An open letter from Dylan Farrow

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/an-open-letter-from-dylan-farrow/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-ReadMore&version=Blog+Main&action=Click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0#more-12599

(A note from Nicholas Kristof: In 1993, accusations that Woody Allen had abused his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, filled the headlines, part of a sensational story about the celebrity split between Allen and his girlfriend, Mia Farrow. This is a case that has been written about endlessly, but this is the first time that Dylan Farrow herself has written about it in public. It’s important to note that Woody Allen was never prosecuted in this case and has consistently denied wrongdoing; he deserves the presumption of innocence. So why publish an account of an old case on my blog? Partly because the Golden Globe lifetime achievement award to Allen ignited a debate about the propriety of the award. Partly because the root issue here isn’t celebrity but sex abuse. And partly because countless people on all sides have written passionately about these events, but we haven’t fully heard from the young woman who was at the heart of them. I’ve written a column about this, but it’s time for the world to hear Dylan’s story in her own words.)

See the letter at link above.

Comments

  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    Obviously I / we can't know what if anything happened to this young woman as a child at the hands of her "father".

    I'll say though that given Mr. Allen's history with his other adopted daughter, this doesn't seem so far-fetched.

    Also seems pretty fucked up overall, but will admit I'm a bit biased on these types of issues.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,051
    The line that stands out here is:

    ...our society fails the survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

    Very true.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • rgambsrgambs Posts: 13,576
    i never once made it through a woody allen movie... being stammering and ineffectual is not genius, it is just hard to watch.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    Similar to how I dig Rosemary's Baby by that POS Polanski, I have to say that it pisses me off to no end that I love some of Woody's older shit - What's Up, Tiger Lilly...Hannah and Her Sisters...his part in New York stories with the literally-hovering Jewish mother.

    Ugh.

    And Brian, agreed. Though when I think about it, I'm actually OK with dealing with the aftermath in any and every aspect on my own, as I have.

    It just shouldn't happen in the first place. Not once, not twice.

  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,605
    interesting article here.....
    http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2014/02/03/3239511/woody-allen/

    The Best Reason To Stop Watching Woody Allen’s Movies

    By Alyssa Rosenberg on February 3, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    "The Best Reason To Stop Watching Woody Allen’s Movies"
    Woody-Allen-Blue-Jasmine

    CREDIT: AP Images/Christophe Ena

    “This is a basic principle: until it is proven otherwise, beyond a reasonable doubt, it’s important to extend the presumption of innocence to Dylan Farrow, and presume that she is not guilty of the crime of lying about what Woody Allen did to her,” Aaron Bady writes in a terrific piece in The New Inquiry. He’s explaining the dilemma that those of us who believe in both the ideals of our criminal justice system and in changing a culture that’s deeply hostile to survivors of sexual abuse and assault were confronted with anew this weekend, when the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof published a letter from Dylan Farrow, reiterating the abuse charges she made against director Woody Allen as a child, when Allen was dating Farrow’s mother, Mia Farrow. “If you are saying things like ‘We can’t really know what happened’ and extra-specially pleading on behalf of the extra-special Woody Allen, then you are saying that his innocence is more presumptive than hers. You are saying that he is on trial, not her: he deserves judicial safeguards in the court of public opinion, but she does not. The damnably difficult thing about all of this, of course, is that you can’t presume that both are innocent at the same time.”

    In terms of Allen’s criminal guilt or innocence, and Farrow’s guilt or innocence of the charges that she is lying–whether as a result of her mother’s manipulations, or of her own accord–that irresolvable contradiction will continue to hang in the air before us: the statute of limitations in the case has long since run out.

    Instead, we’re left with the more difficult task of deciding on a movie-lover-by-movie-lover basis, whether we feel comfortable continuing to watch Allen’s films. And actors, producers, editors, and everyone else involved in film production, will have to decide whether or not they’re comfortable continuing to work with Allen, a charge Farrow put to a number of them by name in her letter. Thus far, those artists who have chosen to comment have mostly demurred on the question of whether they’ll continue to work with Allen. “You are mistaken if you think there is a place for me, or any outsider, in this family’s issue,” Alec Baldwin tweeted. And Cate Blanchett, who is up for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in Allen’s Blue Jasmine, told Jeffrey Wells: “It’s obviously been a long and painful situation for the family and I hope they find some resolution and peace.”

    article comtinues from here......
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,051
    hedonist said:

    Similar to how I dig Rosemary's Baby by that POS Polanski, I have to say that it pisses me off to no end that I love some of Woody's older shit - What's Up, Tiger Lilly...Hannah and Her Sisters...his part in New York stories with the literally-hovering Jewish mother.

    Ugh.

    And Brian, agreed. Though when I think about it, I'm actually OK with dealing with the aftermath in any and every aspect on my own, as I have.

    It just shouldn't happen in the first place. Not once, not twice.

    Exactly- it should never happen but of course it does. Without having personally been in that situation it's impossible to know how it feels and difficult to know how to help. I had a very close friend who drank herself literally to death as a way of dealing with the abuse and none of us who where close friends or family or counselors or anybody were able to stop that from happening. So when I hear of someone who has been able to effectively deal with the aftermath- at any level- it's always cause to be thankful and recognize the huge strength and bravery of that person.

    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    i keep hearing that during the initial investigation ... there was probably cause for charges but they didn't because they didn't want to incur more suffering to Dylan at the time ... which is the most fucked up thing one can imagine ... in a way this is kind of like pro athletes ... we celebrate their achievements in their respective fields but ignore who they are as human beings ... which is pitifully sad ...
  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    Good lord - a statue was actually erected (no pun intended) for him.

    movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=851495
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