Annie Hall is a romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen in 1977. The movie tells a story of Alvy Singer, who is reflecting upon the reason why his relationship with Annie Hall ended. The film uses retrospection to return to unconscious decisions made in the past to understand the present, which is very similar to a technique psychotherapists use to treat various disorders. Annie Hall was well-received by critics, and it is still considered one of the greatest movies of its time (Epstein). The movie is valued for illustrating the life of Jewish Americans, the tendency to self-reflection, pickup patterns, and men’s domination over women. The present paper claims that even though the narration of the film is not serious, it is of considerable cultural significance since it accurately depicts the life of people of the period.
The events of the movie take place in Brooklyn, NY, which is realistically represented in the movie. Even though many events in the movie, such as living under a rollercoaster track, are exaggerations, the majority of details concerning everyday routine is similar to real-life experiences of people who lived in Brooklyn during that time. Epstein claims that his childhood as a Jewish American living in the seventies was very similar to Alvy’s. The hectic dynamic of family dinners and discussions about world problems over the table were prevalent for Jewish people of that time (Epstein). Even though some may consider that Allan’s representation of Jews is stereotypical, it is hardly the case. Instead, Allan tries to describe his experience of life in New York during the 1970s and makes jokes that only Jewish people of that period can understand (Epstein). Therefore, Annie Hall is culturally significant since it accurately describes the life of cultural minorities in the US.
The movie demonstrates that the interests of men of the period were valued more than the interest of women. Knight compares Alvy to Pygmalion, who created a statue of a woman and then fell in love with it (214). As can be judged from the title of the movie, it should be a story about Annie. However, Allan does not let her be the narrator and lets Alvy tell the story. Knight claims that Alvy creates an image of Annie Hall, similar to Pygmalion’s statue of a woman (214). Such deprivation of autonomy is typical for the 1970s when the feminist movement was only starting to emerge. According to Cobble, during the period, there was a considerable gender gap in employment, and women were often sexualized (23). In other words, the approach to women of the time was utilitarian, and often they were not given a chance to speak. However, it should be considered that the movie does not necessarily demonstrate Allan’s attitude towards women. Instead, the decision to let Alvy narrate the story of his partner lets the story describe the beliefs of people during the 1970s.
The movie also represents society’s obsession with sex and the ritual of pickups. The movie repeatedly brings sex and sexuality as a front matter during all periods of his life. The matter is also discussed by Cobble, who claims that women were hypersexualized during the period, which aroused men’s desire and interest (28). Tolich states that the moment when Alvy first meets Annie accurately represents six essential parts of a pickup (346). The realistic nature of the passage lets Tolich use it for study purposes during the sociology classes (346). The movie is valuable since it “allows the professor to bring a controlled, proven teaching device into the classroom” (Tolich 346). The fact that the movie can be utilized to explain complicated social matters about dating and sexuality makes it culturally significant.
The movie also demonstrates the development of psychotherapy during the 1970s. According to Markowitz, psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy were predominant treatments in clinical practice (556). The principles of these therapies can be summarized in the statement that the blame for psychological conditions was taken away from the patient and put on the circumstances that led to an illness (Markowitz 556). The analysis of such events may lead to recovering from depression, which is represented by Allan in Annie Hall. The narration helps Alvy to get over Annie and go on with his life, which is demonstrated in the epilogue. Alvy also tells the viewer about other psychotherapy sessions he had during different periods of his life. In summary, the fact that the movie tells about the tendency of US citizens to visit therapists adds to its cultural significance.
Finally, Annie Hall signifies the departure from traditional romantic comedies to innovate script writing using the modernistic approach. According to Schatz, the central feature of modernism is “a certain degree of self-awareness – or in more fashionable parlance, self-reflexivity” (180). The feature may be present in all parts of the movie, including narration, themes, and formal conventions (Schatz 180). The composition and the narration style of the movie are reflecting on the events of the mast to overcome the anxiety of the present. Instead of clearly depicting the history of Annie, Allan provides a blurred vision of her life experiences through the prism of Alvy’s views, beliefs, and experience. In other words, Allan tries to make the narration more valuable than the subject of the narration, which is also crucial for modernistic works (Schatz 182). In other words, Annie Hall is an excellent example of modernistic art that stands in line with works of other modernists in movies, such as Alfred Hitchcock. Williams claims that subjectivity is the key feature of modernistic cinematography, and filmmakers were actively trying to merge “you” and “I” of the narration since 1960 (2). Allan tries to do the same thing by trying to make the viewer look at the world through Alvy’s eyes.
In conclusion, Annie Hall is a valuable piece of art due to its cultural significance. First, the movie clearly depicts the life of Jewish American families during the 1970s, which helps the viewer to appreciate the cultural background. Second, the movie demonstrates that the feminist movement had not gained full force during the 1970s, and the issue of gender inequality was central for the women of the time. Third, the film accurately depicts dating rituals and obsession over sex of the US nation during the period. Fourth, the movie is significant because it pictures the popularity of psychotherapy in the country. Finally, the movie is an exceptional example of modernistic art, which was prevalent in the country in the 1970s. The list of the reasons the film is valuable for the American culture may be continued in future research.
Works Cited
Allen, Woody, director. Annie Hall. United Artists, 1977.
Cobble, Dorothy Sue. ““A Spontaneous Loss of Enthusiasm”: Workplace Feminism and the Transformation of Women’s Service Jobs in the 1970s.” International Labor and Working-Class History, vol. 56, 1999, pp. 23-44. ResearchGate, Web.
Epstein, Esmé. ““Annie Hall” Successfully Depicts the Complex Nature of NYC Jews.” The Occidental, 2019, Web.
Knight, Christopher J. “Woody Allen’s ‘Annie Hall’: Galatea’s Triumph over Pygmalion.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 3, 2004, pp. 213–221. JSTOR, Web.
Markowitz, John C. “Developments in interpersonal psychotherapy.” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 44, no.6, 1999, pp. 556-561. SagePub, Web.
Schatz, Thomas. “‘Annie Hall’ and the Issue of Modernism.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 3, 1982, pp. 180–187. JSTOR, Web.
Tolich, Martin. “Bringing Sociological Concepts into Focus in the Classroom with ‘Modern Times,” ‘Roger and Me,” and ‘Annie Hall.’” Teaching Sociology, vol. 20, no. 4, 1992, pp. 344–347. JSTOR, Web.
Williams, Bruce. “Splintered Perspectives: Counterpoint and Subjectivity in the Modernist Film Narrative.” Film Criticism, vol. 15, no. 2, 1991, pp. 2–12. Web.