Annie Hall DVD

Woody Allen's breakthrough comedy is a constant joy to watch. Allen plays Alvy Singer, a New York-centric comedian who cannot get any pleasure out of life. He is obsessed with death and thinks that there are only two types of people in the world: the horrible and the miserable. Into his world comes midwestern flake Annie Hall, played fabulously by Diane Keaton. As they fall in love, she begins to outgrow him emotionally, resulting in a hysterical yet ultimately bittersweet romantic comedy.

Often considered the crown jewel in a highly acclaimed and prolific film career, ANNIE HALL is Woody Allen's only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This recognition, however, is not what makes the film significant. ANNIE HALL marks the beginning of the second phase of Allen's career as a filmmaker, abandoning the slapstick of SLEEPER and BANANAS for more thoughtful comedies (and eventually dramas) that explored human relationships and psychology. Allen's capacity as a creative filmmaker had also grown with the film, as he utilized creative subtitles, split screens, and animation, as well as evincing a sophisticated understanding of the potential of editing and camera movement for comic effect--consider the cutaway to Allen's character Alvy Singer, as seen through the eyes of "Grammy Hall" during the dinner sequence, or shortly afterward the slow pan to Alvy in the passenger seat of a car driven by Annie's unhinged brother Duane. The film is a brutally honest assessment of the prospects of a relationship between two very different people. Allen's Alvy is (like the filmmaker himself) an introverted, neurotic intellectual and a complete mismatch for Diane Keaton's vivacious, flaky Annie Hall. Although the romance is undoubtedly the center of the film, it affords Allen the opportunity to contrast his beloved New York culture with that of the Midwest, where Annie comes from, and Los Angeles, which tempts Annie with the possibility of fame and success as a singer. The city of New York itself plays an important part for the first time in an Allen film, with a great deal of location shooting that serves to highlight the city's character and atmosphere. Finally, the many comedic cameos peppered through the film--from Truman Capote to Paul Simon to media theorist Marshall McLuhan--pay tribute to the deserved reputation that Allen had gained for himself.

Theatrical Release: April 20, 1977. The film was shot on location in New York and Los Angeles, as well as New Jersey, Amagansett, NY, and Wisconsin. ANNIE HALL was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1992. The film was nominated for, and won, the Best Picture Academy Award, but Allen did not attend the ceremonies, choosing instead to play his clarinet at Michael's Pub in New York, the city where he lives and works. The film was the first comedy since TOM JONES in 1963 to win Best Picture. ANNIE HALL is number 4 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Funniest Movies and number 31 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies. The film was originally called ANHEDONIA but was changed just a few weeks before release. Anhedonia is the clinical condition in which someone is unable to experience joy. ANNIE HALL was originally shot as a murder mystery, but when it was determined that the romantic comedy was the best part of the film, all references to the murder mystery were edited out. The film marks the fourth pairing of Keaton and Allen, who were an offscreen couple at the time. The film in actuality chronicles the end of their relationship. Diane Keaton's real last name is Hall. Diane Keaton performs the songs "It Had to Be You" and "Seems Like Old Times" in the film. The costumes in the film (especially those by Ralph Lauren) kicked off the Annie Hall look, which featured menswear for women, big leather and straw shoulder bags, and hats. Media scholar Marshall McLuhan and TV host-author Dick Cavett make cameo appearances in the film as themselves. When Alvy and Annie are in the park making fun of the people around them, Alvy points out one gentlemen as being the winner in a Truman Capote look-alike contest; the part is actually played by the real Truman Capote in an uncredited cameo. Sigourney Weaver made her feature-film debut in ANNIE HALL. The film features Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, Shelly Hack, John Glover, and Beverly D'Angelo in minor roles. Christopher Walken's last name is spelled Wlaken in the closing credits. The film marked singer-songwriter Paul Simon's film debut.

Annie Hall Quotes/Excerpts:

"Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love." --Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know, it has to constantly move forward or it dies. I think what we have on our hands is a dead shark." --Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) to Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) "That was the most fun I've ever had without laughing."--Alvy to Annie "La-de-da, la-de-da, la-de-da."--Annie

Annie Hall Reviews:

"...Funny and sorrowful....[ANNIE HALL] puts Woody Allen in the league with the best directors we have." -- Vincent Canby, New York Times

Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1977" -- Vincent Canby, New York Times

"...ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN remain cast-iron classics..." -- Geoffrey Macnab, Sight and Sound

"...A typically Woody Allen love story....ANNIE HALL proves that, when he's at his best, there's really no one to match him..." -- James White, Total Film

"...A deft blend of bittersweet romance, neuroses, Diane Keaton and out-and-out silliness..." -- Entertainment Weekly Staff, Entertainment Weekly

"As writer, director, and star, Allen pulled off one of the cinema's greatest hat tricks..." -- Premiere Staff, Premiere

"Rightly regarded as Allen's masterpiece, the films bears an uncommon warmth as his films go..." -- Andy Webster, Premiere

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