Front Page > Movies > Deconstructing Harry

Contents

• Movie Trivia
• Awards & Nominations

Trivia from Deconstructing Harry

• The last name of a writer named "Block" is a joke on "writer's block."
• Woody originally wanted Elliott Gould to play his part as Harry Block.
• The film consists of references to the stories of Harry Block (Woody Allen); they also reflect Allen's movies or themes:
  - the story with "Death": a reference to Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957), a favorite of Allen's;
  - the cheating sister situation is a reference to Hannah and Her Sisters (1986);
  - Helen shows him what his sister thinks of him (while being "invisible"): a reference to Alice (1990);
  - jump cuts were featured in Husbands and Wives (1992);
  - the reception at the university is a reference to Stardust Memories (1980);
  - the Louis Prima song "Sing, Sing, Sing" was used in New York Stories (1989).
  
• Deconstructing Harry is another Allen homage to Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries
• Director Trademark: [Woody Allen] [writer] Harry is a novelist.
• Woody Allen got into a publicized court battle with producer Jean Doumanian over the question of editing this film for television and airplanes. Doumanian sought to edit offisive words with substitute words, while Allen just wanted them "bleeped." Under the terms of their contract, New York State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried ruled that Doumanian had the right of final edit, but Doumanian should cover Allen's costs.

Awards and Nominations

• Academy Awards, USA
  Year 1998
  Nominated Oscar
  Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
  Woody Allen
• Bogey Awards, Germany
  Year 1998
  Won Bogey Award
• Cinema Brazil Grand Prize
  Year 2000
  Nominated Cinema Brazil Grand Prize
  Best Foreign Film (Melhor Filme Estrangeiro)
  Woody Allen (director)
• European Film Awards
  Year 1998
  Nominated Screen International Award
  Woody Allen, USA.
• Golden Satellite Awards
  Year 1998
  Nominated Golden Satellite Award
  Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
  Jean Doumanian