You know that feeling when you watch a trailer and it feels like the movie is trying way too hard? Most modern teasers are just loud bangs, fast cuts, and every single plot point spoiled in two minutes. But if you dig back into the archives of 1977, the annie hall movie trailer is doing something totally different. It’s weird. It’s kind of awkward. Honestly, it’s basically just Woody Allen and Diane Keaton being themselves, and that’s why it worked.
Back then, Woody Allen was known for "the funny movies." You had Sleeper and Bananas—pure slapstick, zany, almost cartoonish energy. Then comes this trailer. It didn’t look like a cartoon. It looked like a New York City therapy session that someone accidentally filmed.
Why the Annie Hall Movie Trailer Felt So Weird in 1977
If you were sitting in a theater in early '77, maybe waiting to see Rocky or some gritty crime drama, and this trailer popped up, you probably did a double-take. It starts with Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) breaking the fourth wall.
He’s talking right at you.
📖 Related: Where Can I Watch Trolls Band Together: How to Stream It Right Now
Most trailers give you a narrator with a deep voice telling you what to feel. This one? It gives you a guy complaining about his childhood and the "misery and suffering" of life. It’s a bold move to market a romantic comedy by talking about how life is essentially a giant letdown. But that was the hook. It promised a "nervous romance," and it delivered exactly that.
The trailer leans heavily into the chemistry between Allen and Keaton. You see the famous lobster scene. You see the "la-di-da" moments. It wasn't about the plot—which, let's be real, is just two people meeting, dating, and breaking up—it was about the vibe.
The Paul Simon and Christopher Walken Cameos
One thing people often forget about the annie hall movie trailer is how it casually flexes its cast. It’s not just Woody and Diane. Suddenly, Paul Simon is there playing a "mellow" music producer. Then you see a young, intensely creepy Christopher Walken as Annie’s brother, Duane, talking about driving into oncoming headlights.
It’s a bizarre mix of intellectual wit and dark, weird humor. The trailer managed to signal to the audience that this wasn't going to be another Love and Death. It was going to be something adult. Something "serious," even if it was still hilarious.
The Marketing of a "Nervous Romance"
United Artists had a weird task on their hands. How do you sell a movie that uses split-screens, subtitles to show what people are actually thinking, and a literal cartoon sequence?
The trailer handles this by focusing on the dialogue. It’s rapid-fire. It’s New York. It’s Jewish left-wing liberal intellectualism condensed into 90 seconds.
- The Stereotype Bit: There’s that great moment where Alvy reduces Carol Kane's character to a cultural stereotype.
- The "Mellow" Rant: Alvy’s refusal to be "mellow" because he "ripens and then rots."
- The Fashion: You can't talk about the trailer without mentioning Diane Keaton’s outfits. The vests, the wide-leg trousers, the ties—the trailer helped launch the "Annie Hall look" before the movie even hit wide release.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Trailer
A lot of folks think the trailer showed the "best parts" of the movie. In reality, it barely scratched the surface. The film was originally over three hours long and was titled Anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure).
The trailer we got was the result of a massive shift in the editing room. It focused the narrative on the relationship, which was the right call. If they had marketed the original "murder mystery" subplot or the more surreal philosophical rants, it might have bombed. Instead, the trailer promised a relatable, if slightly neurotic, love story.
📖 Related: Connor Love on the Spectrum Georgie: What Really Happened
Actionable Insights for Movie Buffs
If you’re a fan of cinema history or just looking to understand why this movie swept the Oscars, go back and watch the original 1977 trailer. Here is what to look for:
- Observe the Fourth Wall: Notice how often Alvy talks to the camera. It’s a technique borrowed from Godard and the French New Wave, but the trailer makes it feel like a stand-up routine.
- The Absence of Music: Most trailers use a swelling score. This one relies on the rhythm of the speech. It’s a great lesson in "less is more."
- The Color Palette: Look at the way Gordon Willis (the cinematographer) captured New York. It’s not the "vicious" NYC of Taxi Driver. It’s a golden, nostalgic, almost woody (pun intended) version of the city.
The annie hall movie trailer didn't just sell a movie; it sold a personality. It told the world that Woody Allen had grown up, and that Diane Keaton was a superstar. If you want to see a masterclass in how to market an "auteur" film without being pretentious, that 1977 reel is the place to start.
Check out the original 35mm scans of the trailer online if you can find them. The grain and the timing are much better than the over-polished modern re-cuts. It’s a time capsule of a moment when Hollywood was actually willing to take a chance on a movie about two people just... talking.