ANNIE HALL

THE FILM
▸ Directed by Woody Allen in 1977

▸ Screenplay by Allen and Marshall Brickman

▸ Academy Awards - Best Actress, Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director

▸ Films

Hannah and her Sisters

Manhattan

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Blue Jasmine
WOODY ALLEN
▸ Quintessential Independent American auteur

▸ Unconventional storylines and narrative techniques

▸ Breaking the fourth wall

▸ Unique film language

▸ New York Jewish background

▸ Light hearted comedies and serious films

▸ Dialogues are a mix of Neurotic humour and existential repartees

▸ Tongue in cheek style of dialogue delivery

THEMES
▸ Relationship

▸ Love

▸ Independent women

▸ Human mind - Freudian theory of Id, ego and super ego

▸ Fantasy and reality

▸ Pessimism and Cynicism

▸ Idea of life and death

▸ Loneliness

▸ Past and present

▸ Power of art and imagination - “Boy, if life were only like this”

▸ Pretentiousness of the new intelligentsia

NARRATIVE
▸ Genre - Romantic Comedy

▸ Structure - The film starts with self exposure and the problem “Annie and I broke up”

▸ Nonlinear narrative -

The entire movie is a flashback with a prologue and epilogue on Alvy’s relationship with
Annie

Non chronological - jumps in timeline, present day characters walking through their
flashbacks

Alvy addressing the audience - breaking the fourth wall

Marshall Mc Luhan’s cameo

Animated sequence of Alvy and the Evil Queen in Snow White

Seeking advice on the streets

▸ Subjective narration - story evolves through the point of view of Alvy, Stream of consciousness
style - scenes progress as Alvy’s rambling memories of his relationships

▸ Use of subtitles to underline their thoughts during conversation

MISE-EN-SCENE
▸ Thematic use of mise-en-scene

▸ Setting - 1970s New York and LA. All these cities are linked to the character identities - “You are like New York”

▸ New York, according to Alvy, is full of life, culture and has a soul. Alvy epitomises the self absorption of New
York

▸ LA is shown as superficial (the party scene) and as a cultural wasteland, to the extent that Alvy feels nauseated;
“In Beverly Hills, they don’t throw their garbage away. They turn it into television shows”

▸ Alvy’s childhood - House under the rollercoaster depicting a childhood with turmoil

▸ Metaphors - Scraping carrots (castration), Bumping cars (anxiety., aggression), Wicked Queen (fantasy)

▸ Naturalistic everyday mise-en-scene depicting a modern setting in 1970s

▸ Costuming and make up - Costuming of Annie and Alvy are very similar to the way they dress in real life at that
time. Annie’s wardrobe became fashion sensation

▸ Split screen of therapy session - Contrast in spaces, props, lighting and colour reveal the nature of the
characters

▸ Split screen of dinner scene - Social blocking of characters and the lighting reveals the contrast between Alvy's
and Annie’s home

▸ Animation sequence featuring a Wicked queen from Snow White is designed similar to Inside Woody Allen
comic strip

▸ Breaking the fourth wall - Alienates the audience from the immersive illusion of cinema
CINEMATOGRAPHY
▸ Omniscient camera - gives an unrestricted access to Alvy and Annie’s
life

▸ The movie starts in a stand up comedy style with a mid close up of Alvy

▸ Long take of the opening monologue engages the audience with

protagonist - Alvy’s character is established through self-exposure

▸ Breaking the fourth wall - Alvy tries to rationalise his internal thoughts
by talking directly to the camera or the audience

▸ Last scene shot as if someone is looking outside the window of a

restaurant, looking at the reality of moving crowds or people at a
signal.
SOUND
▸ The absence of prominent background score allows for unobtrusive
viewing

▸ Relies on ambient sounds and music from records

▸ The movie is highly driven by conversation

▸ Humour reflecting Alvy’s self-doubt, sarcasm where he lampoons against

the intelligentsia and ad libs are hallmarks of dialogue

▸ Stutter in Alvy’s voice is in sync with his rambling thoughts and memories

▸ Dialogues are often clearly heard as if in a commentary, even if the

characters are far away and walking towards the camera
EDITING
▸ Original run time of 140 minutes was cut to 93 mins, changing the
storyline completely

▸ Discontinuity Editing - Split screen of Alvy’s and Annie’s families

underline their differences

▸ Most of the story develops through intercuts between present and

flashbacks

▸ Intellectual montage - parking lot scene in LA - indicates Alvy’s anxiety

▸ Ending scenes - Montage shots of their relationship serves as series of

flashing good memories