Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3844 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-07-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Finnish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk". Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. His position as outsider is incontestable when he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater".

The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. Annie Hall embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. --Susan Benson

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Wide Screen
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer
Booklet

Synopsis
Woody Allen cowrote, directed, and stars in this award-winning film as a kvetchy Brooklyn comedian wistfully recalling his bygone relationship with flighty, adorable, and irrepressibly midwestern (read: not Jewish) Annie Hall. The film marked a transition from Allen's earlier absurdist comedies to a richer vein of thoughtful consideration of relationships. The gentle narrative revolutionized the urban romantic-comedy genre, while Keaton's hip, man-tailored wardrobe set the 1977 fashion standard. The film is filled with memorable scenes and oft-quoted lines and features Allen talking right into the camera, a technique that was not commonplace at the time. Allen, playing comedian Alvy Singer, uses many of his stand-up comedy routines in the film as he woos the wonderful Diane Keaton, playing the title character, Annie Hall. As Alvy helps Annie mature, she grows apart from him, choosing to live in Southern California, which is the antithesis of his deep love for New York. The film features fabulous visual and verbal gags, a propensity for food scenes, and memorable cameos by the likes of Marshall McLuhan, Paul Simon, Christopher Walken, Truman Capote, Shelley Duvall, and others.

Customer Reviews

"La Di Da"
What is there to say? If you haven't seen this film, you really don't know what you're missing. This is Allen's most celebrated masterpiece, and shows Diane Keaton and Woody at their best (Keaton's singing voice is as uplifting as her acting!). The relationship between Alvy Singer and Annie Hall is portrayed with the closest attention to detail, so that whether it is waiting in line to see a movie, buying books for one another, persuading Annie to take up an academic course or photographing Alvy during a very amusing lobster incident, the result is highly effective. You know, it's like the old Groucho Marx joke: "I don't want to join any club that will take me as a member"; this is Alvy's maxim; a man who is never satisfied, but always wants invitations! Annie, the nightclub singer, is, at the same time, just like Alvy and nothing like him - what is it they have in common? The answer is their individuality. From the moment Annie utters her non-sensical phrase, "La Di Da", Alvy is in awe. It is a relationship of mutual appreciation as much as it is companionship. The relationship is doomed to fail, but the journey from friendship to love, and love to friendship, and - guess what? - friendship to love again is compelling to watch. Alvy can't communicate with other women in the way that he does with Annie, to the point that there is no room for laughter: [Alvy] "I haven't been myself since I quit smoking" [Some girl] "O, when did you quit smoking?" [Alvy] "Sixteen years ago" [Some girl] "Wait, I don't get it. Is it a joke?". Well, you decide. This film is one on many levels, with Freudian undertones, and musical overtones, and each viewing is a new experience. What if Annie had married Alvy, for example? Her name would, ironically, be Annie Singer! See this film, or don't call yourself a Woody Allen fan!

Because we need the eggs
"Annie Hall" is a very Seventies movie that,thirty years on,now seems a little dated. It is best described as a romantic comedy , but it is an intellectual film far removed from the dumbed down chick flicks of today. "Annie Hall" never gives us belly laughs but it is incessantly witty and humourous with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in top form. The film tells the story of the love affair between the neurotic New York comedian Alvey Singer (Allen)and kooky nightclub singer Annie Hall (Keaton). They fall in and out of love in a roller coaster romance that is the epitome of just how irrational,difficult and maddening modern relationships can be. However ,as Allen's character points out at the end of the movie, this still doesn't stop us from constantly coming back for more.

Just wonderfull
A close friend of mine recently showed me this film, which I knew NOTHING about. I literally mean NOTHING!

I wasn't really a woody Allen fan, (that'll get me a few negative points, oh well!) and i'd only seen a couple of his films and enjoyed them BUT didn't get the hype (is that the right word?) about how he is regarded by some as the greatest director ever. However, all I can say now is ...

Where has this film been all my life? It's older than I am! Why hasn't someone shown this to me earlier? Shame on you planet earth for keeping this quiet.

I haven't got any interesting factoids or snippets of info about the film, but there are plenty of reviewers on here who can do that job better than I can, however, if you have seen this film why haven't you bought it yet. If you haven't seen it, buy it. If you know someone who hasn't seen it, buy it for them. You'll have a friend for life.

I cannot stress how much I love this film, it's so refreshing and sharp and on the money, despite it's age. The use of imagery is used to hilarious effect. I don't want to spoil anything, so i'll just say that a couple of my favourite scenes are to do with dodgems, and indulgent film makers, and give a knowing nod and a wink.

I get it now but i've got some catching up to do.

Next stop Manhattan.