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Annie Hall (1977)
Director: Woody Allen
Cast overview: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Running time: 93 minutes
This is the first Woody Allen film I've seen, and it's one I rate highly. Allen has made many films, many of them also happen to be in this comedy-romance genre, but this is likely among the best of his efforts. Although just over an hour and a half in running time, it's filled with memorable scenes and quotable lines. It's witty and entertaining, and is among one of the best films I've watched recently, even if I don't quite believe it to be flawless.
Woody Allen is clearly very talented, even just from this film it's clear that there's a lot of talent there. It's really well-written, with the self-deprecation and dry humour that Allen became known for, but there's also real love between the two, and that's part of what makes it such an enjoyable film.
Notable supporting guest stars include Shelley Duvall, most famous for her role in The Shining, and a young Christopher Walken. But it's definitely Allen and Keaton who take all the plaudits, showing a realistic portrayal of a couple, with the good and bad moments commensurate with such a relationship present. The film is also enjoyable, clearly a vital element in any film, and it keeps the audience interested to the end.
Overall, it's a film in a genre that I don't watch too much of, but this manages to appeal to those fans of the category, but to fans of comedy films as well. It's a good film that I'll probably be watching again, and Allen shows skill and talent that would be present in many of his other films.
Quotes
[last lines]
Alvy Singer: [narrating] After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.
Alvy Singer: I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That's the two categories. The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don't know how they get through life. It's amazing to me. And the miserable is everyone else. So you should be thankful that you're miserable, because that's very lucky, to be miserable.
[In California]
Annie Hall: It's so clean out here.
Alvy Singer: That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.
Trivia
Alvy's (Woody Allen's) sneezing into the cocaine was an unscripted accident. When previewed, the audience laughed so loud that director Allen decided to leave it in, and had to add footage to compensate for people missing the next few jokes from laughing too much.
Diane Keaton's real name is Diane Hall and her nickname is Annie.
The passerby Alvy refers to as "the winner of the Truman Capote look-alike contest" is in fact Truman Capote, who appears uncredited.
Trailer
Director: Woody Allen
Cast overview: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Running time: 93 minutes
This is the first Woody Allen film I've seen, and it's one I rate highly. Allen has made many films, many of them also happen to be in this comedy-romance genre, but this is likely among the best of his efforts. Although just over an hour and a half in running time, it's filled with memorable scenes and quotable lines. It's witty and entertaining, and is among one of the best films I've watched recently, even if I don't quite believe it to be flawless.
Woody Allen is clearly very talented, even just from this film it's clear that there's a lot of talent there. It's really well-written, with the self-deprecation and dry humour that Allen became known for, but there's also real love between the two, and that's part of what makes it such an enjoyable film.
Notable supporting guest stars include Shelley Duvall, most famous for her role in The Shining, and a young Christopher Walken. But it's definitely Allen and Keaton who take all the plaudits, showing a realistic portrayal of a couple, with the good and bad moments commensurate with such a relationship present. The film is also enjoyable, clearly a vital element in any film, and it keeps the audience interested to the end.
Overall, it's a film in a genre that I don't watch too much of, but this manages to appeal to those fans of the category, but to fans of comedy films as well. It's a good film that I'll probably be watching again, and Allen shows skill and talent that would be present in many of his other films.
Quotes
[last lines]
Alvy Singer: [narrating] After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.
Alvy Singer: I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That's the two categories. The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don't know how they get through life. It's amazing to me. And the miserable is everyone else. So you should be thankful that you're miserable, because that's very lucky, to be miserable.
[In California]
Annie Hall: It's so clean out here.
Alvy Singer: That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.
Trivia
Alvy's (Woody Allen's) sneezing into the cocaine was an unscripted accident. When previewed, the audience laughed so loud that director Allen decided to leave it in, and had to add footage to compensate for people missing the next few jokes from laughing too much.
Diane Keaton's real name is Diane Hall and her nickname is Annie.
The passerby Alvy refers to as "the winner of the Truman Capote look-alike contest" is in fact Truman Capote, who appears uncredited.
Trailer