One of Woody Allen’s most loved films, Manhattan takes a picturesque black and white tour of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Filmed in 1979, the vintage look of the film make it feel like we’re jazz cats in the 20s, or beatniks in the 50s, sitting on a bench by the 59th street bridge.
Some people find it hard to get into Allen’s films after all, what makes it so funny is that he plays a character that is basically himself, and he defines it in the movie Jewish liberal neurotic with narcissicism on top. If you’re irritated by him, you’ll probably roll your eyes at how he always casts himself dating beautiful young starlets.
I get a big kick out of watching Allen stumble and fumble his way through his zany scripts New York never looked better than through his eyes, and you can sense that he’s got his ear to the heartbeat of the city.
Manhattan is a simple romantic comedy it’s slow, with gentle camerawork and long takes. Allen finds himself torn between two women, and he rushes past the camera, but as a director, he lingers on the salient points.
Back in ’79, Manhattan garnered quite a bit of praise, and even now, it’s consistently on ‘The Best Films’ list of nearly any English-speaking critic.
However, watching it today, I got a second feeling it’s become retro-cool, I think. It was fantastic to see a movie with no computers, no cell phones… hardly any digital electronics, and the simple silence of a city before the advent of pulsating neon and LCD.
New York City is a much different place today some might say better, with the cleaned up streets and the safety, but along with thte trash, some of the finer elements were swept away. Allen’s Manhattan is a place of fabulous intellectual stimulation, and serenity between the frantic traffic.
I say: One of the best American films about New York. Allen and Scorcese see two very different cities, but they’re both gripping and vital.
See it for: Young actresses! A very young Mariel Hemingway and a stunningly young Meryl Streep give it up… This year, I’ve been going nuts on Streep’s work, and it’s fun to see her young – though she carries much more presence now.
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