Annie Hall (1977)

Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman

Stars:

Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts

Won 4 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Alvy Singer
Diane Keaton	...	Annie Hall
Tony Roberts	...	Rob
Carol Kane	...	Allison
Paul Simon	...	Tony Lacey
Shelley Duvall	...	Pam
Janet Margolin	...	Robin
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Mom Hall
Christopher Walken	...	Duane Hall (as Christopher Wlaken)
Donald Symington	...	Dad Hall
Helen Ludlam	...	Grammy Hall
Mordecai Lawner	...	Alvy's Dad
Joan Neuman	...	Alvy's Mom (as Joan Newman)
Jonathan Munk	...	Alvy - Age 9
Ruth Volner	...	Alvy's Aunt

Storyline

Alvy Singer, a forty year old twice divorced, neurotic, intellectual Jewish New York stand-up comic, reflects on the demise of his latest relationship, to Annie Hall, an insecure, flighty, Midwestern WASP aspiring nightclub singer. Unlike his previous relationships, Alvy believed he may have worked out all the issues in his life through fifteen years of therapy to make this relationship with Annie last, among those issues being not wanting to date any woman that would want to date him, and thus subconsciously pushing those women away. Alvy not only reviews the many ups and many downs of their relationship, but also reviews the many facets of his makeup that led to him starting to date Annie. Those facets include growing up next to Coney Island in Brooklyn, being attracted to the opposite sex for as long as he can remember, and enduring years of Jewish guilt with his constantly arguing parents.

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Plot Keywords:

breaking the fourth wall | neurosis | character name in title | jew | long take | 

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Taglines:

A nervous romance.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only film written and directed by Woody Allen to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

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Goofs

When Annie drives Alvy home from the tennis game she quickly parks behind a red car. The next cut, showing the two exit the vehicle, clearly shows them parked behind a blue car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alvy Singer: [addressing the camera] There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I ...

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Alternate Versions

In the beginning of the film, Alvy Singer paraphrases what is ostensibly a quote from comedian Groucho Marx. When the movie was dubbed in socialist Hungary, the quote was instead attributed to Buster Keaton at the strict insistence of the dubbing studio, for fear that audiences might confuse Groucho Marx with philosopher and socialist figure Karl Marx.

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Connections

Referenced in Oohalu Gusagusalade (2014)

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Soundtracks

Christmas Medley
(Traditional songs: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (uncredited), "O, Christmas Tree" (uncredited), and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (uncredited))
Traditional / traditional tune, lyrics by Ernst Anschütz (uncredited) / traditional
Performed by Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus (as the Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus) on Vocalion Records

User Reviews

Witty and Charming, one of Allen's greatest achievements.

Annie Hall is a movie about life. In recent films, there are fairly predictable endings. (i.e. guy gets girl after chase scene in Manhattan). Annie Hall goes against the grain of movies. There is definite chemistry between Allen and Keaton. That is one of the main reasons this movie is successful. Alvy and Annie do not have high wage jobs, they do not go clubbing, nor are they incredibly attractive. Why does a movie character relationship have to be so extreme it's unconvincing? These days movie producers create plots that are unbelievable. They don't have any depth and usually have shallow intentions. You can sense that the two leads care for each other. The situations in this movie resemble real life and that is why it is so critically acclaimed and remembered. Sure Woody talked into the camera, but that, in a sense is real life as well. It reminds me of my usual thought process and how when I think; I feel as though I'm presenting my thoughts to myself. Only he is, presenting it to us. This movie is clever and thought provoking. If you're looking for the opposite of a yearly run of the mill movie, this is for you.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

20 April 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Anhedonia

Filming Locations:

W. Century Blvd. & Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$38,251,425

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,287,178

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, Rollins-Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1