Woody Allen’s Match Point played off competition on May 12th at Cannes, the story of a tennis instructor and his extra marital adventures. Allen attended the opening along with wife Soon, and Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Emily Mortimer.

Allen revealed “my wife likes to see Cannes. I would stay home in my room and never go anywhere”. The veteran director made the film in London, where he claims there is more artistic freedom: “ In the US its harder and harder to make films unhampered by outside influences”, said Allen. But he admitted “the story would have worked elsewhere”. As for London, Allen revealed his fondness for British English: “For an American ear the English voice is wonderful”.

Scarlett Johansson plays “a ping pong player mingling among the British upperclass”. At least that is how she is typeset according to the character played by Jonathan Ryhys Meyer. Above all Allen says the theme of the film is about “the innocent sacrificed for greater causes”. As far as movie tragedies “one of them is that many innocent victims are slaughtered in the name of an allegedly higher truth or benefit, or a terrible truth about life”.

As for the character played by Ryhys Meyer Allen admits this “is the first time I've written something for a man.”
“The transition occured years ago”, he explained. “Men are interesting dramatically but men are macho and hold their emotions in; women are more open and free”. (Although we could never say this is true for Allen who has the lead role in so many of his films)

Johannsson calls her character “a sexy girl, surviving anyway who can be codependent but wants a comfortable life style, then passion overcomes her with an affair”.

“Naturalness” is the quality Allen seeks out in his characters. “People who sound like real human beings --not dramatic. You'd be surprised how many can do that”:

Like Lars Von Trier and David Lynch, Woody Allen ultimately discloses a truism that seems common for many directors. Film is good therapy!
"In my life fighting depression, if you are busy with finger painting, writing editing, editing music, its therapeutic for me”.

Moira Sullivan