ANNIE HALL 🤩

Films stay with us deep within our memory boxes for a myriad of reasons that most would never suspect. We remember movies with great actors, incredible visual effects, compelling storytelling, awesome cinematography, mind-blowing make-up, and hairstyles. Costumes can create a pathway to any character’s inner thoughts and feelings while changing society’s fashion paradigm in an entirely new direction. It is all there for audiences to rediscover again and again. This is one of the reasons people love to escape to a darkened movie theater. We can dream, perhaps recognize a version of ourselves and places we long to visit. Magical moments. 

In 1977, people, young and old, flocked to watch a novel, unorthodox film that changed the context and cinema-making game by breaking the fourth wall with truthful narration in ways not seamlessly seen before. It dared to take audiences behind the hidden masks of what most would love to say out loud. It was edgy…it was bold…it was hilarious. One-liners and zingers were non-stop. The public laughed out loud at the pure honesty of it all. And most instantly fell in love, just like Alvy Singer (AKA Woody Allen) with ANNIE HALL and the brilliant Diane Keaton. 

ANNIE HALL made movie history by winning four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Woody Allen), Best Actress (Diane Keaton), and Best Screenwriting (Woody Allen). The climax of the awards night was so unique because Woody did not attend the ceremony. He was playing his clarinet at his regular jazz jam session in Greenwich Village. Someone else accepted in his absence, which was a huge snub towards the Academy. Woody didn’t care. He went on to continue making a dozen more. 

I was never a fan of Woody’s acting. He was such a “nebbish” little man, but I have always loved the lines and jokes he wrote. He was the king of self-deprecation, neuroses-filled, pessimistic comedy. Whatever could go wrong in life would, according to Woody. He touched a nerve, and people could easily relate. This was one of the reasons movie-goers accepted him as a romantic lead. He was non-threatening to both genders. He loved “talking” about sex incessantly, and with him leading the way, Woody made it all feel funny, regular, and even sincere. “Hey don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone I love.” This is all very surreal, with the future Woody marrying his adopted daughter and the hoopla that clouded his career. I don’t think anyone knows or understands this man, but for a long time, he was wrapped in the genius of his illustrious profession. 

Diane Keaton was another story. She went on to be a leading lady for years. She was adored for her unusual dress code, which she still embodies today. She wore all of her own clothes in ANNIE HALL, and her original real-life name was Diane Hall. She was destined to portray this character. She and Woody were great friends, and the infamous lobster scene was all ad-libbed. Most of the time, neither actor could stop laughing and giggling. The scene with the cocaine puffing all over was another improvisational moment. All of their reactions were real. 

Woody Allen surrounds his stories with amazing, talented actors who stay with him for years. This list includes Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Christopher Walken, and Colleen Dewhurst. The city of New York is also considered an important character. Brooklyn never looked so good or inviting. 

What makes this powerful film is Annie Hall’s growth and journey. The stunning montage at the end says it all without a word. It gives hope to all women that finding their inner voice is possible. It’s inspiring for all who love and for those relationships that don’t make it in the end…and that’s okay. 

ANNIE HALL is a nervous, romantic comedy classic. It brings up every incident in life that makes us who we are today. The ballad, SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES, sung soulfully by Diane, sums it all up. School days, classmates, family dinners, ex-relationships, therapy sessions, and daily fears are meshed together, shining floodlights on every dent in our veneer. Our past binds us, but with one non-sensical phrase, all of us can move forward. Say it with me…”La de da, La de da.”

ANNIE HALL is available on TCM.