Annie Hall

The significance of the romantic comedy, especially in comparison to the other genres of film comedy, is unmistakable. Despite the vast quantity of “romcoms” out there, there has always been found some room for variation. The possibilities and limitations available to a romantic comedy in both carving its own path away from, and building off the success of, others of its genre can be seen in a comparison of two famous romantic comedies: Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (1977) and Robert Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally…(1989).

The main difference in these two films can be seen in their different portrayals of courtship practices, gender roles and romantic attitudes. These stem from the views of their respective eras in American history. In the decade leading up to Annie Hall, the United States experienced numerous incidences of dramatic change and upheaval, from assassinations of idolized leaders to the rise of the women’s movement to the horrors of the Vietnam War (McDonald 61). At the same time, the world of romance (from love to sex) had drastically changed, with the introduction of the birth control pill, the public issue of abortion, and the severe increase in divorce (McDonald 62). Lastly, the world of cinema had been altered, with a relaxation in what could be shown on screen after the replacement of the Production Code with a ratings system (McDonalds 61-62).

All of these changes were reflected in Annie Hall. The main couple of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and the eponymous Annie (Diane Keaton) have deep-seated emotional problems. They are also very awkward in their romance; neither knows the right way to act, as best reflected by the subtitled scene on the deck of Annie’s apartment. As part of the radical changes in American society, women (in the form of Annie) are depicted as far more independent. Annie realizes she does not need to be dependent on a man, and a part of the plot is her finding her own voice. In addition, sexual intercourse is depicted as no longer automatically coming with marriage and family. Instead, sex is a means of self-exploration, and thus a symbol of a healthy relationship in the film. For example, Alvy realizes his relationship with his first girlfriend, Allison Portchnik (Carol Kane), is over when he realizes he is using JFK assassination conspiracies to avoid having sex with her. Sex actually being depicted in the film, and frequently talked about, also reflects the breakdown in film censorship. Lastly, there is a skeptical view on love, best exemplified by Alvy’s final reference to love as a bunch of nonexistent eggs.

While Annie Hall came on a wave of radicalism in the United States, *When Harry Met Sally…*arrived with a new trend of conservatism. In the late eighties, there was a shift in the country back towards more conservative politics, as well as “the reassertion of ‘family values’, the rise of the religious right and a corresponding emphasis on sexual caution, monogamy and abstinence” (McDonalds 88). All of this can be seen in the film, especially when compared to Annie Hall. The male half of the main couple, the eponymous Harry (Billy Crystal) is (among other things) very pessimistic. He is cleared of this pessimism, however, through his relationship with Sally (Meg Ryan). This can be seen most clearly towards the end of the film, as he refuses to accept failure in his pursuit of Sally. This is extremely dissimilar to Annie Hall, where the couple’s neuroses are seen as incurable characteristics that contribute to why their relationship does not work out. Alvy’s oddities remain constant, while Harry’s are gradually downplayed and eventually seem to just disappear. The female independence seen in Annie is not evident in Sally, her best friend Marie (Carrie Fisher), or any other woman in When Harry Met Sally…. These women are rather traditional archetypes, virtually always discussing how and where to find suitable men. While there is a recognizable focus on Annie’s career, Sally’s occupation receives only a brief mention or two. Lastly, there is a clear de-emphasis on sex. This can be seen by the lack of sex scenes within the film, as well as the depiction of sex more as the fulfillment of lust than a significant personal experience.

The differences in these films’ cultural contexts also explain their divergence in the employment of the key conventions of romantic comedy. Annie Hall differs significantly from the romantic comedies that came before it, to the point that it is “considered a prime example of the radical romantic comedy” (McDonald 73). The most significant difference is the plot, which is mainly about the breakdown of a romance instead of the beginning of one. The film ends with the couple not together, a major departure from romantic comedy conventions. This is part of the film’s skepticism about love, a regular motif and one usually absent from romantic comedies. Traditionally a secondary couple had eccentricities, but in Annie Hall these were given to the main couple. In addition, the new position of sex within the relationship was mostly unheard of; the majority of previous romantic comedies had no sex until the very end, and even then it was merely implied. Lastly, Allen’s employment of a self-conscious style in Annie Hall helped the audience realize it was a clear rejection of typical romance films, and that it intended to be more realistic. When Harry Met Sally… does employ the visual style of the radical romantic comedy , as seen most clearly in a montage that is straight out of Annie Hall. The former film, however, clearly rejects the latter’s values. It begins with the common trope of two people very unlike each other who cannot seem to get along. From there, the plot proceeds rather typically. The one aspect of the plot that is a different twist on romantic comedy conventions is the friendship of Harry and Sally. They spend part of the film not trying to pursue each other, thus undergoing the traditional aspects of courtship in a seemingly platonic fashion. It is only in the last section of the film that the friendship is replaced by blatant courtship, followed by the couple ending up together. The need for a romantic happy ending, when realistically (in the world of this film) it would probably not occur, is the most obvious sign that When Harry Met Sally… falls well within the standard conventions of romantic comedy.

In Annie Hall, Woody Allen uses a very self-conscious style to develop humor and foster the romance plot. The non-linear chronology of the film helps the audience focus more on the ideas of these separate episodes, instead of merely focusing on being entertained throughout. In addition, it gives the effect of being in Alvy’s head, jumping from memory to memory as he tries to piece together what happened to his relationship with Annie. This connection with Alvy is enhanced by his frequent addresses directly to the camera; it helps the audience to relate to Alvy and experience things with him. There are numerous other instances throughout Annie Hall where the self-conscious filmic devices are employed to simultaneously make important points about romance, and make the audience laugh. For example, the subtitling scene between Alvy and Annie is amusing because the subtitles reveal they are thinking very differently from what they are actually saying. At the same time, however, the use of subtitles “suggests the intellectual conversation the pair are having is a foreign language to the characters themselves, as the ‘translation’ appearing underneath the frame reveals their real anxieties and desires” (McDonald 75). Through Allen’s self-conscious style, scenes like these pull back the dreamy fog of the typical romantic comedy to expose the true version of modern romance.

In When Harry Met Sally…, Rob Reiner employs a similar visual style to that of Allen’s Annie Hall. He employs it, however, for far different reasons. As part of the latter’s self-conscious style, Allen incorporated references to more classical romance, most noticeably through the use of the songs ‘Seems Like Old Times’ and ‘It Had To Be You.’ These references were made, however, “to comment on [the] awareness of changed circumstances, the contemporary distance from former romantic securities” (McDonald 72). While Reiner utilizes similar references, including ‘It Had To Be You,’ he uses them to “evoke a feeling which then gets co-opted into [his film]” (McDonald 93). An example which most clearly shows the stylistic similarity and the difference in narrative between the two films is the montage towards the end of When Harry Met Sally…. Allen used a montage in Annie Hall to sum up Alvy’s relationship with Annie, and to show that while the relationship is over, he will always have the memories. Reiner is clearly influenced by Allen in drawing upon the same stylistic device; however, he employs the montage so as to show Harry’s change in mindset. Harry reflects on his relationship with Sally, and realizes that he must be with her. As a result, montage is used to incur romance (even in the face of seeming impossibility), rather than to remember it. This dissimilar employment of stylistic devices highlights the division between the central themes of Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally….

Both films begin developing their comic thought and central themes with an initial segment that is almost outside the narrative of the film. Annie Hall begins with two jokes told by Alvy. Together, these jokes explain why his relationship with Annie both begins and ends. The small portions joke shows how it begins, because while she is completely different, he wants to experience more of her. The Groucho Marx joke about the club implies that the relationship ends because he cannot get along with any woman who would accept him. In contrast, When Harry Met Sally… begins with an older couple sitting on a couch together. Briefly, they relate the romantic story of how they met. The jokes at the start of Annie Hall emphasize the temporary and problematic nature of romances. The couple’s story at the start of When Harry Met Sally emphasizes permanent romance, as best exemplified by the end of the husband’s story: “Arthur, you see that girl? I'm going to marry her." And two weeks later we were married. And it's over fifty years later and we're still married.” The focus on marriage is also particularly important to this film, as the social institution is emphasized throughout.

The endings of the two films fit with the beginnings as well, nicely bookending the central themes of these very different romantic comedies. At the end of Annie Hall, Alvy tells one last joke. In his monologue about a man whose brother thinks he is a chicken, Alvy implies that “all of us are like the man in the joke, who is clearly as crazy as his brother. We all need the eggs—the fictions or illusions which make life bearable” (Fabe 190). Through Alvy, Allen states that however temporary romance might be, it is worth it. At the end of When Harry Met Sally…, Harry and Sally explain how they are now happily married. Their placement in the same kind of composition as the couple from the beginning (in addition to the couples interspersed throughout the film) implies that their marriage (and love) will be as timeless as the others’ appear to be. While both films have far different ideas of romance and its duration, they do agree that love is worth the effort.

Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and Rob Reiner’s *When Harry Met Sally…*are extremely different kinds of romantic comedies. The former perfectly emblematizes the “radical romantic comedy,” being “a work of conscious iconoclasm” (McDonalds 59). The latter is a prime example of the “neo-traditional romantic comedy,” being a film which returns “to a notional form of romantic comedy which [Reiner, among others] assume to have existed” (McDonalds 85). The differences between these two types of romantic comedies are clearly evident in the films, from the portrayal of courtship practices and romantic attitudes, to the development of their romance plot and their central themes. These movies might appear to be permanently irreconcilable in every way except stylistically. Both Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally…, however, value the idea of romance above all else. While Allen and Reiner might disagree on the realities of romance in the modern world, they at least agree that love is a wonderful and necessary part of what it means to be human.

Literature Cited:

Fabe, Marilyn. “Film and Postmodernism: Woody Allen’s Annie Hall.” Closely Watched Films: An Introduction to the Art of Narrative Film Technique. California: University of California Press, 2004.

McDonald, Tamar Jeffers. Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre. London: Wallflower Press, 2007.

I bought it on VHS at a thrift shop as a joke saying it had better be the greatest film of all time if it beat Star Wars at the Oscar’s, but wow! It may not be the greatest movie of all time but it’s pretty close. Really funny, intelligent, and a great ending.

Firstly, for those who have not seen Woody Allen's Annie Hall, I highly recommend it. I find it's probably my favourite romantic comedy of all time and, although the romcom genre is often littered with hollywood clichés and relatively poor dialouge, I think it's fair to say that every now and again there are some fantastically unique films of the genre.

One of the most interesting occurrences in the film were the anti-semetic comments. On the rooftop, Annie says to Alvy "You're what Grammy Hall would call a Real Jew" and then "Well you know she hates jews, she thinks they just make money" to which Alvy does not respond. The conversation then continues without any further mention. There is also another point when Alvy meets the Hall family and one shot, Alvy is spontaneously wearing traditional Jewish clothing and has a stereotypically long beard. Whilst this is no doubt used as humour devices, the point is not referred too again in the film. Woody Allen's voice over dabbles in many key issues and goes very deep yet for some reason ignores anti-semetism. Perhaps Allen is trying to comment on how, at the time, anti-semetism was ignored as an issue and they were a targeted community.

As for a huge theme and plot point in the film, Sex. The characters desires and arch's are presented through any time they have sex in the film. At any given time, Annie and Alvy never are shown to have sex where neither has an issue. The film skips from certain times in their relationship, but it starts off as Annie being completely against the concept then it moves on to her being distracted by loud sounds of the city. This foreshadows her dislike for where she lives and the inevitability that, an hour later in the film, she would leave him due to the large issue that they don't want to live in the same environment. The only time Alvy is against having sex is when it is not with Annie, which is a comment on him as a character. It says that he was the character who relied on Annie, despite the 'Spider Event' as I label it. One of the main events is when Annie's mind leaves her body before they have sex because Alvy protested to her smoking weed beforehand. The whole film is from his perspective, so this situation can either be read as him interpreting his feelings against her drug use as the reason their relationship fell apart or that it actually was. Anyway, Allen cleverly uses the sex scenes as the scenes where we see the characters motivations and the narrative progresses. And finally, when Annie and Alvy break up, they still remain friends (however distant) which comments on the essential tool of sex to maintain a relationship yet how unimportant it is, to still be happy.

Another reason Annie Hall is (in my opinion) such a bloody brilliant film, is the fact there are loads of themes and issues floating around. Leave your opinions!

“I would, but I need the eggs.” This was my first major Woody Allen movie. I’ve only ever seen Midnight in Paris before, which seems a bit different from a lot of Allen’s other works. I thought the film was mostly, funny, but also lovely and charming. Diane Keaton as Annie was the highlight for me. It took me a while to warm up to Allen’s character. At first I just found him arrogant and annoying, the self-insert character felt rather egotistical. It wasn’t until about halfway through the film that I started to find it charming and funny rather than frustrating. I didn’t care much for the Marshall McLuhan scene, but a lot of the later commentary on relationships to be beautiful and rather poignant. I love the originality of the storytelling devices Allen used in this, the split screens, the fourth wall breaking, the thought subtitles, and the animation segment were all brilliant.

I think Allen did a wonderful job of portraying how people can just grow apart. That we ultimately need relationships and social companions to grow, but that we can outgrow them as well. Alvy’s relationship with Annie causes them both to grow in separate directions, and they acknowledge that while their relationship benefitted them both, it was no longer working because they had become two different people. This makes an excellent contrast to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) which shows how dangerous it can be to stay in a relationship that you’ve outgrown. Alvy and Annie both become successful rather than bitter and angry because they broke up when it was healthy to do so. The final scene with Allen’s joke about needing the eggs is probably my favorite commentary on relationships ever. Overall, I think it’s probably the best “romantic comedy” I’ve seen.

I have been mesmerized by the manner that Woody Allen have emotional sensibility towards the audience. The only other person who was able to connect with the audience was jean Luc Godard in la chinoise . If you don't mind suggest me some emotional sensible movies

I am going through a period where i am stuck and not able to sleep at night. So i binge watch movies that do not have any large amount of action/gore in it . I have also tried reading notes from the underground. That felt really good.

Slowly and Slowly i feel like i am turning into less of a human. I am stuck in this 9 to 5 job where there is no progress i am stuck in this i need help.