I Found It At the Movies: 1977—Annie Hall (Woody Allen)

by Jeffrey Goodman | Published September 21, 2011

Inspired by Dave Hicks’ excellent blog, I have decided to write about my favorite film for each year from 1926-2008.

1977: Annie Hall (Woody Allen)

I really don’t know this film that well. In fact, I think I’ve only seen it once. As is probably clear by now, I usually privilege dramas over comedies. They affect me the most, plus they’re what I’m interested in making. All this to say, please excuse me for writing a less detailed piece for this year. 

What I can say about Annie Hall is that it features one of Allen’s sharpest scripts and some of his most memorable characters. There’s a certain breeziness to its depth that keeps it running forward at a great clip. Woody Allen deserves more credit for his formal experimentation; his reputation is mostly as a simple comedy director, but his movies always feature a certain narrative complexity and bold formal elements. In Annie Hall these come mostly in the form of flashbacks, where Allen inserts himself in the frame as he analyzes the events that lead to later dysfunction.

Allen continues to be a major source of inspiration for me, less as a moviemaker than as a craftsman who’s been able to create a more liberated system of working than anyone else in American cinema. He can make movies whenever—and, it seems, with whomever—he wants. Any day in which you watch one of his films is a good day, and I look forward to many more moments with this one. 

What moviemakers can learn: It is important to watch movies if you want to learn from other moviemakers. It is also important to read books on certain directors—like Allen and Clint Eastwood—to find out how they were able to make their movies. Allen and Eastwood have both created extraordinary systems for themselves that allow them to make movies with almost unrivaled freedom and directorial control.

Other contenders for 1977: I still have some titles I need to see from this year. These include: Andrzej Wajda’s Man of Marble, Alain Resnais’ Providence, Jean Eustache’s Une sale histoire (A Dirty Story) and Dario Argento’s Suspiria. I really like Luis Buñuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire and David Lynch’s Eraserhead. And my closest runner-up is Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep.

After living in Los Angeles for seven years, Jeffrey Goodman returned to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct The Last Lullaby. Co-written by the creator of Road to Perdition, and starring Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, The Last Lullaby was filmed entirely in and around Shreveport and financed by 48 local investors. Goodman is now at work raising money for his next feature, Peril.

COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by CharlesHoward on 9/22/11 at 2:07 am

Well, it was great comedy movie..I remember that somewhere I read the comment Allen has said that Annie Hall was “a major turning point” both thematically and technically. “I had the courage to abandon… just clowning around and the safety of complete broad comedy. I said to myself, ‘I think I will try and make some deeper film and not be as funny in the same way. And maybe there will be other values that will emerge, that will be interesting or nourishing for the audience.’ And it worked out very very well. And that’s the strength.
Laundry Room Cabinets

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 9/22/11 at 7:34 am

Hi Charles,

Wonderful comment and addition to this post.  I completely agree.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by orthodontist in hyderabad on 9/26/11 at 12:56 pm

hav to go watch the movie online, if available.. the post arose curiousity in my head, on how the movie annie hall might hav been.

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 9/27/11 at 7:13 am

HI orthodontist,

Thank you so much.  Would love to hear how it treated you if you check it out.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Rolex replica on 1/03/12 at 2:34 am

Your movie review really amazing so I look forward to other updates in the near future.

Comment by replica orologio on 1/04/12 at 3:32 am

In addition to the appreciation of the classics by those great movie-makers, we also need explore sth new from our daily life though it tastes boring as time goes by. Each time we find out sth different and reorganize it artistically and we can easily pin down the theme for the next movie.

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 1/04/12 at 6:27 am

Hi Rolex replica,

Thank you so much for the kind words.  I hope you’ll stop back by from time to time.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 1/04/12 at 6:28 am

Hi replica orologio,

Very well put, and I completely agree.  Thanks so much for the great addition here.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Bloons tower defense 4 on 1/30/12 at 7:53 am

I do not have enough words to say how much I love Woody Allen and his work. A miracle for this world.

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 1/31/12 at 6:17 am

Hi Bloons tower defense 4,

Thanks so much for the great addition here.  I really appreciate it.

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by Jeffrey Goodman on 1/31/12 at 6:18 am

Hi adriyan,

Thanks so much for the great words.  Mine, too!

All the best,

Jeffrey

Comment by سويت كام on 5/01/12 at 6:19 pm

Thank you for this topic
شات صوتي
دردشة صوتية

POST A COMMENT

OUR PRIVACY POLICY | We will not publish or sell or share your email address or other personal information. Read more.

Name:
Email:
URL:

Type the word you see below:

Comment:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS

Home | Latest Headlines
Screenwriting | Producing | Directing | Acting | Cinematography | Editing | Distribution | Education | Festivals | Locations
Listings | Archives | HOP Interviews | Blogs | Forums | Contests | Subscriptions | Advertising

About | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact

© 2012 MovieMaker Magazine

Web site design by Hop Studios