The Dramas of Diane Keaton

"It's not a good idea to be identifiable,though it's reassuring.It feels safe in most ways,and that's bad,because it means that you're accepted,and once that happens that's where you stay.You have to watch yourself.I'd like a life like Katharine Hepburn's in terms of work.She matured.She made the changes.Like Martha Graham."
Diane Keaton,New Yorker,1978
Diane Keaton is to receive theAmerican Film Institure Lifetime Achievementaward on June 8th.We should be pleased,not only deserved because Keaton is a true legend,but also because highly accomplished comic actors are so often overlooked by awards bodies.Think of Keaton andAnnie Hallcomes immediately to mind along with other Woody Allen films,as well as comedies likeThe First Wives Club,Father of the Brideand Something's Gotta Give.But few actresses have a dramatic filmography that can match Keaton's.For all her fluffy breeziness,her dramatic skill is equally sharp and coldly acerbic,with films likeShoot the Moon,Looking for Mr.GoodbarandRedscapturing this dichotomy.And we can't forget the entireGodfathertrilogy.