Keaton
Diane Keaton accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award for Woody Allen. Reuters

Fans and foes of Woody Allen are drawing lines in the digital sand following a lengthy and sentimental tribute to the legendary filmmaker on Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards telecast.

Allen, who in true Allen fashion couldn’t be bothered to attend the ceremony, was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Diane Keaton, immortalized as the iconic Annie Hall in Allen’s 1977 Oscar-winning comedy, accepted the award on Allen’s behalf, calling him a close friend and even signing a song in his honor.

But many on Twitter and Facebook weren’t feeling the love, most notably Ronan Farrow, the 26-year-old son of Allen and Mia Farrow, who has been estranged from his father for a number of years. During the tribute, Farrow posted the following jab on Twitter and Facebook:

As of Monday morning, Farrow’s tweet was retweeted more than 8,800 times. Farrow, a noted lawyer and MSNBC host, was referring to allegations made by Woody and Mia’s adopted daughter, Dylan. The allegations, which Allen’s lawyer has denied, made headlines this fall in a Vanity Fair article.

Following Ronan Farrow’s tweet, many on Twitter seemed to think his sentiment was a fitting response to the fawning tribute.

Conversely, some Twitter users thought the public swipe was self-serving and out of line.

Some high-profile names chimed is as well. NBC News’ Luke Russert posted the following tweet along with a link to the Vanity Fair interview.

To which some pointed out that Allen was never charged or convicted.

On Monday morning, Mia Farrow joined the chorus of critics bashing the Golden Globes for the Allen tribute, saying the segment showed contempt not only for Dylan but for all abuse survivors.

That tweet, too, attracted responses from Allen supporters urging critics not to conflate the filmmaker’s work with his life.

Whichever side you’re on, reactions to the tribute and the ensuing debate make it clear that Woody Allen has joined the ranks of legendary artists such as Roman Polanski and Michael Jackson whose creative achievements will forever be tarnished by checkered pasts.

Allen himself has been absent throughout the debate. The 78-year-old filmmaker has virtually no social media presence. And even though he famously said “80 percent of success is showing up,” he rarely does so when it comes to awards ceremonies. One rare exception was in 2002, a few months after the attacks of 9/11, when he presented a tribute to New York City at the 73rd Academy Awards.

In a follow-up tweet on Monday, Mia Farrow urged Allen defenders to read the Vanity Fair article and decide for themselves.

Got a news tip? Email me. Follow me on Twitter @christopherzara.

RELATED STORIES