Woody Allen: "I am merely mediocre"

At the premiere of Woody Allen's latest film, "Match Point", the director offered a modesty parade, by naming his own work "mediocre" and "miserable".

Even though he received the Academy Award three times, Woody Allen insists big audiences are the true sign of a great movie-maker.

"I've disappointed myself most of the time.
People think I'm an intellectual because I wear glasses and they think I'm an artist because my films lose money.
My relationship with the American audience is exactly the same as it has always been: they never came to see my films, and they don't come now.
I've often said that the only thing standing between me and greatness is me."

"Match Point" tells the story of a former tennis pro, Chris (played by Rhys-Meyers) who falls for Nola (Scarlett Johansson), a seductive woman who is dating Tom (Goode), Chris's friend and future brother-in-law.

Another film by Woody Allen, also featuring Scarlett Johansson, is to be released in 2006: "Scoop", the story of an American student (Johansson), who, while in Lodon, starts an affair with an aristocrat.