I would not have reached On the street its category as a work of art if Fellini had not counted on Giulietta Masina for his Gelsomina, nor would Annie Hall be the iconic character she is without Diane Keaton’s interpretation. Woody Allen had the undoubted talent, indebted to some teachings of the Italian master, of choosing the exact actress to embody that urban woman possessing a style of studied negligence that renewed the meaning of the word sexy, freeing her from the clichéd corset of curvilinearity to represent a girl who, without intimidating, was full of grace. Meryl Streep said, when she gave her the career award at the American Film Institute, that Diane Keaton being the person most hidden by clothes in the history of fashion was at the same time a transparent woman: “There is no actress more exposed, less defensive and always more willing to be who she is from the inside out than Diane.”
When Keaton asked Allen how they were going to dress her for Annie HallAllen responded: “I want you to look exactly like you are.” Today it is difficult to explain the impact that his peculiar presence had on our lives. If men liked it, women were blown away. Keaton’s rarity in the universe of American cinema was that his appeal, from the inside out, denoted intelligence, spark, irony. He was from the Charlot school, this is how he dressed, this is how he moved, this is how he offered a rebellious personality without bitterness that conquered the hearts of the public.
Watching today Annie Hall It is surprising to observe how the protagonist speaks very little compared to the verbiage of Alvy, Allen’s character. Anyone else could have succumbed to that noticeable inequality in the dialogue, but Keaton made magic. She seemed so sure of herself, despite the usual neuroses, that she ended up offering us the priceless spectacle of seeing how an ironic woman looks at a man who talks too much. That twist could only be achieved by someone like her, because in some Woodyallenesque imitations that were filmed in Spain the result was irritating: a know-it-all man spoke without restraint while the girl, sometimes with her tits, endured the noise.
Diane Keaton became a reference for us, that hackneyed word, but without pretensions to being so; Of her character, all the colleagues who are firing her highlight a modesty that made her question her talent as an actress and counteract the compliments she received by always using fine self-criticism. It was not liked in The Godfather, She did not look appropriate after reading the script, nor when she found herself corseted in the dresses of the forties. However, she was able to make us perceive how a woman feels trapped in the circle of a violent man.
They say that it is easier for a comic actress to travel to the dark side of life than the other way around; Keaton is proof of this. It makes us laugh, which in my opinion is the most difficult thing, but like great comedians it has the ability to move us. It has always surprised me that one of his most important films, Finding Mr. Goodbaris so difficult to find now that platforms frequently program old movies. Keaton plays a kindergarten teacher who at night visits a neighborhood bar where she flirts with strangers whom she brings home. Without revealing the ending, in the hope that someone will dare to show it, I will say that for this shocking story based on a real event, he almost won the Oscar, but the spell of Annie Hall It devastated everything.
So singularly young was Keaton that we are surprised that he died. Comic, dramatic, Chaplinesque, in the wake of those who say with both their body and their speech. A hummingbird, said Streep, the little bird that looks to one side, then to another, restless, funny, elusive, always inside out, defending the authentic meaning of a style based, in her words, on living and dressing as you want, loving freely, being the owner of your decisions and then not caring what others think. He gave a lot to the gossip press because Al Pacino, Allen, and Warren Beatty passed through his arms. Full of attractiveness, charm, possessing the self-confidence that only an extravagant woman can display, not long ago she congratulated on Valentine’s Day all the men the industry had paid to kiss her. That’s art.