Variation from conventional romantic comedy

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2009)

Although this film has been proclaimed as one of the best romantic comedies, I see many distinctions between "Annie Hall" and the conventional romantic comedy. Conventional comedies are expected to end with the romanticized, "happily ever after;" like a fairy tale, where the two lovers end up together. The traditional narrative of romantic comedies involves: the introduction of characters the two protagonists (Alvie & Annie), the separation due to an argument or other contrived obstacle, and the ultimate reunion. "Annie Hall" is an example of a film that varies on this basic plot line, ruminating on the impossibility of love. Thematically and technically "Annie Hall," is known as a major turning point in Allen's films. This film took a deeper emotional and romantic approach, while still maintaining his comedic style, though in a different way. "Annie Hall" was the first of Allen's films to utilize long takes, where one continuous, un-manipulated shot makes up the entire scene. Long shots have the capability of adding to the dramatic power of the film. Annie Hall's symmetrical yet non-linear narrative flows according to the emotional desires of one protagonist, Alvie Singer (who symbolized Allen himself). By spoiling the resolution in the beginning, the film invokes empathy in viewers as Alvie recounts his relationship with Annie, and self-deprecating revelations of self-doubt and absorption, paranoia, and intolerance/unacceptance of all things not including New York. Alvie's obsession with New York, its gradual decline, and outright hatred for California establishes the psychological setting of this film as a story of love amongst the ruins. Annie, on the other hand, is an anxious, skittish and scattered woman, whose flaws are also revealed in the film. Their imperfections make them charmingly human, emphatically drawing in the audience. It is very important to add another element in which "Annie Hall" does not follow the rules of conventions conventional romantic comedy or realism, known as "Breaking the fourth wall." The fourth wall is the boundary between fiction and the audience; when it is broken the character reveals his/her awareness to the audience, addressing the camera directly. Allen's use of split-screen imagery, double exposure, and subtitles expounding the characters' real thoughts also drifts further from realism. The film conforms its material to realism, however has the tendency to lean toward formalism. Allen chose to "break the fourth wall" because he felt that many viewers experience the same feelings and problems, and in this way he could confront them directly. "Annie Hall" was intended to appeal to viewers on the basis that they could relate. It was not meant to follow the classical romantic comedy, but instead focus on the anatomy of the relationship between Alvie and Annie.