Woody Allen’s classic comedy is being re-released in a new print. Allen himself and Diane Keaton are both stars and part-subjects of this story of a love affair between a neurotic romantic and a nervous wreck. For Allen, it marked a significant shift of direction, in subject (from cine-pastiche to self-revelation) and in persona (from stooge to sage), Despite accusations of narcissism, the film’s huge popularity and Oscar-winning success testify to Allen’s remarkable dexterity in transforming private anxiety into public hilarity.
Annie Hall brought Allen’s work to a much larger audience, but he reacted to this new-found popularity by making the Bergman-like family drama Interiors. In Annie Hall, Allen draws on Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, but for comic effect, as his character wanders through the flashback sequences, making hilarious comments on the action.
U.S.A., 1977. Colour. 93 min.