A Fond Farewell to a True Screen Original, Diane Keaton

 

                A vibrant, original, multitalented and complex presence in films from her 1970’s heyday onward, Diane Keaton lent truth and perception to a variety of memorable roles, granting individuality, grace humor and dramatic heft to some of the most indelible portrayals in the annals of film. Throughout a rich filmography spanning several decades, Keaton managed to constantly offer relevant and relatable work, brining a modern sensibility and believability to her roles that allowed audiences to identify with and admire her strong, independent heroines, with Keaton proving equally dexterous in both comedic and dramatic parts in such diverse work as The Godfather, Sleeper, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Shoot the Moon, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, The Family Stone, Academy Award nominated work in Reds, Marvin’s Room  and Something’s Gotta Give and her iconic, Oscar winning performance as the title character in Annie Hall, while branching out to develop her talents as a writer, director, photographer and editor of style and taste.

                Starting her career on Broadway in 1968 visa the smash Hair, Keaton would score another stage success and gain a Tony nomination for Play It Again, Sam, starting a highly fruitful collaboration with Woody Allen, before debuting in films via 1970’s Lovers and Other Strangers. 1972 would prove a pivotal year in her career, with Keaton showing finesse for playing in both lighter mode via a screen reprisal of her breakout Sam role, while plunging more dramatic depths as the put-upon Kay in The Godfather, a trend she would follow in her subsequent films with remarkable effectiveness as she artfully maneuvered through and balanced comedies and dramas. Reaching superstar status in 1977 with the formidable one-two punch of the delightful Hall and the disturbing Goodbar, Keaton would thereafter maintain her place among the top leading stars of her generation, continuing her association with Allen via the likes of Manhattan, Radio Days and Manhattan Murder Mystery, reaching other comic highs via Baby Boom, Father, a wonderful teaming with Goldie Hawn and Bette Milder in the hit First Wives Club and a triumph pairing with Jack Nicholson for 2003’s Something’s, while delving into forceful dramatic work with Allen’s Interiors, especially impactful alongside the equally compelling Albert Finney in Moon, The Little Drummer Girl and The Good Mother, while honing her directorial skills with the documentary Heaven, then Unstrung Heroes and Hanging Up.

                Perhaps Keaton’s most enduring and endearing work came via 1977’s Annie Hall, wherein her zany, heartfelt embodiment of the semiautobiographical title role, a young woman trying to find her voice (literally) and place in the world as she deals with and on-and-off romance proved remarkably popular with both audiences and critics, while also launching a fashion trend with the “Annie Hall Look.” Keaton adds great comic spontaneity to her scenes while also adding a touching truth and sensitivity to the more profound moments as Annie evolves into a more liberated spirit, with a viewer standing in awe at how adeptly and singularly Keaton is able bring Annie to life in a fully rounded, definitive manner. Take for example Annie’s first meeting with Alvy (Allen), wherein Keaton lends a bravura dizziness and intense likability to the nervous, open Annie, as she laments over her spacy demeanor and awkwardness with famous “la-de-da” comments and a beguiling forthrightness that make the character sing with truth, instead of becoming annoyingly cute and phony with her offbeat antics and stream of conscience ramblings. Keaton is also impressive in Annie’s more serious moments as she faces conflict via the fading nature of her relationship with Alvy, or her insecurity concerning her desires for a singing career, with the dramatic aspects of the role setting up Keaton’s trenchant, stark career 180-degree turn later in the year with her deep dive into the dark world depicted in Goodbar.

                A dynamic talent of seemingly unlimited artistic resources, Diane Keaton forged her own path during a revolutionary period in movies, with the outcome being a fantastic array of thoughtful, sincere and entertaining work both in front of and behind the camera. Rest in peace to a lovely, gifted star of rare merit and appeal, Diane Keaton.