Love fades

Annie Hall

(1977)

Yes, it's true: Fridays this year are generally deaccession nights, but after watching Allen's best in ages today, I couldn't come down from that to something I was watching out of duty.

Little thing I never noticed before: Christopher Walken's named spelled Wlaken in the end credits.

Big thing I can't believe I never noticed before, I mean, geez, I've seen this probably a dozen times or more, and it's really pretty obvious and has no doubt been mentioned by countless critics, but it finally hit me: it's Pygmalion.

Maybe part of why I was oblivious is that I've always resisted the notion that Alvy really educates Annie, that she really was an unlettered midwestern rube. But yeah, she really pretty much is; and yeah, she needs what he provides as much as vice versa. And then, after he's gotten rid of her Cockney accent and made her watch The Sorrow and the Pity a few times--i.e., when he's given her all he can-- . . .