Argentine journalist Jorge Lanata interviewed Woody Allen in June 2018 and took a striking headline from him: "I should be a benchmark for the #MeToo movement." The veteran filmmaker, we do not know if in a display of candor, frivolity or cynicism, he boasted to Lanata of an "immaculate" record in terms of sexual abuse: "In the more than fifty years that I have been directing films I have worked with hundreds of actresses, and none of them, consecrated, famous or beginner, never suggested any kind of indecency on my part ”. At that time, Allen could breathe easy. I had just completed production on Rainy Day in New York and, above all, he enjoyed a brief truce in his strenuous legal and media pulse against Mia Farrow, the woman he separated from in the fall of 1991 and who months later, in August 1992, accused him of sexually abusing Dylan, their adoptive daughter.
Journalist Maureen Orth, once a staunch defender of Mia Farrow's version, now believes that the truth "ceased to matter many years ago." There is resentment, there is the shadow of scandal. Propaganda, insidiousness and suspicion remain
Two years later, that parenthesis of placidity in the dusk of life has been left far behind for Woody Allen, who has not managed to release the film he was completing at the time in the United States and is again immersed in what the journalist from Vanity Fair Maureen Orth describes it as "a fierce boxing match." A devastating fight that lasts almost three decades and in which the two fighters, Farrow and Allen, continue to aspire to knock each other out. Such is the rancor accumulated as the assaults continued that neither the director nor the actress seem willing to throw in the towel even though the combat involves collateral damage as striking as those that the three children they had in common have suffered since then (one biological , Ronan, and two adoptive parents, Dylan and Moses) or the one that many consider a true apple of discord in this ugly affair, Soon-Yi Previn, adoptive daughter of Farrow and current wife of Allen. Orth herself, a staunch defender of Mia Farrow's version, now believes that the truth "ceased to matter many years ago." There is resentment, there is the shadow of scandal. Propaganda, insidiousness and suspicion remain. The boxing match remains.
In the last assault to date, the one we are experiencing right now, a couple of books recently published in Spain have been placed in the corners of the ring. On the one hand, Predators , journalistic chronicle of Ronan Farrow, biological son of Mia and Woody, very close to his mother and sister Dylan and very critical of his father. And on the other, By the way , a biased and not entirely timely autobiography in which Allen claims his career and dedicates almost a third of the pages to defend himself against the serious accusations of which his partner was. In his book (an investigation into the "meticulous and devastating" Harvey Weinstein case, according to journalist Rasha Madkour), Ronan Farrow has slapped the father of the abhorrent new jaw direct by insisting he believes "seamless" in the version of his sister Dylan and by accusing of those who are still willing to participate in the Woody Allen films, publish their books or speak in defense of complicity with a predator.
Spike Lee declared a few days ago that Woody Allen was "a friend" and "a great film director" whose name "cannot be erased from the books" and to whom it is unfair "to make a vacuum". A few hours later, frightened by the very hostile reception his words were having, Lee chose to apologize and distance himself from Allen.
At 84, the director is back on the ropes again, with his battered reputation and harassed again by this chapter from his past. His defense, once again, involves denying everything, insisting on the implausibility of the accusation and attributing it to the problems of mental balance and the deep resentment towards him of Mia Farrow. But even Andrea Preyser, a columnist for The New York Post and Allen's fireproof supporter, acknowledges these days that Farrow's version (which Peyser considers a true delirium resulting from resentment) has ended up prevailing thanks to “the inability of the media and from ordinary people to remember the facts ”, which allows them to be rewritten at will after a certain time. The judicial pulse was settled 27 years ago and ended in a tie that both sides wanted to present as a victory. But the media pulse has run its course ever since. And Farrow, always according to Peyser, just won it. Not by demolition, but by something very similar to a technical KO.
The last to inadvertently peek into a corner of the Allen-Farrow ring and take a pair of slaps has been Spike Lee. The Brooklyn man declared last Friday in a radio interview that Woody Allen was "a friend" and "a great film director" whose name "cannot be erased from the books" and to whom it is unfair "to make a vacuum". A few hours later, frightened by the very hostile reception his words were having on social networks, Lee chose to apologize, distance himself from Allen and consider the version of Dylan and Mia Farrow to be good with a tweet in which he expressed his rejection of any form of sexual harassment, violence or abuse, "behaviors that cause a lot of harm and should not be minimized". At this point, Allen appears to have entered an impasse where even his supporters and friends have come to accept, at least partially, his detractors' version.
Beyond the controversy, the facts remain, although to a large extent they remain wrapped in a thick curtain of uncertainty. Almost all of the essential events in this story occurred over a period of about 18 months, between December 1991 and June 1993, and are still the subject of speculation today. The key day is August 4, 1992, the date the Farrows reported that Allen abused his daughter Dylan during a visit to the actress' residence in Connecticut. Elliott Wilk, the judge who awarded Mia Farrow custody of the three disputed minors and concluded that there was no solid evidence to prosecute Woody Allen for alleged sexual abuse, wrote in his June 1993 ruling that “it is highly likely that the truth of what happened that day is never known. " What we can specify is the chronology of the facts shown and the order in which the assaults of this sordid boxing match have continued until today.
October 8, 1970: Soon-Yi Previn's birth in Seoul
Official date of Soon-Yi Previn's birth in Seoul. Even this information is a matter of deep controversy. According to Mia Farrow and her judicial and media environment, the date was assigned "randomly" by the South Korean authorities and is very likely wrong, since a bone analysis carried out in late 1977 revealed that the girl was between five and six years old at the time . This opens the possibility, always according to Farrow's version, that Soon-Yi was still a minor in the fall of 1991, when she began her relationship with Woody Allen.
1977: Farrow adopts Soon-Yi
Farrow and her second husband, musician André Previn, adopt Soon-Yi in South Korea.
1979: Mia Farrow and Woody Allen meet
A mutual friend introduces Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. The couple began a romantic relationship between the end of 1979 and the early 1980s. In the nearly 12 years that their courtship lasted, they did not marry or take the step of living permanently under the same roof. Woody Allen defined her as a relationship of mutual fascination between two very different people that the main thing they had in common was "their love for work". Farrow participated in all of the movies Allen directed while they were together.
1980: Mia Farrow adopts Moses in South Korea
Mia adopts Moses Farrow, a boy with mild cerebral palsy born a year and a half earlier in South Korea.
1985: Mia Farrow adopts Dylan
Mia solo adopts Dylan Farrow (aka Eliza), born in Texas shortly before adoption.
1987: Satchel Ronan is born, the only biological son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow
Satchel Ronan is born, the only biological son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. In later years, Farrow would declare that it was "quite likely" that Ronan was actually the son of her first husband, Frank Sinatra, with whom the actress was having sporadic sexual encounters at the time.
Fall 1991: Soon-Yi and Woody Allen start making plans together
Soon-Yi and Woody Allen begin to flock to cinemas, museums, art galleries, and basketball games together, first with Mia Farrow's consent and later in secret, as what Allen initially describes as "a pretty friendship" it is transforming into a mutual sentimental interest. In parallel, Farrow and Allen go through a period of distancing that Farrow considers "temporary" and Allen "definitive".
December 1991: Allen officially adopts Dylan and Moses
In the middle of a breakup, Allen officially adopts Dylan and Moses, the only children of Mia Farrow with whom, according to his own version, he had a paternal-filial relationship in the years when he and the actress were a couple. On December 1, the day he turns 56, Woody starts having sex with Soon-Yi, 21, then a first-year college student.
January 13, 1992: Farrow finds nude photos of Soon-Yi in Allen's apartment
Farrow finds a series of photos in Allen's apartment showing Soon-Yi naked. Also at this point the versions differ. Allen describes them as "erotic" and Farrow insists on their overtly "pornographic" and "depraved" character.
August 1, 1992: Farrow prepares legal action against Allen
Mia Farrow is preparing legal action against Allen. To do this, she asks for help from the child psychologist Susan Coates, a family friend, who urges her to find some way to “stop the feet” of “that evil and satanic man” whom she considers a danger to her children. Months later, Coates testifies during the custody trial that she came to fear for Allen's safety, given that Farrow was, in her opinion, "blinded by hatred" and seemed ready "for anything."
August 4, 1992: Day of alleged abuse of Dylan Farrow
The day of the alleged abuse of Dylan Farrow, who was seven years old at the time. In the absence of Farrow, who had gone shopping, Allen goes to visit the girl. Together they spend the afternoon watching television in the company of several of their brothers, family friends, two babysitters and Moses' French teacher. Allen acknowledges that he rested his head on Dylan's lap while watching the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Towards the end of the evening, and despite the presence of several witnesses whom Farrow had insisted that Allen be kept in sight, the girl and her father go upstairs together to one of the rooms on the upper floor, where Abuses allegedly occur. Dylan will say shortly after that Allen asked him to recline on a table and touched "his private parts."
August 5, 1992: According to Mia Farrow, she interrogates Dylan and she tells her about the abuses to which she has been subjected
Her friend Casey Pascal and one of the babysitters present the day before tell Farrow that Dylan had been "uncomfortable" with her father. According to her own testimony, Mia interrogates the girl and she tells her about the abuse she has been subjected to. Farrow calls Susan Coates and tells her about what happened. Farrow's calmness is strange to her, especially compared to the state of extreme agitation she was in when he called her on August 1. Coates later recounted that she had the opportunity to speak with Dylan and that her narration of the events seemed "not very spontaneous" and "of very doubtful consistency". In subsequent days, Farrow will record at home and without professional assistance a tape with the girl's testimony that will never be accepted as evidence, but will be leaked to various media outlets.
August 13, 1993: Woody Allen sues Mia Farrow
Woody Allen sues Mia Farrow for custody of Moses, Dylan, and Ronan.
August 17, 1993: Allen confirms he has a relationship with Soon-Yi Previn
Allen confirms to the press that he has a relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, who has settled in his New York apartment after arguing with Mia Farrow. Hours later, Connecticut State Police announce that they are opening an investigation to clarify whether or not Dylan Farrow's allegations of sexual abuse are substantiated.
November 1992: the intense media pulse begins between the agents of Allen and Farrow
Mia Farrow publishes her version of events in Vanity Fair magazine and Woody Allen responds to her on the CBS news program 60 minutes . The intense media pulse begins between Allen and Farrow's teams of advertisers and agents.
March 18, 1992: Child abuse experts from Yale-New Haven Hospital present their report on the alleged sexual assault
The team of child abuse experts at the Yale-New Haven hospital in Connecticut presents its report on the alleged sexual assault suffered by Dylan Farrow to the state police. The report is not made public, but various media report some of its alleged conclusions. The main one is that Dylan is a "fantasy" girl, with apparent difficulties "in distinguishing reality from fiction" and that hers is an "inconsistent" testimony, most likely instigated by her mother. Later it will also be published that Dylan was questioned by the team of psychologists "up to nine times" and that in all of them she offered "substantially different" versions of the events.
March 29, 1992: Susan Coates calls Woody Allen's relationship with Dylan Farrow "strange and intensely inappropriate", but "not sexual in nature"
Susan Coates ends up being one of the key testimonies in the very mediatic process for the custody of Moses, Dylan and Ronan. The psychologist describes Woody Allen's relationship with Dylan Farrow as "strangely and intensely inappropriate", but "not of a sexual nature." During the trial, Allen describes in detail the deterioration of her relationship with Farrow and portrays her as "a controlling woman with multiple personality disorders" who uses her children as "throwing weapons" against people who stand in her way. . Farrow states that he tried to distance Allen from his daughter Dylan as soon as he began to suspect he had an unhealthy sexual attraction to her, something that happened when the girl was around two years old.
June 7, 1993 - Judge Elliott Wilk grants custody to Mia Farrow and restricts Woody Allen's visitation rights
Judge Elliott Wilk, in a 33-page sentence, grants custody of the three minors to Mia Farrow and restricts Woody Allen's visitation rights, but denies that the sexual abuse of Dylan Farrow has been sufficiently substantiated. A few days later, based on Wilk's sentence, Connecticut prosecutor Frank Maco declares that he is not going to press charges against Allen, but adds, in a controversial press conference, that his personal opinion is that Dylan did suffer abuse, although these are very difficult to demonstrate. In assessing the outcome of the legal battle, Allen insists that the courts have proven his innocence beyond reasonable doubt. Farrow points out that Wilk considers her "a good mother" and that Maco "believes in Dylan's version", but prefers not to initiate legal proceedings based exclusively on the girl's testimony because he sees her as "psychologically fragile" and does not want to traumatize her.
December 23, 1997: Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen get married in Venice
Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen get married in Venice. Years later, in an interview with Walter Isaacson for Time magazine , Allen describes this period of his life as "of intense happiness and fulfillment." He also acknowledges that his relationship with Soon-Yi can be "shocking" and even offensive, but claims his right "to ignore the opinion of others and follow the dictates of the heart."
June 17, 2012: Ronan Farrow reopens hostilities with an incendiary tweet
After years of relative truce, Ronan Farrow reopens hostilities with an incendiary tweet: "Happy Father's Day or, as we say at home, Happy Day for your sister's husband."
November 2013: Dylan Farrow gives an interview to 'Vanity Fair' in which she reiterates that her father abused her
At 28, after a long silence, Dylan Farrow gives an interview to Vanity Fair in which she reiterates that her father abused her and adds that the media's insistence on ignoring or denying her story is humiliating and unfair punishment for her. A few months later, in February 2014, she published an open letter in which she carefully recounted what happened at the Farrow house on June 4, 1992. Her brother Ronan supports her with a phrase that will become very emblematic in the medium term: "I believe you".
February 5, 2014: Moses Farrow endorses Woody Allen's version and accuses his mother of “mistreating, depressing and traumatizing her children”
Moses Farrow, the only one of Mia's children who supports Woody Allen's version, comes to the fore. In an interview for People , Moses, seven years older than Dylan and a psychiatrist by profession, accuses his mother of being an unstable person who "mistreated, depressed and traumatized his children" and assures that his sister does not remember precisely what happened in August 94 and has ended up confusing reality with the "brainwashing" of which he was subjected.
Year 2017: Ronan Farrow publishes in 'The New Yorker' the result of an investigation into Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes
The year in which the media pulse intensifies. Ronan Farrow, who has become a successful journalist, publishes in The New Yorker the result of a thorough investigation into Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes and, in parallel, begins to incite the actors and actresses who act in the Woody Allen films to “ step forward ”and stop being“ accomplices ”of a sex offender whose crime went unpunished. His exhortation and that of his sister Dylan will find echo first in Ellen Page and then in Colin Firth, Peter Sarsgaard, Mira Sorvino or Greta Gerwig. Woody Allen and his team of publicists try, with little success, to gather support and insist on Moses Farrow's version.
Year 2018: Soon-Yi's first major public intervention
An interview with Soon-Yi Previn in Vulture magazine allows Woody Allen to regain the initiative. In his first major public intervention, Soon-Yi defends, at 48, his right to be heard and taken into account despite the fact that his version of events does not fit into the "official narrative" promoted by the Farrow. In essence, Previn's account coincides with that of her half-brother Moses, portraying Mia Farrow as a "lousy mother", abusive and angry. Javier Bardem or Jude Law express, with few reservations, their support for Woody Allen and their rejection of the media lynching of which they believe she is being victimized.
Year 2019 and 2020: Ronan publishes 'Predators', most interpreters of 'Rainy Day in New York' express their support for Dylan and Allen insists on how ridiculous it is for his life to be the subject of "gossip"
Ronan publishes Predators in the United States and pressures the Hachette publishing house to cancel the contract for the publication of Woody Allen's autobiography. Most of the rainy day performers in New York distance themselves from the film and express their support for Dylan Farrow. Four of them, Griffin Newman, Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning and Rebecca Hall announce that they will donate to charities the salary they received for participating in the film. Andrea Peyser writes in her column in The New York Post that Mia Farrow has successfully crowned her nearly 30-year campaign to destroy Woody Allen's reputation and that "we should all be afraid" because the facts have officially stopped importing and now it is "the uninformed and manipulable" mass "that imposes its criteria. Allen continues to cling to the defensive strategy he devised after losing custody of his children: denying everything and insisting on the ridiculousness of his life being the subject of "gossip and slander". Technical KO or the prologue of the next round?
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