Alfalfa Sprouts and a Plate of Mashed Yeast
This is what Alvy Singer orders when he visits Los Angeles in the hope of getting Annie Hall back. The local cable movie channel offered me the film 'Annie Hall' this morning, and I accepted, not having seen it in 20 years. I had forgotten the inventiveness of much of it, and its lovely bittersweet nature.The alfalfa sprouts joke is perfect (it is repeated in a different way, with coffee at the issue, by Michael Moore early in 'Roger and Me'). The thought balloons in the 'intellectual' discussion of acting are stolen later as a technique by at least Mike Myers. It is a great tribute to Woody Allen that others later found a way to use these tricks. What was most wonderful, that I had forgotten, is that in watching the film, one had no idea what might come next.
But at the centre of it is a sweet story of a relationship. (The non-responsiveness of one of his dates over his problem with lobsters is sheer genius.) Diane Keaton is utterly radiant. The Brooklyn Bridge performs well, of course, as well. I do not think I will let another twenty years pass before seeing it once more.
posted by Alan Adamson @ 11:51 AM
1 Comments:
My favourite scenes in this movie are 1) when he meets the shallow couple on the street who tell him how their relationship works, and 2) when he is wondering aloud why he and Annie can't make it work, and the old lady on the street stops him and tells him, "Love fades!"
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