Annie Hall(1977)

Annie Hall is the quintessential Woody Allen film. Though he might have dismissed it himself at times, the public embraced this film more than any other he has ever released (with the possible exception of Hannah and Her Sisters), and it is the one of the most important films that he has ever made. It's not an overstatement to say that without Annie Hall, Allen's career could have taken a much different course. The film was such a success with critics and audiences alike, that it allowed Allen the freedom to do anything he pleased-- and he often did (Interiors, Zelig, Stardust Memories). It is also not an overstatement to say that without Annie Hall many popular romantic comedies made since its release would never have been made. Most romantic comedies that followed Annie Hall borrowed from it in some way. Allen made it possible for the romantic lead to be neurotic rather than confident, aloof rather than suave. Popular films such as When Harry Met Sally lift so much from Annie Hall it's almost astounding. Thus, Annie Hall is the quintessential Woody Allen film because it marked not only a new direction for Allen, but for the genre itself.

Annie Hall originally was conceived as a murder-mystery story, with a possible love angle. Allen and co-screenwriter Marshall Brickman actually produced a script for this humerous whodunit, parts of which would find their way in Manhattan Murder Mystery over 15 years later. As the film begin to develop Annie moved from a secondary character to a primary one, and the screenwriters dropped the murder-mystery angle soon after. Instead, they focused on the scenes that involved Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, eventually creating an entire film out of their relationship. It was different kind of film for Allen, "a more mature film" as many critics dubbed it, as he began to drop the slapstick jokes and pratfalls of Bananas, Sleeper, and Love and Death, in favor of a slightly more "serious" brand of humor. The Allen persona was still strongly intact, in the form of Alvy Singer, but it had been slightly modified.

The main character in Annie Hall, despite the title, is Alvy Singer. We follow Alvy through the trials and tribulations of his various romantic relationships, including the central relationship with Annie (Diane Keaton). Allen brilliantly plays with time structures, flashing back and moving forward whenever he so desires, yet we never feel confused or lost. We eventually get the entire story of Alvy and Annie, the first meeting, the flirting, the romance, the moving in, the separation, and the attempted reconciliation. We had seen this in films before, it was nothing terrifically new or unique. What was unique about Annie Hall was the way in which Allen handled the material. From the wonderfully authentic (and improvised) lobster kitchen scene, to the split screen psychoanaytic sessions, to the frequent face on addresses to the audience, Allen re-invented what a romantic comedy could do. He used the medium to take a good story and make it ten times better. The humor is top notch throughout, but the underlying story and themes are just as excellent. Allen presents us with the absurdity of modern relationships, while at the same time acknowledging how necessary they really are. He gives us something we can all identify with, and elevates our struggles into an hour and a half of laughter and drama which few films have ever matched in intelligence, humor, or wit. I'm often pressed to name my favorite Woody Allen film, and as cliched as it may be, I always come back to Annie Hall.

Release Date: April 20, 1977

Domestic Total Gross: $38,251,425

Distributor: United Artists

Annie Hall(screenplay)

Annie Hall: analysis and quotes

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