Woody Allen Says He Wants to Make a ‘Great Movie,’ But Time is Running Out

Woody Allen is a big name in film, but at 76, the veteran filmmaker still says that he wishes he could make a “great movie.”

Of course, Woody Allen films have won Oscars — like Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall and Midnight in Paris — but the movie legend says that at his age, he still doesn’t feel like he’s reached his peak as far as what he wants to achieve in filmmaking.

In a recent interview, Allen talked about his latest effort, To Rome With Love. The film features George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, and an appearance from Woody himself, and he explains:

“Underneath every story that I write, even if they are played out in a comic manner, there is a sad kind of reality to them… In the film I make the point that life is very difficult whether you are a celebrity or not a celebrity.”

AFP quotes Allen on the subject of great films, and the filmmaker waxes lyrical about movies he finds inspirational:

“‘I’m 76 now so I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I keep trying,’ he told journalists on Monday in Paris in his typical self-deprecating fashion.

“‘I would like to make a movie that I could… show unashamedly at a film festival’ alongside the likes of “Rashomon”, “The Seventh Seal”, or “8 1/2″ — movies he considers masterpieces, Allen said.”

And nearing 80, Woody Allen says that he doesn’t think he’ll quit before he dies, explaining that even if money runs out, he will still create:

“Maybe some day I will be forced to retire because I am older and something can happen to me or I will not be able to raise the money any more to make films… I don’t think I will retire, I think I would just write for the theatre or write for the printed page. I can’t think of being alive without working.”

But Allen was also cynical about aging during the interview, saying that getting old is a “bad deal and people that try and put a good spin on it by calling it your golden years are fooling you.”