Scenes We Love: Annie Hall

My earliest memory of film is of my parents telling me that Annie Hall was a great movie, and when I grew up I'd understand what that meant. When I was a little kid, I had this image in my head of Annie Hall being the only film ever made because my parents watched nothing else for what felt like forever ... even if it was only a few months or so. I was quoting Annie Hall before Sesame Street; for a long time, this was the be all end all when it came to cinema -- and to a certain extent, it still is.

And my favorite scene from Annie Hall has always been this one. I never really understood this scene -- or the film itself -- until I grew up and one night found myself on line for a movie with the most annoying, loud-mouthed moron standing behind me. I forget exactly which movie it was, but this guy was talking about the filmmaker's intentions, and how he knew it all because he once met the director at a bagel shop. Who knows ... but boy did I want to turn around and scream bloody murder. At one point or another, this has happened to all of us; in fact, I bet it happened to a few of you this weekend.

If you've never seen Annie Hall, do yourself a favor and watch it. And if you have seen it, then watch it again ... and again. They just don't make them like this anymore.

A fact about this scene (from IMDB):

• Marshall McLuhan was not Allen's first choice. Federico Fellini and Luis Buñuel were asked first.