Annie Hall

Annie Hall is a fantastic and comedic film that gives an insight on the exact thoughts and actions of Alvy Singer. Personally, this was one of my favorite movies that we have watched in class so far for it’s meaningful story, interesting filming techniques, and hilarious jokes that pulled everything together. But overall, I was drawn to how Woody Allen broke the fourth wall multiple times throughout the film, which is not a concept that is seen often.

Breaking the fourth wall made for a very comical and interesting technique. It made the audience feel as if he was talking to us and trying to get our ideas and answers. It made the film very interesting and almost interactive. It was a very different connection with a leading character that I am personally not used to, and I really enjoyed seeing the use of it in this film.

One of my favorite scenes which uses the method of breaking the fourth wall is the one  

shown above. It is a scene in which Alvy has a flashback to his childhood when he was in school 

and already had interests in girls. The most interesting thing about this was how although they 

were in a flashback, full grown Alvy Singer was filmed sitting in his younger selves’ chair talking 

back to the teacher and to the rest of the class. The interesting contrast between childlike 

behavior and the mature topics they were covering was extremely humorous and very enjoyable.


What effect did breaking the fourth wall have on the audience and why do you think he decided to use it for this film?