Plot: What’s it about?
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) have had some good times together over the years, but they’ve also had their share of rough times. Alvy is a comedian from New York who can’t tolerate things outside of the city and almost can’t function himself when he isn’t there. Alvy is paranoid and has had some miserable luck when it comes to romance. But his luck seems to change when he meets Annie through a friend and sparks fly from the first time he sees her. Annie is from Wisconsin and seems sensitive and almost as neurotic as Alvy at times. The two have an unusual but hilarious dinner conversation and then as they say, the rest is history…so to speak. This movie follows their relationship through the highs and lows and all other states, but not in a straightforward manner. If you want to see a movie that shows relationships in a natural and realistic light, then give this one a chance.
This title was released by MGM a while ago, but they saw fit to reissue it as part of The Woody Allen Collection. This is 1977s Best Picture winner and widely regarded as Allen’s finest cinematic accomplishment. To celebrate this film MGM decided to re-release the exact same disc they’d issued before. No improved transfer, no new bonus features, no new nothing…just the same old disc. All the other films in The Woody Allen Collection were given new anamorphic transfers, but heaven forbid MGM should make right on their mistake to issue a poor original disc for Annie Hall, right? So don’t rush out to pick this up if you’ve got the old one, because this is the same damn disc. Enough about the disc though because I will discuss all that later on in the review. This movie is very funny and holds a place in my personal collection, but I don’t think it is Allen’s best movie by any means. I do like this movie and laugh often when I watch it, but I think it is overrated. But I still own it and would recommend it to fans of Allen’s work, so calm down if you think I am a heretic here. That’s all I have to say about the movie, so go ahead and rent this one if you’re looking for an Allen fix.
This film was directed by Woody Allen, who also helped write the screenplay along with Marshall Brickman. This is the movie that won Best Picture in 1977 and I think most people believe it to be Allen’s crowning film, but I have to disagree. I do think this is a solid and very entertaining movie, but it lacks the comedic shine his earlier movies were filled with. This is a more personal film which can be both a good and bad thing to viewers like me. I like the dialogue and character interaction, but I just don’t care about the people in the movie. In Sleeper and Bananas, I liked the characters Allen played and that makes me enjoy those films a lot more. I am in no way saying this is a bad movie so don’t misunderstand me, I just happen to think it is overrated. As per usual Allen plays a leading role in front of the camera and hands in a solid performance, but again he lacks the charm of his prior movies in my eyes. Diane Keaton (Hanging Up, First Wives Club) won an Oscar for her work in this movie and I again have to disagree with the folks handing out the statues. Keaton is very good here but far from good enough to take those honors. The supporting cast includes Christopher Walken (The Prophecy, Pulp Fiction), Paul Simon (The Rutles), Tony Roberts ($1,000,000 Duck), Shelley Duvall (Popeye, The Shining), and Carol Kane (Scrooged, Addams Family Values).
Video: How does it look?
Annie Hall is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. If you hate those black bars you can choose the full frame version on the disc’s slip side, which is always nice. This movie is well over twenty years old and it shows from time to time, with grain and print wears signs emerging often. But I’d have to say it looks better than previous releases, which means it passes the grade in my book. I still think MGM should have given this title a new 16X9 enhanced transfer when they reissued it, but that’s life I guess. This movie is not very colorful on the whole so the colors usually hover within a more natural scope. But even when the brighter hues are present this transfer handles them with no problems, flesh tones also seem warm and normal. Due to the grain present on the source print the contrast is sometimes overly bright, but usually this is to a minor degree and never distracts from the film. This is a decent transfer to be sure, but this movie deserves much better.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release contains the original mono track which offers an acceptable experience, though this movie never calls for much audio focus anyway. This is a dialogue movie from start to finish so the front channels have no problem tackling the audio and making it sound terrific. There is some music and background noise used in this soundtrack which sound clear, but the dialogue is the focus to be sure. And you’ll hear every word spoken in crisp form with no volume issues at all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You can find some production notes inside the insert booklet and the theatrical trailer can be found on the disc itself.
