Romantic Comedy Film Paper
Happy Endings and Other Differences: A Comparison of Pillow Talk and Annie Hall
Pillow Talk (1959), starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and Annie Hall (1977), starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, are two very different films that both belong to the genre of romantic comedy. Both films received five Oscar nominations. Pillow Talk was nominated for best actress, best supporting actress, musical score, art direction, and the one which it won, best story and screenplay written directly for the screen (Kimmel, 2008, p. 124). Annie Hall was nominated for best picture, best director, best original screenplay, best actor, and best actress. It was the first time, since Orson Wells in 1941, that the same person, Woody Allen, was nominated for writing, directing, and starring in a film (Kimmel, 2008, p.171). It won four of the five Oscars, only losing out on best actor. Pillow Talk is a film that provides a dated, silly interpretation of the development of a romantic relationship, especially because of its formulaic approach to the subject, whereas Annie Hall provides a more timeless, realistic view of romantic relationships, possibly because its time period provided a much more radical formula for this genre. A comparison of the two films analyzing their historical contexts, settings, visual characteristics, music, and the different ways that they achieve their “happy endings” will show why Pillow Talk only works in 1959 but Annie Hall is a romantic comedy that is still enjoyable today.
The historical contexts of Pillow Talk (1959) and Annie Hall (1977) are important in understanding and analyzing these two romantic comedies. Tamar Jeffers McDonald, in her book Romantic Comedy-Boy Meets Girl Genre (2007) identifies Pillow Talk as belonging to a sub-genre of romantic comedies known as a sex comedy, and she cites three key historical developments as instrumental in bringing about this particular sub-genre (p.40). First, in August of 1953, Alfred Kinsey’s report
Pillow Talk (1959), starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and Annie Hall (1977), starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, are two very different films that both belong to the genre of romantic comedy. Both films received five Oscar nominations. Pillow Talk was nominated for best actress, best supporting actress, musical score, art direction, and the one which it won, best story and screenplay written directly for the screen (Kimmel, 2008, p. 124). Annie Hall was nominated for best picture, best director, best original screenplay, best actor, and best actress. It was the first time, since Orson Wells in 1941, that the same person, Woody Allen, was nominated for writing, directing, and starring in a film (Kimmel, 2008, p.171). It won four of the five Oscars, only losing out on best actor. Pillow Talk is a film that provides a dated, silly interpretation of the development of a romantic relationship, especially because of its formulaic approach to the subject, whereas Annie Hall provides a more timeless, realistic view of romantic relationships, possibly because its time period provided a much more radical formula for this genre. A comparison of the two films analyzing their historical contexts, settings, visual characteristics, music, and the different ways that they achieve their “happy endings” will show why Pillow Talk only works in 1959 but Annie Hall is a romantic comedy that is still enjoyable today.
The historical contexts of Pillow Talk (1959) and Annie Hall (1977) are important in understanding and analyzing these two romantic comedies. Tamar Jeffers McDonald, in her book Romantic Comedy-Boy Meets Girl Genre (2007) identifies Pillow Talk as belonging to a sub-genre of romantic comedies known as a sex comedy, and she cites three key historical developments as instrumental in bringing about this particular sub-genre (p.40). First, in August of 1953, Alfred Kinsey’s report
Bibliography: Gehring, Wes D. Romantic vs. Screwball Comedy. Lanham, Maryland, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002. Kimmel, Daniel J. I’ll Have What She’s Having: Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies. Chicago, Ivan R. Dee, 2008. Knight, Christopher J. “Woody Allen’s Annie Hall: Galatea’s Triumph Over Pygmalion.” Literature Film Quarterly 32 (2004), 213-221. McCallum, E. L. “Mother Talk: Maternal Masquerade and the problem of the single girl.” Camera Obscura, 42 (1999), 71-94. McDonald, Tamar Jeffers. Romantic Comedy – Boy Meets Girl Genre. London, Wallflower Press, 2007.