Woody Allen: Neurotic. Jewish. Funny. Inept. Loser. A man with problems. Or so you would think from the characters he plays in his movies. But hold on. Allen has written and directed almost 30 movies in an equal number of years. He may be a funny man, but he is also one of the most serious American film-makers of his generation.

Starting as a humorist, influenced by British anarchic comedians like Spike Milligan and Peter Sellars from The Goon Show, Allen went from stand-up comedian to bit-part actor, to screenwriter. He made his directing debut in 1969 with Take The Money And Run, and followed it up with a series of slapstick comedies: Bananas, Everything You Need To Know About Sex and Sleeper. Then he moved onto romantic comedies with the brilliant Annie Hall, Manhattan and A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy. Then, showing the influence of Ingmar Bergman, Allen occasionally lapsed into more sombre territory with Interiors and September, which have been tempered by flights of fancy like Zelig and The Purple Rose Of Cairo. Allen's fascination with the theatrical history of New York shines though in Radio Days, Broadway Danny Rose, Bullets Over Broadway and the recent Celebrity. And then there are the more recent family dramas and crises of Hannah And Her Sisters, Deconstructing Harry, and Husbands And Wives.

What's in this Pocket Essential guide? As well as an introductory essay, each of Allen's films is individually reviewed and analysed, plus there is also a handy multimedia reference guide.