“There''s an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of ''em says, "Boy, the
food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that''s essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it''s all over much too quickly.”
This is how we first meet Alvy Singer. Upon first hearing the comment I could not help but wonder where he found inspiration for such sarcasm- simply fantastic satire with strings pulling it to a close degree of seriousness. In his trend setting film Annie Hall, Woody Allen combined such speech with multiple anamnesis references, plain style and sometimes ribald comments in a successful effort to accurately display the darkly comedic
relationship between men and women.
Throughout the movie, various references to plays, famous literature and
significant political figures are thrown about, as if candy at a fourth of July parade. Alvy’s casual attitude with works of extreme relevance acts as a sort of undertone to the conception of the films storyline. As we come to know Annie, her apparent insecurity with living in the city is founded on a lack of self confidence in regards to everything from intelligence to talent to living on her own. However; as she begins to date Alvy, her self confidence soars, and in the end overshadows her desire to be in the relationship.
The plain style of the piece is significant simply in regards to the atmosphere as a whole. Without the quick witted humor and awkward interjections here and there, the film would likely drag endlessly on, and lose a dire sense of connection to the audience. Allen and Keaton’s ability to effectively produce convincing improv was unquestionably a major contributor to the success of the film.
As for ribald comments, the stream of drug, sex and alcohol as topics of conversation were necessary for the development of characterization as well as plot. Had Annie’s character been starch white, her zest and appeal to audiences would have been lost. The presence of coarse humor and language throughout the film lent not only multiple comedic breaks, but a sense of connection and familiarity with subjects at hand.
The end of the film was eloquent in a sense that there seemed to be no other finale worthy of Annie and Alvy. The balance was restored as Annie continued on her journey, after finding self sufficiency, and Alvy trekked on, likely still believing the journey, despite how bumpy, was still too short.