Review of Manhattan (1979) by James H — 21 Apr 2017

RATING (0 to ****): ****.

I have, to date, seen Woody Allen's black-and-white CinemaScope dramedy "Manhattan" three times, and each viewing left me with substantially different impressions of the film. I always loved the ending and though he's delved into bleak, serious tragedy in other works, the final sequence of this film was always one of his most successful attempts to tug at the heartstrings (rivaled only by his best film, "The Purple Rose of Cairo"). But I never loved the entire film as much as I did now.

This time under the name Issac Davis, Allen portrays the most likeable of all his "Woody" incarnations. Indeed, we already enjoy his company and we haven't even seen him on-screen yet, starting famously with every bit of Manhattan glory he wants us to see accompanied by the voiceover of his writing process. "He romanticized it all out of proportion. To him, this was a town that existed in black-and-white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin," Issac writes as he immediately scraps the idea, but for Allen is a promise he certainly delivers upon. Once he settles onto something he likes (read: some way he can sexualize it), "Rhapsody in Blue" bursts in a montage that culminates in lovely anamorphic fireworks.

And before we know it we're at a table with Issac and a few of his friends: best friend Yale (Michael Murphy), his wife Emily (Anne Byrne), and his latest fling Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), a sweet girl who has (as Issac describes in one of the film's numerous great lines) "a voice like the mouse in Tom and Jerry" and what comes off to be less awkward than it sounds, she's only 17 ("I'm dating a girl who does homework" -Issac).

While Issac establishes himself as a novelist, his concern is actually [b]preventing[/b] a book from being published. You see, his ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) is writing a book about their marriage, which he knows will contain many embarrassing anecdotes about their sex life. Furthering to his personal humiliation, Jill left him for another woman ("I thought I took it rather well under the circumstances. I tried to run 'em both over with a car." One day I might post a second review using only quotes).

Included in the film's list of characters is the person Yale is cheating on his wife for, Mary (Diane Keaton), a ditz who has some sort of Philadelphia morality and guilt complex (your guess is as good as mine on what that means), along with committing the mortal sin of mispronouncing Vincent Van Gogh's name. You as audience members aren't the only ones who think Issac's going out with Tracy might raise some red flags, as he and Mary contemplate going out together just as her relationship with Yale is starting to frustrate her.

Allen brings across his usual style of wide shots and long takes, frequently letting the actors drift off-camera without any intercutting; when he does want to show off museums or more Manhattan majesty, he never forgets to make the actors visible if only in gestures, but when it's especially important he switches to simple, standard close-ups. In a couple particular scenes with Tracy, especially, Allen allows this emphasis and it is primarily because of her that this is such a great film.

There are also some delightful date scenes where he gives us only the characters' view of the trees above, with his delicious dialogue to accompany the visuals. It goes without saying that, in this rare widescreen film of his, he uses the wide frame very well. Among the film's well-known bits of trivia is that Allen had it in his contract that it only ever be shown in letterbox on TV viewings; in the early 80's, when black bars made people think part of their TVs weren't working, FCC rules demanded the film be broadcast with grey bars and if for no other film, for "Manhattan" you can see it was well worth the trouble.

Initially, Woody Allen disliked his work so much that he begged United Artists to shelve it. Thankfully that was not the case. "Manhattan" is one of his most popular works, and after seeing it three times, I can endorse it as one of his very best. If "Annie Hall" is everybody's favorite break-up film, "Manhattan" provides for an excellent, similarly bittersweet counterpart but with a far more hopeful outlook.

As the credits start rolling, you might even forget you're watching this at home and burst into loud, maniacal applause.

MPAA: R (but would be PG-13 today for some strong language and sex-related discussions).

Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes (93 minutes of "real movie").