Annie Hall is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen.
The movie stars Allen as Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, who reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer played by Diane Keaton. The film received widespread critical acclaim and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Woody Allen. It is considered a classic and a significant achievement in Allen's career.
Plot
Annie Hall is a movie about a man named Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, who is trying to figure out why his relationship with Annie Hall, played by Diane Keaton, ended. The story is told in retrospect, with Alvy as the narrator, attempting to make sense of his relationship with Annie within the context of his entire life.
The movie begins with Alvy speaking directly to the camera, delivering a few key jokes that humorously set up his pessimistic view of life, and then adopts a more serious tone as he begins to confront the truth about his relationship with Annie. The story proceeds in a series of nonlinear flashbacks, beginning with several scenes from Alvy’s childhood. The scenes reveal that Alvy grew up in a house under the roller coaster at Coney Island and that he was a nervous and pessimistic child who grew up to be a comedian.
The next scenes take place at a more recent time. Alvy and Annie meet for the first time at a tennis game with Alvy's friend Rob, and the film reveals the sweet and awkward beginning of their romance. The rest of the film focuses on the relationship's impending breakup, with Alvy trying to understand what went wrong.
Cast
Woody Allen as Alvy Singer
Diane Keaton as Annie Hall
Tony Roberts as Rob
Carol Kane as Allison
Paul Simon as Tony Lacey
Shelley Duvall as Pam
Janet Margolin as Robin
Colleen Dewhurst as Mrs. Hall
Donald Symington as Mr. Hall
Joan Newman as Mrs. Singer
Mordecai Lawner as Alvy's father
Marshall McLuhan as himself
Sigourney Weaver in her film debut, in the closing sequence as Alvy's date at the movie theater.
Laurie Bird, who appeared two years before her suicide
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Box office Gross: $38,288,028
Distributor: United Artists
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1977
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2015
Themes & reception
Annie Hall (1977) explores several themes, including [love](@leoglossary/leoglossary-love0, relationships, identity, and the search for meaning in life. The movie is a romantic comedy-drama that tells the story of a man named Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, who is trying to make sense of his relationship with Annie Hall, played by Diane Keaton. The film is known for its nonlinear narrative structure, which uses flashbacks and other techniques to explore Alvy's memories and emotions.
The movie was a critical and commercial success, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Woody Allen. It is considered a classic and a significant achievement in Allen's career. The film's themes and innovative storytelling techniques have been praised by critics and scholars, who have analyzed its impact on the romantic comedy genre and its influence on later films
Challenges Faced
During the production of "Annie Hall," there were several challenges faced by the cast and crew, including:
Balancing theatrical and cinematic elements: The film begins with a purely theatrical artifice, with Woody Allen addressing the audience directly as a performer on a stage. This theatrical element is a significant aspect of the film, and the crew had to find a way to maintain this style throughout the movie while transitioning to a more conventional cinematic narrative.
Managing the nonlinear narrative structure: The film uses a nonlinear narrative structure, with scenes from Alvy's childhood intermingled with his relationship with Annie. This structure required careful planning and coordination during the shooting and editing phases to ensure that the story was told coherently and effectively.
Adapting to changes in the film industry: Woody Allen was known for his plays before making the transition to film. The crew had to adapt to the different techniques and challenges associated with filmmaking, such as working with lighting and camera angles.
Collaborating with a talented [cast](@leoglossary/leoglossary-cast-artistic-production0: The film features a star-studded cast, including Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, and others. The crew had to manage the interactions and performances of these talented actors to create a harmonious and engaging film.
Settings
The film Annie Hall is set in a modern 1970s New York City, which is an important backdrop to the story. The setting reflects the mid-70s attitudes about dating, love, and women's rights and freedoms. The combination of the endearingly awkward romance and agitated, self-absorbed humor sets Annie Hall apart as a different sort of intelligent romantic comedy, firmly ingrained in its time period and geographical space.
Visual Styles & Techniques
Text on screen: The movie incorporates text on screen as part of its visual storytelling, adding a personal and whimsical element to the narrative.
Breaking the fourth wall: The film features instances where the characters break the fourth wall, directly addressing the audience, which adds to the accessibility and personal nature of the story.
Animation: Annie Hall includes animation sequences that contribute to the film's visual inventiveness and storytelling.
Split screens: The use of interactive split screens and sudden physical transformations, such as a character turning into a Hasidic Jew, are employed to support the film's theme that art can reshape life into a more fulfilling version of itself.
Production design: The film's production design incorporates inventive techniques to enhance the comedic elements, such as the use of visual textures and a dark palette not traditionally associated with comedies.
Theatrical elements: The movie begins with a purely theatrical artifice, with the main character addressing the audience directly, and incorporates theatrical progression from beginning to end, adding a special quality to the narrative.
Trivia
The average shot length of Annie Hall was calculated at 14.5 seconds, which is longer than the average for most films.
The story of Annie Hall was originally meant to be a drama centered around a murder mystery, with comedy and romance as subplots. The Writers Guild of America later named it the funniest screenplay ever written.
The classic cocaine scene in the movie, where Alvy Singer contemplates trying cocaine and then sneezes, sending a pile of his friend's stash flying, was actually an accident that happened during rehearsal. It got huge laughs during audience testing, so it was kept in the film.
Annie Hall was one of the first films to popularize the technique of breaking the fourth wall, where the characters address the audience directly. Woody Allen used this technique to provide insights into the protagonist’s inner thoughts and enhance the comedic narrative. The film revolutionized romantic comedies.
Fun Fact
One fun fact about the film Annie Hall is that the average shot length of the movie was calculated at 14.5 seconds, which is longer than the average for most films. This contributed to the film's unique pacing and visual style, setting it apart from other movies of its time.