Synopsis

After divorcing his longtime wife, struggling writer Lee Simon reinvents himself as a celebrity journalist, chasing glamorous people and professional opportunities across New York City. His ex-wife Robin takes a different route, gradually transforming her life and pursuing television success. As both seek happiness through fame, their choices expose the loneliness, vanity, and instability behind the public image.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot in stark black and white throughout New York City. Woody Allen said the choice was based on his belief that black-and-white cinematography was beautiful, rather than on a specific thematic purpose.

• Cinematographer Sven Nykvist had significant vision problems during production. Allen reportedly described the scenes to him so Nykvist could advise how the images should look. The experience later influenced Allen's blind film director character in Hollywood Ending.

• Celebrity was Nykvist's fourth and final film with Allen. It also ended Allen's collaboration with editor Susan E. Morse, who had edited his films beginning with Manhattan.

• Kenneth Branagh was considered for the central role despite concerns about whether he could convincingly perform with an American accent. While Branagh was working on The Gingerbread Man, Robert Altman screened much of that film for Allen, helping him make the casting decision.

• Charlize Theron had previously said she would never play a model on screen. Allen wrote to her personally to persuade her to accept the role, which was identified in the film simply as "Supermodel."

• A sequence originally featuring Vanessa Redgrave was reshot with Elaine Stritch. The material was later rewritten for a younger character, played in the finished film by Bebe Neuwirth.

• The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was also shown at the New York Film Festival before its November 20, 1998, U.S. theatrical release.

• The story and its portrait of media culture prompted comparisons with Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita. The film received mixed reviews and became a commercial disappointment.