Annie Hall: The most perfectly imperfect love story ever
Woody Allen, a legendary director, screenwriter and comedian is famous for his bittersweet slapstick comedies and unique Jewish humor. Allen's heartfelt tribute to his muse and actress Diane Keaton was showcased in the 1977 classic Annie Hall. Allen's unique storytelling and comedic genius can be exemplified by this beloved piece of cinema which won four Oscars.
Woody Allen, who was born in Brooklyn and graduated from NYU reluctantly, quickly made a name for himself as TV writer. “My characters are highly exaggerated versions of me. They are ironic, relaxed, neurotic, and frantic, meant to amuse people,” he said. The movie introduced a unique character, Alvy Singer, who is neurotic, erudite, moralistic, phobic, pessimistic, and obsessed with mortality but regains his composure through art and love.
At first, he is not a believer in relationships but ultimately, he becomes obsessed with Annie, his muse. Annie Hall is renowned for being a pioneering film that engaged in numerous screenwriting, editing and cinematography experiments that were well received by the audience.
To set the tone for its intellectual humor, the film begins with a joke about physics. “The universe is expanding. If it’s expanding, one day it will break apart. That will be the end of everything. What’s the point? He stopped doing homework.” Young Alvy Singer's mother expressed her exasperation to the teacher. “We better enjoy ourselves when we are here.” The teacher gave a befitting reply to him and the audience.
Diane Keaton’s character, Annie represents a modern woman who is a little goofy, funny, nervous and lacking confidence in the beginning but she ends up being a confident woman who walks away from a man to find herself. It can be termed a Bildungsroman movie. Her portrayal of feminism and the sexual revolution in American cinema during the 1970s coincides with the second-wave feminism period. Another prominent film of that period was Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, directed by Martin Scorcese. Inspired by Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963) and influenced by psychoanalysis, Annie Hall captures the spirit of the rebellious female characters in 1970s American cinema.
Diane Keaton has a memorable performance as the quintessentially awkward character. In the 1970s, female characters were depicted in a more 'liberated' way by directors like Martin Scorsese, Alan Pakula, Woody Allen, Martin Ritt, and Barbara Loden. Films like Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Klute (1971), Annie Hall (1977), Norma Rae (1979), and Wanda (1970) each center on a female protagonist and provide a revisionist depiction of women compared to the patriarchal and heavily male-focused classical Hollywood cinema. This is why we love Woody Allen movies. For taking us to places beyond cinema, for making the film a piece of art that can be experienced for its deep-rooted philosophies and symbolism. His movies are not some typical chemical formula with a certain amount of violence, lust, emotions, crying, etc. that would generate a particular reaction in the audience; rather, they are ambiguous and fluid, like the subconscious mind.
Annie Hall was initially a completely different movie but it was the genius of Woody Allen who converted it to a much better version. He wrote and rewrote the screenplay several times and it went through various revisions, omissions, and changes before the final form. Initially, Annie was just one of the many lovers of Alvy but later she became the main character. The best way to understand a film is to understand the mind of the screenwriter-director. Some patterns are repeated in all their movies. One can get a few glimpses from his statements below in an interview. Woody said, “People are so bored that they are searching for conflict, drama that engages them.” Again he said, “You are thinking of philosophy, suddenly there’s a gun on your head and you are active.” His movies mostly ask existential questions and the meaning of all the random incidents that keep on happening in a loop to almost all of us like frequent breakups, our love with the concept of love, attachments with strangers, and career losses. In the first few scenes, there is one frame where young kids are introducing themselves to their future professions and the scene cleverly juxtaposes the future with the present. It shows what these tiny tots would become eventually, especially when their current faces don’t affirm their future professions. Life is unpredictable and reveals itself in the future in a mysterious way.
Annie Hall portrays several captivating women through the protagonist Alvy Singer's perspective, highlighting how a man's choice of partner reflects his personality. The film is almost our entry into Alvy's subconscious mind. As part of the subplot, Allison Portchnik, his Jewish ex-girlfriend, is brought in to be contrasted with his muse Annie Hall. Despite her efforts, Allison fails to impress him. On the contrary, Annie wins his heart effortlessly and it’s the other way round with Alvy trying to woo her back in the end. But there are too many characters whose names start with “A”; Allison, Annie, and Alvy. Seems like Woody Allen was in a mood for alliteration.
Interestingly, the Alvy Singer Trust was established after the passing of Matthew Perry, who was known as Chandler Bing in the 1990s hit TV series Friends. This character is quite similar to Alvy, with satire, discomfort, and awkwardness. He dumps women for stupid reasons but falls deeply in love with one woman. According to Mathew, he loved watching Annie Hall with his mother.
In another scene just before Alvy's standup comedy act, he was anxious but met a beautiful girl with blonde bushy hair who cheered him up. He employs an odd intellectual pickup line on her that may be ignored by others but not by someone with intelligence.
Allison: I'm doing my thesis.
Alvy Singer: On what?
Allison: Political commitment in twentieth-century literature.
Alvy Singer responds with his Jewish charm and a bit of sarcasm: “ You, you, you're like New York, Jewish, left-wing, liberal, intellectual, Central Park West, Brandeis University, the socialist summer camps and the, the father with the Ben Shahn drawings, right, and the, y'know, strike-oriented kind of, red diaper, stop me before I make a complete imbecile of myself.”
Allison replies: No, that was wonderful. I love being reduced to a cultural stereotype. The above conversation is now iconic for the dialogism and Jewish impact on Hollywood. During the 1880s, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived in New York's Lower East Side, aiming to organize themselves using various methods, often turning to settlement homes and missionary houses for assistance and guidance. Also, the apparent sarcasm is there everywhere in the film. A geek recognizes a geek. But despite Allison and Alvy both looking cute, the relationship fails.
The next in line is the titular character played by the sensational Deane Keaton who rewrote the rules of androgynous fashion in the film. She plays this fun, independent, free-spirited, woman in New York who kind of hits on the man, something not much visible onscreen before. She asks him out after a tennis match. A patriarchal man can regard such a woman as needy, desperate, slutty or someone who is not shy of being sexually active and dominant. However, Alvy is happy to get seduced by this gorgeous tall woman without judging her. Women's fashion in the late 1970s was significantly shaped by this movie. The style featured masculine accents such as neckties and the layering of oversized pieces. Key items included blazers, vests, and loose-fitting trousers. Diane Keaton's clothing, reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp, significantly influences her comedic impact, as it serves as an essential element in establishing her character as a comedienne. She keeps on saying La di da. “I didn’t know that I would date a woman who says La di da,” Alvy Singer replied. She is revealed as an actress, then a singer, and has depth, an artistic side, and a philosophical bent of mind. Such artsy women are a rare breed after all.
In an experimental scene, Annie reminisces about her actor ex-boyfriend’s memories in a scene where her present self is watching her past. Her ex-lover gives her, these soul-stirring statements like, “Acting is like an exploration of a soul. It's very religious like a kind of liberating consciousness. It’s like a visual poem. ” The movie Annie Hall, highlights the overrated nature of romance, stressing the transition from the honeymoon phase to the breakup phase. It balances a romantic comedy and antiromance between a couple despite their contrasting personalities and interests. Alvy, trapped in a hopeless romantic habit, proposes to Annie, inspite of the reality of their relationship. The film highlights the reality of romantic fantasies in media.
Annie Hall is more of a slice-of-life than a traditional plot with mystery, events, or a forward-moving storyline. It portrays Alvy Singer's thoughts and experiences in a culturally vibrant New York City. Woody Allen, known for his well-crafted dialogue and screenplays as a comedy writer, does not follow any specific structure throughout the film. The 1977 classic features intellectually and philosophically stimulating lines. In one scene, Annie sings in a bar where the audience is noisy and uninterested. Despite her strong exterior, Annie is vulnerable and seeks validation. After their breakup, she calls Alvy, who is with another woman, for a trivial reason, and he leaves to help her, indicating a deeper connection. Their relationship, marked by intellectual and artistic exchanges, fluctuates, and Annie eventually distances herself. Originally conceived as a longer film, it became a shorter, focused piece, depicting Alvy's musings and relationships as detours in the search for meaning. Woody Allen uses techniques like breaking the fourth wall and engaging conversations, making the film ahead of its time.
The ending, with no tears but acceptance of the breakup, showcases modern relationships' inevitability. The film includes creative elements like double exposure, an animated scene with Allen and the witch from Disney's Snow White, and split-screen scenes showing different perspectives.
Creativity flows in every single frame, joke and detail. A short screen time makes the film highly rewatchable, featuring smart comedy and captivating cinematography with long takes. Characters are chaotic, fast-talking, and overwhelming. The line "Sex with you is a Kafkaesque experience" is humorously told by the character of Pam played by actress Shelley Duvall and is delivered as a sarcastic compliment in a deadpan style.
Annie Hall combines absurdist intellectual humor with a poignant love story. It is both a love letter to Diane Keaton and a loosely autobiographical work for Allen. Innovative techniques like flashbacks, animation, and subtitles for subtext dissect the relationship from all angles. It won four Oscars and captured late 1970s America's zeitgeist, addressing love, sex, identity, and social classes. The narrative contrasts New York and Los Angeles settings and includes memorable scenes, like Allen imagining philosopher Marshall McLuhan correcting a misinterpretation.
The final montage of Alvy's happy memories with Annie creates a nostalgic moment, summarizing the film's exploration of relationships and self-delusion. “I realized what a terrific person she was and how much fun it was just knowing her, and I thought of that old joke—you know, this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, ‘Doc, my brother’s crazy! He thinks he’s a chicken!’ And the doctor says, ‘Well, why don’t you turn him in?’ And the guy says, ‘I would, but—I need the eggs.’ I guess that’s pretty much how I feel about relationships.” These are the iconic last lines of the film which summarize the entire movie. He’s trying to convey that lovers unite with shared goals, and the eggs symbolize their bond. Romantic relationships are built on mutual illusions, where both partners create a shared perception of each other and their connection. However, when one partner no longer shares this vision, the relationship unravels and fades away, leaving only distant memories.
