Annie Hall | | Cast : | Woody Allen, Diane Keaton | | Director : | Woody Allen | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | April 20, 1977 | | DVD Released Date : | October 07, 2003 | | Language : | Unknown (Dubbed), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 28, 2005 | | Summary | Annie Hall | Content
 | "Annie Hall" is a great film for the ages. Woody Allen does a great job portraying a man who questions modern relationships and struggles through life, so I think most people can relate to this film. With hilarious scenes like when Woody pulls out the author of the book to make one guy look like a schmuck is very funny, it's no wonder why this film won best picture. The film will have you on an emotional roller coaster ride that'll leave you speechless. You'll be laughing, crying, and even cheering for Woody through the film. Although the film is a bit paced, it's still a great movie. Overall, I highly recommend this one. The DVD has been released from MGM, and features a NON-ANAMORPHIC 1.85:1 widescreen presentation. This means, if you have a widescreen television, you will have black bars on all four sides of the picture. Anyway, it's still worth it to buy this film on DVD. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 25, 2005 | | Summary | Continually rewarding, ever funny, rich and warm. Buy It! | Content
| `Annie Hall', directed by Woody Allen and written by Allen and Marshall Brickman is eminently rewatchable, which is the one quality that makes it an excellent DVD purchase. I have seen this movie at least a half dozen times, and I am still discovering interesting things in the film. What makes this so odd to me is that the first time I saw it, after having seen `Manhattan', I really did not think it was as good as the later film.
My initially low opinion of the movie was primarily due to the numerous cinematic gimmicks harking back to his earlier, plainly less thoughtful movies. These include flashbacks to dopey teachers and classmates, almost as a parody of Jean Shepherd; subtitles showing what the characters are really thinking of one another during a conversation; a cartoon segment where Allen and the Tony Roberts character appear with the wicked witch from Snow White; speeches to the audience; and the most famous, a surprise appearance by Marshall McCluhan in a movie theatre lobby to refute a college instructor pontificating about McCluhan's ideas.
The single most famous scene from the movie is the encounter between Allen's character, Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, played brilliantly by Diane Keaton, after their tennis match with Annie dressed in her classic layered look with vest, men's tie, and balloonish trousers. The great sound bite from this encounter is the Annie Hall exclamation `La Di Dah, La Di Dah, Dah Dah...' and Singer's reaction wondering how he could be interested in anyone making such silly exclamations. From this one scene came a whole late 1970's fashion trend, the `Annie Hall' look of layered, mannish clothes. This scene also sets the stage for my latest insight into the movie, which is the progression of Annie, with a lot of help from Alvy, from an unserious girl with a decent singing voice to a serious woman with a few good ideas and a connection to a serious Hollywood music personality, played convincingly by Paul Simon with an eye to having her performances commercially recorded.
While so much can be said of the loves, frustrations, and disappointments of Alvy Singer, the movie is, after all, named `Annie Hall', not `Alvy Singer'. Not to say that this incarnation of the Woody Allen fictional persona is not central to the story. In the story of Alvy Singer that frames our encounter with Annie, there are encounters with two early marriages to characters played by Carol Kane and Janet Margolin, plus less than exciting romantic encounters with Shelley Duvall. The Allen talent for pulling in major actors and future major actors for brief appearances is in full bloom. There are excellent little parts for Colleen Dewhurst and Christopher Walken. There are even smaller parts for surprise appearances by Jeff Goldblum, Sigourney Weaver, and Beverly De'Angelis. Just as Allen is playing his usual, highly autobiographical character, male costar Tony Roberts plays the typically untroubled successful male who is constantly on the make for something or other, whether it be a business deal of a romantic laision. (It just occurred to me that it is logical that Roberts did not play the male costar in `Manhattan', as the Michael Murphy character simply did not fit the typical Tony Roberts character as it appears in `Play It Again, Sam', `A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy', and `Annie Hall'.
While I have not reviewed all of Allen's later movies, I will venture the opinion that not only is `Annie Hall' better than all the films which precede it, it is as good or better than his best later movies (such as `Hannah and Her Sisters', `Crimes and Misdemeanors', and `Husbands and Wives'), if only because it is so effective a mix of both character study and humor. Some of Allen's jokes from this movie are some of his best known. In fact, I get the same sense watching this movie as I do when I see `Hamlet'. So many lines sound like clichés because they have been so widely quoted.
There are a lot of things which could be said about this movie which are really about themes which run through almost all of Allen's films such as doting on sexuality, phony intellectuality, love of Manhattan, and death. One clever riff on death is when Annie is moving into Alvy's apartment, Alvy discovers a book of Sylvia Plath's poems, which contradicts Hall's later statement when she is moving out that all the books about death were given to her by Singer. (Plath was a famously depressive poet who committed suicide in mid-career).
Allen's movie DVDs are uniformly free of fancy extras such as commentary tracks and `Making of' documentaries, and this is no exception. At the risk of repeating myself, I will say that the singular attraction of Allen's body of work in general and `Annie Hall' in particular is its rewatchability. As unrealistic as the many cinematic gimmicks are, the characters are intensely real. They are people with which we can sincerely associate. Try that with your usual Ben Stiller character.
Highly recommended classic among both Allen movies and all movies in general.
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| Rating | | | Date | March 31, 2005 | | Summary | "I don't respond well to mellow." | Content
| Woody Allen and Diane Keaton are two neurotics who fumble their way through a relationship. All the Allen trademarks are here: Allen's sexual hangups, his Jewish upbringing, NY vs. LA (very funny), the snobby intellectualisms. Allen is a TV writer of comedy and Keaton a budding singer; she gets discovered and goes to LA to start a career. Allen follows but can't stand the "climate." The whining between the these two gets to be a drag after awhile (Keaton is not one of my favorites: her acting always seems paper thin and just acting), but there are enough good lines to carry it for its 93 minutes. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 29, 2005 | | Summary | Woody Allens' : 'Annie Hall' | Content
| I am impressed by the Jewish artist who stands up for himself and what others believe in.It seems that Woody has been been catalouged as a writer,for NYC,and that makes him a candidate for success.After all 'Moulan Rouge' is also Jewish.You simply have to wait,for Godot,or until the sides are even-i really don't know.I liked Love and Death,Allens' whole approach as a 'director of his own films is unique.'I remind you;that it is still important to be serious from time to time. Nevertheless-it won him, and this time i assume that he was playing himself,[in a way,]a date, with the beautiful and attractive Annie Hall.He can write well and the script moves on nicely,if you have not seen it.You could compare it with Voltaire,in a way..(Candide)..he gets to date and taste love with a woman of experience, in New York, and the message,of modern insight is valid even Today in the twenty-first century.
I do not mean to be trite-..through-out the annals of the Allen self portrait which is common in his pictures,this practical approach of a mature women who chooses to be with him out of choice, was refreshing and for once,as well- Woody Allen seemed to be free and uninhibited,as well as happy to be himself,at ease,in love,and very un-pretentious.At last I saw the personality of Woody Allen shine-on.I was so happy. When they embraced he was at last a 'mench'..he enjoyed it and so did she.(you could tell by watching the movie)This concept is on the horizon.Woody must have seen it used in the media,as I have; or he would not have written about it.I was refreshed to see him win,with the.. 'right kind of woman.'It proves that New Yorkers still care.. and are not that alienated after all.I enjoyed every minute of Annie Hall.mfd |
| Rating | | | Date | March 18, 2005 | | Summary | Classic Comedy | Content
| I love this movie. It has some of the richest and most thoughtful humor you can find. This quote is a perfect summary of Allen's views on elitist intellectual society:
Robin: There's Henry Drucker. He has a chair in history at Princeton. Oh, and the short man is Hershel Kaminsky. He has a chair in philosophy at Cornell.
Alvy Singer: Yeah? Two more chairs they got a dining room set.
You should definitely check it out. |
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