Annie Hall

Movie: Annie Hall, 1977; 93 min

Director: Woody Allen

Actors: Woody Allen, Dianne Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Janey Margoun, Shelly Duvall, Christopher Walken, Colleen Dewhurst

Summary: A neurotic New York comedian shares the stories of his past loves, focusing on his love with Annie Hall.

Question 1: What effect does the narrator have on the story and how does the narration differ from that of other films?

The main character, Alvy, is also the narrator of the film. Throughout the film, he talks with the audience and shares his stories of his past. At the beginning of the film, he traces his neurotic nature back to his childhood living next to the rollercoaster in Coney Island, Brooklyn. He reflects back to himself in elementary school, and at one point takes the place of his childhood self as an adult in the classroom. This connection can portray the fact that even though Alvy is an adult, he is still a child at heart. As he shares his story about his falling in love with Annie, Alvy also reflects back to his past loves and wives. He narrates and shares what went wrong in his love life. The fact that the story is controlled by the main character’s narration gives the film more of an informal, documentary-like feel. This narration style differs from other films, which are typically not narrated by anyone at all.

Question 2: When Alvy and Annie just meet and have a conversation in Annie’s apartment, what is unique about the dialogue in their conversation?

First encounters can sometimes be awkward between a man and a woman. This awkwardness is portrayed in the scene on the balcony of Annie’s apartment. As the two are having a conversation, subtitles are shown on the bottom of the screen. At first these subtitles seem out of place because they are not in the rest of the movie, but then the audience realizes that the subtitles do not match what is being said in the dialogue. The subtitles are meant to tell the audience what Annie and Alvy are really thinking as they continue their conversation. The subtitles are unique because they portray the awkward nature of a first conversation with a potential lover. They also show how the two are not yet comfortable enough with each other to speak what they are actually thinking. The subtitles along with the dialogue also provide a comedic relief to their conversation because it is funny for the audience to see what is really going through the characters minds as they carry out a conversation.