Annie Hall

If any film deserves a spot on the list of best films of all time, Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” is it. While the film is first and foremost a comedy, Allen’s wildly creative direction transcends genre.

Simply put – the film’s a love story, but an unconventional one in so many ways. Alvy Singer (Allen) meets Annie (Diane Keaton), they fall in love, and then they fall out of love. The characters are regulars in Allen’s screenwriting canon. There’s Allen as the neurotic male fearful of intimacy. There’s the female who’s too smart and quirky for her own good. There’s a supporting cast requiring actors who can pull off Allen’s quick-witted script.

But the depth that Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman bring to the characters in their collaboration on “Annie Hall” is unprecedented in any film. Allen the director uses all kinds of tricks to develop the characters. We see Alvy and Annie’s families arguing in split screen because it reveals so much about their upbringing and the impact it has had on their adulthood. We see the subtitles to reveal how ridiculous small talk can be.

“Annie Hall” swept the Oscars in 1977, beating “Star Wars” for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Keaton won a much-deserved statue for Best Actress. By today’s standards, it may seem absurd that a film that defined blockbuster was beaten by one that barely broke even. But this is where the Oscars lose relevance. Both films are terrific and have ascended different thrones of film immortality.