In the opening trailer for the Tribeca Film Festival, a flasher approaches two women in New York's Central Park. Rather than flee in terror, they begin to assess their assailant. "He's not wearing a ring," one of them observes. She proceeds to set up a date with him. Cue the tagline: "Think you've seen it all in New York? Think again."
The festival may aim for something different, but last night's premiere was all about the classic vibe. A lavish red carpet affair unfolded under tents outside the Ziegfeld Theatre on West 54th Street, as Woody Allen shuffled into the building for the premiere of his latest comedy, "Whatever Works."
The director stood in the back of the room while festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal introduced the movie, Allen's first in New York after half a decade of European productions (and one opera).
"I fell in love with New York City through the films of Woody Allen," she told the audience before acknowledging the stars in the room: Evan Rachel Wood, Henry Cavill and Larry David. Rosenthal also recognized the movie's distributor, Sony Pictures Classics, doubly thanking co-president Michael Barker for his help.
Then the screening began, more or less on time, despite the expectations of many that a long line of speeches from sponsors and founders would hold things up. Allen, never one to watch his own films, left the room as the lights went down (although he showed up later at the after party).
Word on the street suggests that Allen and David don't get along, perhaps a result of mutual neurotic disdain. Regardless, it was probably best that Allen missed the initial irony of an opening trailer acknowledging major festival sponsor American Express. The brief advertisement contains a series of talking heads expressing their appreciation for the festival.
"It's like a magnet that brings people back to Lower Manhattan," says one. Of course, the screening took place in midtown, as did the after-party, and many of the subsequent premieres are slated for Chelsea and Union Square — not quite the downtown region of the island in question. But, you know, whatever works.
