Speaking during a masterclass at the Lumiere Festival [via The Guardian], Javier Bardem continued to defend Woody Allen, who has been vehemently accused by wife Mia Farrow of sexually abusing her daughter Dylan back in 1993:
“At the time I did ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona,’ the allegations were already well known for more than 10 years, and two states in the US deemed he was not guilty,” explained the actor.
He continued, “If the legal situation ever changes, then I’d change my mind. But for now I don’t agree with the public lynching that he’s been receiving, and if Woody Allen called me to work with him again I’d be there tomorrow morning. He’s a genius.”Thank the heavens for Javier Bardem. He has the guts to speak the truth and not be afraid of the mob mentality that has all but become a herd-like symptom in Hollywood. Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Hall, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Mira Sorvino, Collin Firth, Marion Cotillard, and Chloe Sevignyshould have read Robert Weide's immaculately drawn and fact-filled defense of Allen.
I posted this last month:
"Bardem's defense of the director comes after celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Diane Keaton and Alec Baldwin refused to adhere to mob-fandom and condemn Allen, a director they've all worked with in past films. I assume they have read enough about the case to raise their own conspicuous doubts. If you are the kind of person that is open-minded and would rather inform his or herself rather than be lazy and just trust fake news, then, please, by all means, read Robert Weide's excellent dissections of Allen vs Farrow which were posted on 12.13.17, 5.30.16, and, most recently, 1.14.18."
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.