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A new book about Woody Allen’s film career includes allegations that Mia Farrow, his former partner, was abusive toward their children and coached their daughter, Dylan, to accuse Mr. Allen of sexual abuse. An excerpt from the book, which will be published Tuesday, was provided by its publisher, Knopf.
Moses Farrow, the adopted son of Mr. Allen and Ms. Farrow, made the accusations in an interview with Eric Lax, who has had a friendly professional relationship with Mr. Allen for decades and has written extensively about him. Mr. Lax’s new book is “Start to Finish: Woody Allen and the Art of Moviemaking.” Moses has spoken out before about his family and the abuse case, but his remarks to Mr. Lax go into far more detail.
The original investigation into Dylan Farrow’s allegations, which were first made in 1992, took several turns. A doctor who headed the investigation, John M. Leventhal, who interviewed Dylan nine times, said there were inconsistencies in her story. A month later, a Manhattan judge sided with Ms. Farrow, awarding her custody of their children and calling Mr. Allen “self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive.” Frank S. Maco, a state’s attorney in Connecticut, later said there was probable cause to charge Mr. Allen, but he would not do so — to avoid causing further trauma for Dylan.
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Mr. Allen has denied the abuse allegations.
According to the excerpt, Moses contends that his mother was emotionally manipulative and physically abusive, detailing a number of alleged instances in which Ms. Farrow struck him or pressured the children to bend to her will. “Now that I no longer live in fear of her rejection, I am free to share how she cultivated and brainwashed me,” Moses is quoted as saying.
Asked to comment, Ms. Farrow issued a statement: “Moses has cut off his entire family including his ex-wife who was pregnant when he left. It’s heartbreaking and bewildering that he would make this up, perhaps to please Woody. We all miss and love him very much.”
In 2014, Dylan wrote a letter, published by the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, detailing the allegations of abuse by Mr. Allen. In response, Moses gave an interview to People magazine, saying: “Of course Woody did not molest my sister. She loved him and looked forward to seeing him when he would visit. She never hid from him until our mother succeeded in creating the atmosphere of fear and hate towards him.”
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