Hi, my name is James and I'm currently a student at the University of Exeter in Devon. I'm a film ob...
Hi, my name is James and I'm currently a student at the University of Exeter in Devon. I'm a film obessive, love my music and also like a good book now and then. I'm currently at home from Uni for summer and working in a job I hate. I love summer.
Member since:12.03.2004
Reviews:11
Although Manhattan gains critical plaudits, and many say that Sleeper and Bananas are his funniest, this, for me, is Allen's best. Annie Hall is the ultimate Woody Allen film; it has a perfect balance of slapstick and verbal humour, it is original and fresh, and it is very engaging, with characters who behave like real people, not constructs, or a means to an end.
You know the story by now; the neurotic Woody Allen character falls head over heels in love with sorta arty, sorta sporty, mainly ditzy Annie Hall (played by the ever wonderful Diane Keaton), and they embark upon a hilarious, if doomed, love affair (this isn't spoiling it- we know from the outset of the film that Woody Allen's character is no longer with Annie Hall).
It features many elements we have come to expect from Woody Allen, not just the neurotic porrayal of himself. We also get the simple black and white credits which open the film (bizarrely at odds with the rest of the film in the austere authority they give the beginning of the film), we get rantings about anti-semitism (Woody Allen's not a "self-hating" Jew, honest) and name dropping aplenty (there's a particuarly random name dropping of Sylvia Plath in one scene, as if Allen's saying "I know my culture, I do".
But the film isn't bitter about romance, unlike some of Woody's latest films (such as Deconstructing Harry or even the critically acclaimed Sweet and Lowdown). Despite being about a failed relationship it is an optmistic film, a feelgood film. You finish it with a smile on your face and your faith in romance and relationships. Woody Allen's films always seem to reflect what is going on in his private life at the time, and this one is no exception; we can see he is a happy man, head over heels in love with leading lady Diane Keaton.
Annie Hall is all you could want in a Woody Allen film, or any film for that matter. It's smart, original, very funny and also kind of sexy. There are many moments that have gone down into comedy history already; such as Christopher Walken's explanation of his dream (in one of his first appearances, and only a year before he won an Oscar for his remarkable role in The Deer Hunter), the lobster scene, or the scene at the party with the cocaine. The film's not just funny; Diane Keaton's nightclub singing scene gives me goosebumps every time, being one of the sexiest scenes Woody Allen, or anybody else for that matter, has ever directed. Unlike most of Allen's work, he never goes for the obvious, crude laugh here, instead preferring character and one liners over smut.
Like most Woody Allen movies on DVD, this one has a dearth of special features. The only real special feature (if you exclude the subtitles or scene selection) is the original theatrical trailer, which is worth a giggle to see how it was initially advertised as a "nervous romance". However, as you can pick this movie up in most places, including online, for less than eight quid, I think this is a forgivable ommission.
It beat Star Wars to best picture in the '78 Oscars (but not at the box office unfortunately!), and it;s not hard to see why. A masterpiece
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
The DVD-specific information is very important when writing is this category. You need to concentrate on the actual extras, sound quality, special effects etc. What extra features are included in the DVD? You should described everything that makes this different from say a video so consumers can ultimately decide whether this would be worth buying on DVD or not Let me know if you add more information. If you are just reviewing the film rather than the dvd then that is easily changed by clicking the tab at the bottom of the review that says what format are you viewing. Change that to film only. Fionax
habitualdamnation 14.07.2005 11:50
hi there welcome to ciao. this is a wonderful movie and i'm afraid you have not done it justice with your rather brief review.
Annie Hallis one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a ... more
thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton)...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director "Annie Hall" is ... more
Woody Allen's supreme masterpiece. Coming between such early slapstick farces as "Sleeper" and "Love and Death" and darker more reflective comedies like "Manhatt...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, 'Annie Hall' is ... more
Woody Allen's supreme masterpiece. Coming between such early, slapstick farces as 'Sleeper' and 'Love and Death', and darker, more reflective comedies like 'Manhatt...
Annie Hallis one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a ... more
thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton)...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Woody Allen dialogue at its finest with universally brilliant performances Disadvantages: If you don't like any other Woody Allen movie you won't like this one
Nardo 13.06.2005 (13.06.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Annie Hall (DVD)
Advantages: Woody Allen dialogue at its finest with universally brilliant performances Disadvantages: If you don't like any other Woody Allen movie you won't like this one
Nardo 13.06.2005 (13.06.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Annie Hall (DVD)
![Annie Hall [DVD] [1977]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78522023.jpg "Annie Hall [DVD] [1977]")
Jul 13th, 2005
(Jul 30th, 2005)
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