Allen uses innovative techniques

Rating: Null/10 (13 May 2003)

The structure of Woody Allen's Annie Hall, while not exactly going chronologically, still makes sense and keeps things interesting. We are shown how things turn out, for example the ultimate ending Alvy Singer and Annie Hall's relationship, but we never lost interest, and in the end I was still surprised to see the break up of the two main characters. Starting the film with the end, and then going back into these flashbacks that don't go in any decipherable order really shows great editing, because as a whole the movie really does make sense. Besides the film being in what seems to be a stream-of-consciousness narrative, it includes a lot of eye-candy like techniques that seem innovative for the time of the film. The use of split screen, for example when Diane Keaton and Woody Allen are at their psycho-analysts, showing the difference between their views of their sex lives, has been referenced to in almost every film class I've taken. Also, the use of the mock-Snow White animation, and the double exposure of Keaton when she was high seemed very innovative. The idea of using so many different forms of media in a film, and the fact that it didn't seem to be too much, is phenomenal.
Another strong aspect of the film is the direct address to the camera. Whether it was just Alvy, or a couple of a people from the line at the movie theater, it's like he's letting us know he knows we're there. This also happens when he is going back to his childhood and just kind of watching. He's putting himself in our shoes as the audience. It's obviously a narrative film, but because of these techniques and that a great deal of it was based on real life events of Woody Allen, it gives the film a pseudo-documentary feel.