Product Description

Considered to be "Woody Allen's breakthrough movie" (Time), Annie Hall won* four OscarsÂ(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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #547 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-05-30
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
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

Customer Reviews

Annie Hall? Annie Hall! Very funny, smart, and entertaining.
I wish I'd never seen this movie, so that I could see it now for the first time. What a wonderful, funny, smart, entertaining film. So many clever gags, so much great smart New York dialog. Woody manages to weave together a story that jumps from coast to coast, from live action to animated, from serious to hilarious, and keeps it all flowing and fun. Truly one of the most enjoyable films ever.

The deranged New York critics should be hung for making this monstrosity a "classic".
There's one funny line in this whole crappy, annoying, incredibly overrated movie- just one. It's when Woody Allen visits the LA home of some stereotypical Hollywood types and we see a young Jeff Goldblum on the phone with his guru telling him "I forgot my mantra". I laughed at that. As for the rest, it's pretty much garbage. Woody Allen is so disgusting to even look at, never mind listen to, that the movie is almost impossible to endure. I know he's only a memory these days, but how did the world tolerate him in his prime? How did he become a success? I understand that New York and LA are full of his kind of people, but did he really have an audience in the rest of the country? If so, I think it must have been made up of Middle American poseurs who wanted to be seen as superior intellects because they were fans of the "smart" Jewish comic from New York: "Har har har- Woody Allen just referenced the Oedipus Complex in his joke. I understand that reference, so I must be smart too! Har har, do_you_get it?". This is the first Woody Allen movie I've ever seen, and I think it will be the last. In addition to his lack of talent, and his supremely irritating appearance, voice, personality, and opinions, all he does is make really, really lame jokes. He gets girl (even if Diane Keaton is a drip, she's still out of his league) and loses girl. Believe me, it's pretty bad.

Annie Hall
This DVD arrived very quickly for standard mail and was in excellent condition. I would have appreciated some kind of bonus feature or two, but there was none. Then again, if the product is associated with Woody Allen, it seems very much his style. As for the movie itself, it's one of Allen's best, thanks to Diane Keaton. It's hard to believe the movie is now over 30 years old, but Keaton is as charming as ever. The 3 star rating is for the skimpy DVD. Keaton is a 5 star actor.