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Annie Hall by Woody Allen
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Carol Kane, Diane Keaton, Janet Margolin, Tony Roberts, Woody Allen Director: Woody Allen DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.66:1 Running Time: 93 minutes DVD Release Date: 2000-05-30 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Annie HallMovie Review: Woody Allen's best film--ever Summary: 5 StarsAnnie Hall is Woody Allen's best film. This is Allen at his best: We get flawless, meaningful performances from a great cast and the plot moves along at a very good pace. The editing was wonderful. Although Woody Allen had to cut much from the original version of this film, he cut well and we get a motion picture with practically nothing left to remove. What's more, there's so much comedy in this film it stands out as one of the best comedies I've ever seen. The cinematography is very well done and the choreography works best in crowd scenes and the scenes on the streets of Manhattan.
When the action starts, we meet twice divorced Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) who pals around with his friend Rob (Tony Roberts). Alvy comes from a dysfunctional family that literally lived under the roller coaster at Coney Island; and he hasn't stopped shaking and being neurotic since his childhood. One day Alvy, Rob and a couple of women gather to play indoor tennis--and Alvy meets Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). It isn't long, either, before Alvy and Annie strike up a pretty hot romance despite a few awkward moments in their very first conversations.
As time passes, Alvy and Annie have a lot of experiences--some good, some bad; but they stay together through it. Alvy tries to get Annie to "broaden her horizons" with books that he buys for her and his encouragement for her to take continuing education courses at New York University. Annie and Alvy also enjoy a pretty good romantic life.
But things change over time. Annie grows but Alvy essentially stays the same. Annie wants to move to Los Angeles where she thinks she can record music along with Tony Lacey (Paul Simon); but Alvy wants to stay in New York. Alvy can't stand California in general and he especially hates Los Angeles.
The plot can go anywhere from here. Annie also sings and dabbles in photography--will this affect their relationship? Will Alvy move out to California to continue his relationship with Annie? What about Tony Lacey--he seems to be attracted to Annie. Will Tony come between Alvy and Annie? Watch and find out!
I must say that Woody Allen uses some pretty incredible techniques to show how people can see others. At one point, Alvy images that he appears to be a Hasidic Jew in the eyes of the anti-Semitic "Grammy Hall" (Helen Ludlam). At another point, Allen has Alvy, Annie and Rob looking on at a party given many years prior for a family member back in Brooklyn; and it's fascinating to see the characters in the present react to the party so many years prior.
Annie Hall will always be a timeless love story with so much comedy you'll practically roll over on the floor with laughter. Obviously, this film is a "must-have" for fans of the actors in this film; and Woody Allen fans could never have a complete collection of his work unless they have this film. This film is highly recommended!
Summary of Annie HallConsidered to be "Woody Allen's breakthrough movie" (Time), Annie Hall won* four Oscars?(r), including Best Picture, and established Allen as the premier auteur filmmaker. Thought by many critics to be Allen's magnum opus, Annie Hall confirmed that he had, "completed the journey from comic to humorist, from comedy writer to wit [and] from inventive moviemaker to creative artist" (Saturday Review). Alvy Singer (Allen) is one of Manhattan's most brilliant comedians, but when it comes to romance, his delivery needs a little work. Introduced byhis best friend, Rob (Tony Roberts), Alvy falls in love with the ditzy but delightful nightclub singer, Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). When his own insecurities sabotage the affair, Annie is forced to leave Alvy for a new lifeand lover (Paul Simon)in Los Angeles. Knowing he may have lost Annie forever, Alvy's willing to go to any lengthseven driving L.A.'s freewaysto recapture the only thing that ever mattered'true love. *1977: Picture; Actress (Keaton); Director; Original Screenplay Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. His position as outsider is uncontestable he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater." The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. Annie Hall embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. --Susan Benson
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