap sex...... In time, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow went on with their lives. There is still an iciness between them. Woody Allen wanted to have some contact with his children that he had with Mia, but, as the kids grew up, they wanted nothing to do with him. The son they conceived together, Ronan Farrow, hates him. On Father's Day 2012, Ronan tweeted, ''Happy Father's Day---- or as they call it in my family, Happy Brother-In-Law's-Day.''....... Woody Allen and Soon-Yi eventually married and adopted two daughters. As of this writing they are still together....... Ever since this case I have always had an uncomforatble feeling about Woody Allen. His films still show what a prolific and intelligent filmmaker he is . Watching his films is like being around wonderful sounding adults who mirror what we all live through everyday. There are laughs, but, these laughs are earned by recognition of life's foibles and the understanding that we all have. It may be called ''film therapy'', for we are exploring all ourselves through his characters. But, Woody Allen will always have my scorn for his private life. He was a scumbag for the ways he manipulated all those around him--- especially, a impressionable teenager--- for his own self- fulfillment. Many people I know will never watch his movies again because of what he did. I understand that feeling completely and agree with them. However, the movie fan in me, the person who respects the creation of art and the celebration of film, tries to look the other way. It is a tall order, I know. In a way, I am a hypocrite because I am repulsed by his behavior, and, yet, support his product. I am open to any criticism leveled at me for this. I can't defend Woody Allen, but, I can defend his films. Until it is proven that he did molest his daughter---- and, I will never see anything by him again--- I have to do the separation of the artist and the person.......