31. Annie Hall 1977
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/
Alvy Singer is neurotic. He is nervous and paranoid and funny and intelligent… and crazy in love with Annie Hall. In the film, the only “present tense” that exists is the tense of his narration. Told in a series of flashbacks, Annie Hall has become a comedy classic, nabbing 4 Academy Awards in 1977 and becoming the quintessential Woody Allen film. This film set the precedence for all of his films that would follow, very similar to the manner within the film where Annie becomes the benchmark for all of his future relationships.
Alvy narrates the film with wit and spirit, peppered with neuroses and humor, showing the viewer how he met and came to love Annie, as well as why she has become the one person who can understand who he is. Even though he is Jewish, a true New Yorker who hates his hometown but would never live elsewhere, overtly paranoid about and obsessed with conspiracy theories, and convinced that everyone he encounters is Anti-Semitic, he falls for a woman whose family evidently IS Anti-Semitic. Clearly, from their first meeting, though, he really likes her, as is noted by the hilarious subtitles like “I sound like FM radio,” and “I wonder what she looks like naked.” Nevertheless, this is who Alvy is; he is constantly judging everyone, holding them up to his level of intellect. Adversely, since he cannot stop thinking about sex, regardless of how ditzy, shallow, or downright boring the woman may seem to him, he has no reservations about jumping into bed with any them.
What is most notable about this film is the way in which it follows neither the classical narrative paradigm, with the plot building to climax followed by a quick resolution, nor Syd Field’s three act structure where there is a clear beginning, middle and end. Instead, it demonstrates every trait of the realistic narrative, to include the fondness for exposé and a rejection of fate or destiny, and thereby trail blazes the way for more of these films that would later become classics in their own right, like Pulp Fiction and other films.
Allen shows us his life and how it all surrounds his love of Annie. Instead of using a mounting suspense theme or a three act theme, the film is more like a sunflower. Traveling along the outsides of the petals are all of the sub-plots: Alvy growing up under a roller coaster, missing a latency period and discovering girls early, his two failed marriages, his career, the fact that he never seems to get anywhere with his therapy, his friend who calls him “Max”, the other women who Alvy dates who just never measure up to Annie; and at the end of each petal, they come back to the center- to the story of him and Annie. Annie is his center, his substance; she is not only the reason for the story, but where the seeds of the story grow. As she grows, she pulls away from Alvy, which makes him want her even more, leaving the audience with proof of the Groucho Marx philosophy Alvy talks about- the one about not wanting to be a part of a club that would accept him as a member. He feels that he is the reason for her growth, which frustrates him even more, because he now knows that he can encourage her to be a better person, yet he runs in circles trying to improve his own self.
From the first line to the last, Allen’s all-inclusive brilliant dialogue and both Keaton’s and his spectacular acting makes Annie Hall one of, if not THE, best comedies ever. It is truly one of the funniest portrayals of a man who is too intelligent for his own sake, and an obtrusive challenge to the thought of “as soon as I get what I want, I will be happy.”
La dee dah.
Alvy Singer is neurotic. He is nervous and paranoid and funny and intelligent… and crazy in love with Annie Hall. In the film, the only “present tense” that exists is the tense of his narration. Told in a series of flashbacks, Annie Hall has become a comedy classic, nabbing 4 Academy Awards in 1977 and becoming the quintessential Woody Allen film. This film set the precedence for all of his films that would follow, very similar to the manner within the film where Annie becomes the benchmark for all of his future relationships.
Alvy narrates the film with wit and spirit, peppered with neuroses and humor, showing the viewer how he met and came to love Annie, as well as why she has become the one person who can understand who he is. Even though he is Jewish, a true New Yorker who hates his hometown but would never live elsewhere, overtly paranoid about and obsessed with conspiracy theories, and convinced that everyone he encounters is Anti-Semitic, he falls for a woman whose family evidently IS Anti-Semitic. Clearly, from their first meeting, though, he really likes her, as is noted by the hilarious subtitles like “I sound like FM radio,” and “I wonder what she looks like naked.” Nevertheless, this is who Alvy is; he is constantly judging everyone, holding them up to his level of intellect. Adversely, since he cannot stop thinking about sex, regardless of how ditzy, shallow, or downright boring the woman may seem to him, he has no reservations about jumping into bed with any them.
What is most notable about this film is the way in which it follows neither the classical narrative paradigm, with the plot building to climax followed by a quick resolution, nor Syd Field’s three act structure where there is a clear beginning, middle and end. Instead, it demonstrates every trait of the realistic narrative, to include the fondness for exposé and a rejection of fate or destiny, and thereby trail blazes the way for more of these films that would later become classics in their own right, like Pulp Fiction and other films.
Allen shows us his life and how it all surrounds his love of Annie. Instead of using a mounting suspense theme or a three act theme, the film is more like a sunflower. Traveling along the outsides of the petals are all of the sub-plots: Alvy growing up under a roller coaster, missing a latency period and discovering girls early, his two failed marriages, his career, the fact that he never seems to get anywhere with his therapy, his friend who calls him “Max”, the other women who Alvy dates who just never measure up to Annie; and at the end of each petal, they come back to the center- to the story of him and Annie. Annie is his center, his substance; she is not only the reason for the story, but where the seeds of the story grow. As she grows, she pulls away from Alvy, which makes him want her even more, leaving the audience with proof of the Groucho Marx philosophy Alvy talks about- the one about not wanting to be a part of a club that would accept him as a member. He feels that he is the reason for her growth, which frustrates him even more, because he now knows that he can encourage her to be a better person, yet he runs in circles trying to improve his own self.
From the first line to the last, Allen’s all-inclusive brilliant dialogue and both Keaton’s and his spectacular acting makes Annie Hall one of, if not THE, best comedies ever. It is truly one of the funniest portrayals of a man who is too intelligent for his own sake, and an obtrusive challenge to the thought of “as soon as I get what I want, I will be happy.”
La dee dah.
posted by Susan @ 2:58 PM
1 Comments:
At 6:41 PM,
Susan said…
My Professor's Input:
OVERALL GRADE: 100%
Susan, in terms of storytelling it does not get much better than “Annie Hall.” I am very happy that you chose this film. Most people stay away from, what I consider to be, Woody Allen’s finest work and one of the great films in the history on cinema. The narrative has its challenges, but you navigated them perfectly. Thank you for something joyful to read.
DrG
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