In 1905, a visionary designer by the name of Eleisha Pechey crafted a whimsical serif font, aptly named Windsor, for the esteemed British type foundry Stephenson Blake. Precisely seven decades hence, the legendary type designer Ed Benguiat, whose fingerprints adorn the logotypes of icons like The New York Times, Coca-Cola, and Ford, found himself serendipitously meeting Woody Allen each morning at a New Jersey diner for their ritualistic breakfast. According to an anecdote that has traveled far and wide, recounted in a 2007 graphic design blog post, Allen once inquired about the ideal typeface. Benguiat, who harbored a fondness for Windsor, enthusiastically recommended it that very morning. (A persisting misconception is that the font was a homage to Allen's cinematic hero Ingmar Bergman; however, Bergman preferred other fonts for his titles, notably the Art Deco-inspired Florida, featured prominently in 'Persona'.)
And thus, a tradition was born. Allen adopted a variant known as Windsor Light, its pristine white letters standing out against a stark black background, for the opening and closing credits of every film he helmed since 'Love and Death' in 1975 – a staggering fifty-odd movies. This typeface soon became synonymous with "the Woody Allen font," embodying a unique brand of sophisticated, neurotic, and intellectually rich filmmaking.
Half a century later, at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, a new film unveiled its title sequence adorned with the very same font, stirring quite a commotion. The film in question was 'After the Hunt,' directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Julia Roberts as a Yale philosophy professor entangled in a harrowing narrative involving a trusted student (Ayo Edebiri) who confides in her about being raped by another professor (Andrew Garfield), who vehemently disputes the claim. Reviews for the film have been lukewarm, with The Hollywood Reporter labeling it as "very five years ago" and "punishing."
The typeface has garnered considerable attention from critics, prompting a pointed question during the press conference. Guadagnino's nuanced response was, "The crass answer would be, why not? ... We couldn't help but be reminded of 'Crimes and Misdemeanors,' 'Another Woman,' or even 'Hannah and Her Sisters.' The narrative structure felt deeply connected to Woody Allen's magnum opus spanning 1985 to 1991."
Yet, his response was far from over. He couldn't ignore the elephant in the room – the sexual abuse allegations leveled against Allen by his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, who was just seven years old at the time of the alleged abuse. These allegations have dogged Allen since the early 1990s but gained significant traction in 2014, following a Golden Globe lifetime achievement award that sparked a fierce backlash and public reassessment of the case.
Guadagnino elaborated, "I sensed it as a whimsical nod to contemplating an artist who, in a manner of speaking, has confronted existential dilemmas, prompting us to reflect on our duty towards the work of a beloved figure like Woody Allen. Moreover, this particular font, a timeless classic, transcends Allen's realm; it's a staple that has left an indelible mark beyond his oeuvre."
Indeed, the Windsor font has become a ubiquitous icon in popular culture and merchandising. It has adorned sitcom titles ranging from "All in the Family" to "Who's the Boss?" and "The Goldbergs." In the 1970s, "Sesame Street" frequently dipped into the Windsor font's charm, while "The Price is Right" employed it to flash catchphrases like "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" at the show's opening. Its presence can also be spotted on numerous book covers, some of which are archived on typeface blogs dedicated to chronicling its storied history.
Yet, let's be frank. Guadagnino deliberately invoked Allen by kickstarting his #MeToo-themed drama with Windsor font in stark white letters against a black backdrop. Simultaneously, he aimed to evoke the crème de la crème of Allen's body of work—which, despite the allegations, remains a cornerstone of American cinema.
In this context, "After the Hunt" joins a cohort of 21st-century films and TV shows endeavoring to "reclaim" Windsor from Allen (who, it bears mentioning, is still very much alive and kicking, helming films like the French-language "Coup de Chance" in 2024, which faced distribution challenges but eventually saw a U.S. release. Allen has hinted that it might be his swan song, and indeed, it features Windsor font).
Most prominently, FX's "Fleishman is in Trouble," starring Jesse Eisenberg as a divorced New York doctor, used a title treatment reminiscent of Allen's work. Although the font choice went unmentioned in the show's promotion, critics frequently noted its "nouveau Woody Allen-ness" in their reviews.
Here, the choice of Windsor isn't merely a reclamation; it's an unavoidable acknowledgment. However, in a somewhat uncomfortable twist, it also attempts to capitalize on the allure of Allen's work—much like Guadagnino openly admits.
The 2021 surrogate pregnancy comedy "Together, Together" went a step further, incorporating the white-on-black Windsor treatment into both the film and its trailer. In the movie, Patti Harrison's surrogate character, Anna, remarks, "I think you’ve watched too many Woody Allen movies," before delivering a monologue about the inappropriate romantic age-gap dynamics prevalent in Allen's films, such as "Manhattan." The film's writer-director, Nikole Beckwith, told the L.A. Times, "I think Woody Allen movies did for romance what internet porn did to sex. They created this strange, idealized extreme that people came to believe was reality. This old, decrepit, nebbishy guy who’s an asshole gets these beautiful young women who seek his approval constantly. And that’s not true." Beckwith seems to suggest that reclaiming Allen's signature title treatment for her own film is an effective way to criticize him.
Yet, this pales in comparison to Windsor's most scathing appearance—on HBO's poster for the 2021 documentary miniseries "Allen v. Farrow" (highlighted by Cracked.com). Directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, this scathing exposé was deemed by the L.A. Times as the "final nail in the coffin of Woody Allen’s legacy."
For now, at least, Windsor Light endures, standing resilient amidst the shifting tides of public opinion and creative reappropriation.
