Annie Hall (1977)

(Traveling through the films of Woody Allen)

Title: Annie Hall
Release Date: 20 April 1977
Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Paul Simon, Christopher Walken
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/
My Rating: (9/10) ★★★★★★★★★✩

"You know how you're always trying to get things to come out perfect in art because it's so difficult in life"

Originally titled Anhedonia, or the inability to find pleasure from normally pleasurable events, this movie follows Alvy Singer (Allen) in his failed relationship with Annie Hall. Diane Keaton turns in a strong performance but, for me,  this movie belongs to Woody Allen. For the first time in his body of work I saw a mature, deeply complex protagonist. His character as a complex, multi-faceted everyman. As me. Someone who has a tendency to sabotage their own happiness, yet lacks the true self awareness to see that he is clearly the cause of his own displeasure. Annie says to Alvy late in the film "You're incapable of enjoying life. You're like NYC, you're like this person, you're like this island unto yourself..." and then tells him "You know how wonderful you are...you're the reason that I got out of my room, that I was able to sing, get more in touch with my feelings..." This succinct summation of a person's ability to encourage happiness in others while prohibiting their own is a profound revelation to me. It's lovely how it is mirrored in Alvy's suggesting of an analyst, college courses, and certain books to Annie and then being left behind by her enlightenment in these areas. 

Technically, the long shots are beautifully and creatively composed and help the audience to get lost in the story. I only counted one instance that made me want to stab my eyes out (about fifteen minutes into the film Tony Roberts and Woody have a lengthy dialogue which begins with them so unidentifiably in the background of a wide shot. This shot holds as it takes them at least 45 seconds to come into frame. They slowly travel to camera but just trying to read the shot for the first half of the scene pulled me out of the film).

The stories are true! This film marks the beginning of a more mature era of filmmaking for Woody Allen. Deeply complex, boldly personal, and quite touching on many levels.