Year: 1979
Director: Woody Allen
Country: US
Language: English
In 1977 Annie Hall swept the Oscars, beating George Lucas' epic yet tame Star Wars for a number of awards including Best Picture. It not only shaped fashion, but the movie industry as a whole. The romantic comedy genre took a unique turn and would never be the same again. His follow up to this masterpiece was another masterpiece; Manhattan. It would be nominated for two Oscars, unfortunately winning none, but it was going up against Apocalypse Now. Despite this, the picture is still relevant.
A divorced New Yorker (Woody Allen) currently dating a high-schooler (Mariel Hemingway) brings himself to look for love in the mistress (Diane Keaton) of his best friend instead.
Manhattan serves as Woody Allen's valentine to the city he calls home. The opening montage - a sequence of shots of Manhattan set to the stirring strains of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" - paints a portrait that is both ordinary and sublime: life in the big city. There's a timeless quality to the black and white images, as well each location is an anthology of Manhattan shrines. The characters visit various important places, they also go to art movies while discussing the quality of Ingmar Bergman movies. Allen insists that he should not belong in Keaton's "hall of the over-rated". The picture could easily be an excuse for a tourism commercial, but because of Woody's writing it is so much more.
Allen analyzes the true nature of love, going far beyond any traditional romantic comedy would. He feels feels uncomfortable with his young girlfriend's affection, insisting that a relationship between them - a young girl who really hasn't started living and a middle-aged man - has no future.Of course, like most people, he doesn't know what he truly wants until it is gone. Although he insists that the end of love is not the end of life. Near the end of the film, in a deep state of despair, he comes up with a list of things worth living and finds a pretty decent amount.
In conclusion, Manhattan is a brilliant Allen hybrid; it is a fine mix of comedy and drama. Allen demonstrates how insecurity and immaturity can ruin a relationship, while also showing the alternative. This is Allen in peak form, deftly mastering and making us truly wondering why color is even needed in modern cinema. Praise it! 5/5
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