Rating: 
Summary: I'll take Manhattan
Review: I am giving the Woody Allen classic "Manhattan" 5 stars here because it's a classic movie- despite the fact that the dvd has no bonus features other than the original trailer (after all, the movie was released in 1979). Anyway, this movie holds up particularly well even today- especially because of the gorgeous black and white cinematography. It's a timeless, romantic slice of pre-9/11 New York. Woody Allen at his best. Still skeptical? Rent it at your local video store and you'll want to add it to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: A Quarter Century Later, Still Woody's True Masterpiece...
Review: In 1979, Woody had the burden of trying to capture the "originality" of "Annie Hall," the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1977. So when "Manhattan" was released, Woody's first "true" widescreen picture (so much so that Woody insisted this film NEVER be released on video or shown on television without the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen), I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I discovered that "Manhattan" had a completely different tone than "Annie Hall." It was more serious, but still hilarious. I became so enraptured by its themes, its music and its atmosphere that I felt, until I saw "Schindler's List" in late 1993, that I had witnessed something that comes along only once or twice a generation...and that's true greatness on film. I paid to see "Manhattan" at least four times during its initial run in 1979. I had never done this before, even when I include those popcorn pictures I had seen several times put out by Spielberg and Lucas during the 1970s. I found "Manhattan" simply incredible, so "on the mark," so revelatory about the weaknesses of people, especially so-called "intelligent" people. Rather than go over the plot, I believe "Manhattan's" themes include the following: 1. intellectualism is overrated
2. romance is illogical and unscientific
3. words don't always match our actions
4. moral structure is a man-made invention
5. fidelity is an optimistic ideal
6. skeletons in the closet are better left unsaid
7. uncorrupted optimism is mostly found in young people
8. cynicism increases as we grow old
9. advancing years = more unnecessary baggage
10. the more we know, the more it can sometimes hurt us That all of the above can still be delivered with terrific humor is a Woody Allen trademark. There was a time when Woody's life imitated his art so closely that I had to avoid this SPECIFIC film for awhile. But now the past is past and it doesn't matter. Woody's art remains and the messages in "Manhattan" haven't been diminished after so many years. It still holds up even though it was made during the late 1970s. Yes, Woody Allen's films are an acquired taste. People won't admit it, but when you pin down WHY they don't like "Manhattan" or anything he does, you find the reasons are rooted in conventional moral judgments, religious intolerance or even genetic issues such as his "whiny" voice and the fact he is one of the most un-photogenic actor-director-writers of our time (e.g., no one likes watching Woody "kiss" any woman on screen.) And when art becomes too closely reflective of an artist's life, it can make people uncomfortable. My response is if you are unable to separate an artist's personal life or lifestyle from his work, sometimes the world can be made the lesser for it. "Manhattan" and "Annie Hall" remain the benchmarks of all urban-based, non-screwball comedies made in America. That Woody was able to "re-invent," or more to the point -- to "invent" a new genre of comedy -- is more evident today by looking at everything that has come since 1979 that is clearly derivative from these two landmark urban films. Only elitist thinkers will call people who don't "get" this film "fools." They're not. Admittedly, Woody's films are an acquired taste. Fans who have followed him forever, quite candidly, like the way he is on screen, even if it's the same nebbish, over-analytical character every time. We're comfortable with him in the same yet opposite way that we didn't mind Cary Grant playing Cary Grant all of the time. Nobody delivers a punch line or joke better than Woody and when he's not in his own films, they don't seem as funny. "Manhattan," in my opinion, is the finest of Woody's "quartet" of masterpieces (the others are "Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors"). There is so much hilarity and truth woven into this picture, complimented by a glorious Gershwin score and wonderful black and white cinematography, that I'm 100 percent sure -- that Woody will never be able to top this film -- even if he lives to 100. The end "smirk" on his face speaks volumes about what's going on in this story, and why, unlike most of Hollywood's "mainstream" comedies, he won't give you the standard cornball ending. Yet what he leaves behind as the credits roll, still leaves you satisfied. There isn't anything left hanging, in my mind, since you already know that Woody's character KNOWS how everything is going to end. That's the reason for the "smirk." How many filmmakers can get away with this and remain original? This is Woody's greatest film and what's wonderful is that it still feels undated, a quarter-century later...
Rating: 
Summary: One of Woody's best
Review: Manhattan is a witty comedy-drama that most certainly ranks as one of Woody Allen's most aesthetically charming films. New York City is affectionately lensed in black-and-white, and brought to life with a score featuring music by George Gershwin. There are several inspired moments: A twilight scene filmed under the Brooklyn Bridge; a conversation between Allen and Keaton in silhouette against a background of stars and planets at the Natural History Museum in Central Park, a scene which beautifully encapsulates the irony at the centre of Woody's persona. At the same time, however, I cannot escape the feeling that our experience of the characters in Manhattan is, for the most part, a cerebral one. We do not care for Isaac the way we cared for, say, Alvy in Annie Hall. Stunning, intelligent, undoubtedly the work of a very accomplished filmmaker, but the film lacks the heart of some of his other work. Perhaps one of the few moments that really does engage the heart as well as the head, is the final shot of Woody, a typically Allenesque moment tinged by a sense of hope as well as melancholy.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection
Review: I have seen a dozen or so movies that come very close to capturing the true art of filmmaking, but this one nails it. Woody Allen's genius is all here, spread before us in a rich tapestry that validates in one perfect effort the suspicions that we have from watching his other films. The story is set on a lush canvas of Gordon Willis cinematography and George Gershwin score, and you are carried sweetly into the sublime swirl of New York City from the first rhapsodic blend of music, monologue and images. For those who love New York (and those who may never see it) it should be known that the quintessence of the City is precisely captured here in sound, light, and character. True to form, Allen strings his instrument with the requisite elements of life and relationships-- love, romance, friendship, betrayal, and essential insecurity-- and plucks them in perfect harmony. In subtle brilliance, he does not lead you directly in this film, but allows you to go looking on your own volition for his simmering meaning of love and life. The camera is a poignant voyeur as Allen's character searches earnestly (and obstinately) for answers to the wrong questions. He is confounded but for the allure of the pure and benevolent Mariel Hemingway, who plays the angelic savior of his soul. In the end, the ultimate message that Woody's character learns in Manhattan is the same rich reward that we earn from our experience in watching this movie... that hope, patience, and faith are the virtues that always keep their promises.
Rating:
Summary: One of Allen's best
Review: I found "Mahattan" to be one of Woody Allen's better films. Shot entirely in black and white, it has a more subdued feeling to it, and the comedy is less farcical than his other films. It follows Isaac Davis, a 40-something character not unlike Allen himself (none of his characters ever are), and chronicles his love affairs with an intellectual neurotic near his own age (Diane Keaton) and a precocious 17 year old (Mariel Hemingway). I like this movie, because it is a little heavier than most Allen fare, and besides beign a comedy, it actually has a meaningful modern love story. Definitely a must for any fa of the Wood man.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Woody Allen Film?
Review: In many ways "Annie Hall" is Woody Allen's signature film, but I think "Manhattan" is the better movie. Allen stars as Isaac Davis, a forty-something writer with a teenage girlfriend, Tracy, (Mariel Hemingway in an excellent performance) and a lesbian ex-wife (Meryl Streep in a small role). His best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is having an affair with the bitter, intellectual Mary (Diane Keaton). Predictably, she and Isaac despise each other at first and then fall in love. Although Isaac chooses her over Tracy, dismissing the latter as just a kid, he later comes to regret the decision. Besides being wonderful in the areas of acting, writing, and directing, "Manhattan" is a real treat to look at. The black and white photography by Gordon Willis gives the film an old-fashioned look. This, along with the classical soundtrack, creates a romantic, idealistic feel that clashes with the characters' coarse language and often amoral behavior. The look of the film, and the soundtrack, represent how Isaac wants to see his city ("he idolized it all out of proportion"), in contrast to how it really is. Without giving anything away, the conclusion is absolutely sublime and perfectly ambiguous, with Isaac being asked to do the one thing that may be impossible for him. You'll see what I mean. It may take a while to get really involved in the movie but once you do, it will charm you and break your heart. Essential for any lover of film.
Rating:
Summary: The best Woody Allen film. Seriously.
Review: Though some people are partial to ANNIE HALL, which is an excellent film, I'll take MANHATTAN. I mean, the Gershwin music is amazing. The black-and-white cityscape cinematography is absolutely beautiful, and it fills up the frame so completely that the film is impossible to watch without widescreen formatting. As for the story, it's another convoluted Woody Allen piece, where the characters likely think too much for their own good. Allen plays a writer struggling with, among other things, abandoning his job with a TV show that's just not funny, his girlfriend who's still in high school and his lesbian ex-wife's new tell-all book about their marriage. Things get more complicated when he finds out that his best friend has recently taken up an extramarital affair with a completely unbearable woman, played by Diane Keaton. Of course, Allen discovers over time that she might not be that bad. This is the film which showed that Allen was capable of more than one truly great piece of serious cinema. And with Meryl Streep and Mariel Hemingway turning in winning roles on top of all that, you'll quickly find yourself in love with this movie.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great paeans to New York City
Review: I liked this movie so much when it came out that I almost immediately went out and saw it again. It remains today almost as fresh and marvelous as when I first saw it. Partly the reason for this is the incredibly crisp, beautiful black and white photography, which lends the film a kind of timelessness. The cinematography also is remarkable for being filmed in the widest film ratio (2.35:1), the only time that Woody Allen has used this ratio. He almost always uses 1.85:1. The greatest thing about the photography and the wider ratio is that Allen is able to use it to show effectively the enormous love he has for his home city. In no movie has Manhattan been portrayed so beautifully or exhilaratingly. MANHATTAN was one of two transition films for Woody Allen. Along with ANNIE HALL and INTERIORS, he made the move from purely comic director to a more serious filmmaker. Although my own bias is in favor of the earlier, funnier Allen, I do dearly love both ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN. In these two films he struck a perfect balance between laughs and seriousness. Too many of his later efforts lean too heavily in the serious direction. The cast, like most Woody Allen films, is absolutely first rate. Ever since ANNIE HALL, Allen has had a genius for having actors and actresses in some of their earliest roles before going on later to become well known or even better known. This film was Meryl Streep's second major film appearance (after DEER HUNTER the previous year) and it was the first major role for Mariel Hemingway, who was just transcendently beautiful in this film. Diane Keaton, of course, had appeared in several of Woody Allen's films when they were romantically involved, but thankfully this didn't keep them from working together on additional films. As a one-time would-be Kierkegaard scholar, I have always been keenly attuned to film or any other cultural references to him, and I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this film contains a brief discussion of his thought much to my delight, and much better one than the rather bizarre quotation from Kierkegaard in Chinese in WAYNE'S WORLD. The use of Gershwin is just exquisite. Beautiful music used in a very beautiful film.
Rating:
Summary: ...a beautiful thing...
Review: first of all...
i've never really been enthralled with woody allen... i've always thought he had some wit about him, but i never truly connected with him the way the critics and his hardcore fan base has...
my impression was that he always thought more of his 'art' than was necessary and he somehow had convinced (or connived) us into believing in his vision also... BUT... this is a damn good movie... woody allen kinda reminds me of charles mingus, whereas you must have the so-called 'acquired taste' to enjoy his accomplishments.
but 'manhattan' was more accessable than anything else i've seen by mr. allen... this is his 'ah um'...
and now i find myself intrigued with watching his other works with a less critical eye. and any doubts i had about this movie going into it where honestly swept away with the ending of this/in his dialogue with ms. hemmingway... classic! and the film score accentuates appropriately... i'm not disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Woody Allen
Review: Relationships, neurosis, comedy, fun. These are all the elements of a great Woody Allen film and this film has it all. For Woody Allen fans, this is a must.
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