Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
The Absurdity and Necessity of Love
Annie Hall follows Alvy as he searches
for the secret to successful relationships and ultimately concludes
that love is fleeting and ridiculous but absolutely necessary. He
begins his narrative wondering out loud what caused his split with
Annie. He ends it resigned to the idea that relationships are absurd
but that people need them, absurdity and all. In between, he desperately
tries to pinpoint what went wrong. Was it that book he read at age
nine? His aggressive mother? The cocaine fiasco? After coming up
empty, he even asks anonymous pedestrians to identify the key to
happiness in relationships. The answers, of course, are unsatisfactory
and belie the arbitrariness and absurdity of love. Alvy’s relationships
with his two ex-wives also underline the dilemma. How can he now
feel so underwhelmed by both of these women whom he once vowed to
love until death? But despite its eagerness to point out these paradoxes,
the film ends by celebrating the romance between Annie and Alvy, though
failed, adding weight to Alvy’s final monologue about the necessity
of relationships. Annie Hall simultaneously relishes
and dismisses them.
The Transformative Nature of Art
Throughout the film, Alvy emphasizes the capacity of art
to transform life into a more ideal version of reality. Narrative
control allows him to revisit the past with revisionist intentions,
imagine an animated version of his situation, and force geographically
and temporally separate scenes and characters to interact. He also
gets to call on a famous media expert (McLuhan) on a whim. Annie
Hall also carries a tinge of regret, as though its narrator’s
attempt to improve upon life is only halfhearted. Indeed, the fact
remains that, regardless of the ending Alvy conjures up in his play,
Annie and Alvy in reality do not last as a couple. Although the
fantasy elements frequently add a layer of unpredictability and
delight to the narrative, the basic elements and conflicts of the
story are true to life.
Location As Identity
Annie Hall places a great deal of emphasis
on geographical location as the foundation of personal identity.
Alvy is characterized as a New Yorker, fiercely loyal to his city
and condescending to all other locations on earth. Annie is a transplant,
still getting her bearings in New York after growing up in a WASP
household in the Midwest. Alvy criticizes her birthplace and upbringing—and
in some ways her character—each time he mocks her “Chippewa Falls
expressions.” When Alvy and Annie fly together to Los Angeles, Alvy
constantly rails against what he sees as that city’s cultureless superficiality.
Virtually all of the characters in the L.A. party scene are portrayed
as vapid and unctuous. The contrast between Alvy’s relief at returning
to New York and Annie’s enjoyment of their L.A. trip is depicted
as a distinct personality difference. And when Alvy tries fruitlessly
to get Annie back, he criticizes Los Angeles, suggesting that she
leave L.A. not just for him, but also for New York. The cities represent
two different lifestyles and identities.
