Manhattan
d. Woody Allen, 1979
Manhattan has always been my favorite Woody Allen movie. Most people would, I believe, go for his earlier Annie Hall, which is arguably funnier and more accesible (it even won the Oscar for Best Picture). However, Manhattan shows Allen at the height of his power, his direction is obviously in top form here, the black-and-white compositions are just as good as those by his European heros Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. Manhattan's script, though not as consistently funny as Annie Hall's, is a very dense work. And, finally, Allen's acting is also the best he's ever done, the final scene alone has been copied countless of times, and it's never better than it is here.
Allen plays Isaac, a writer who is dating Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), a 17-year old high school student. In an early scene, Isaac talks to his friend Yale (Michael Murphy) about how he wants to break up with her. In fact, he spends most of his time with her trying to get out of the relationship. And, as is to be expected, he regrets it once it finally happens. Meanwhile, Yale is having an affair with Mary (the unforgettable Diane Keaton), and is also trying to break it off with her. He even goes as far as trying to set her and Isaac up, without realizing that he may still love her.
As with all of Allen's films, there is an undercurrent about the way morality fits in the contemporary world. In an early scene in Manhattan, Isaac quits his job writing for a comedy TV show because he finds it unsatisfying and an utter waste of his talent. Afterwards, he finds himself worrying over how he will get by without his income.
All of these different threads come together effortlessly into one of the key American works of the 1970s. As an examination on relationships in the modern world, Manhattan is as poignant, and far more entertaining, than the best of Antonioni. That it is beautiful to look at and has George Gershwin's music is just the icing on the cake.
