1970s drama film romantic comedy New Hollywood

Manhattan

1979 · United States · 96 min

Director: Woody Allen
Screenplay: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Producer: Charles H. Joffe
Music: George Gershwin
Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Editing: Susan E. Morse
Production company: Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Awards: César Award; César Award for Best Foreign Film; National Board of Review Award for Best Film; Bodil Award for Best American Film · 2 nominations

What the critics say

94 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews83 Metacritic /100

Cast

Bella Abzug

Mark Linn-Baker

Michael O'Donoghue

Gary Weis

Helen Hanft

Raymond Serra

John Doumanian

Tisa Farrow

Karen Ludwig

What it is about

Isaac Davis, a twice-divorced television comedy writer in his early forties, is navigating a period of doubt about love and the kind of life he wants. He is seeing Tracy, a teenager much younger than him, yet his bond with his best friend Yale and his growing attraction to Mary, a demanding and intellectually pretentious woman, complicate things. Through dinners, late-night talks and tangled friendships, Isaac must work out what he really wants, with the city itself serving as a backdrop. The film opens with images of Manhattan set to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, blending social comedy with a wistful look at romance and maturity.

How it was made

The idea grew out of Woody Allen's love of Gershwin's music: while listening to one of the composer's albums he imagined a romantic film in black and white. Allen later described it as a blend of what he had attempted in Annie Hall and Interiors, and as a look at people trying to live decently in a materialistic culture. The project took shape during a dinner with cinematographer Gordon Willis, when the two discussed making a film about the city they both loved and experimenting with black and white. Written with Marshall Brickman, the script follows a web of intertwined relationships in New York's intellectual circles. Shot in black and white in 2.35:1 widescreen, the film was designed to give a strong sense of New York, which Allen treated almost as a character. The score features Gershwin pieces performed by the New York and Buffalo philharmonic orchestras. Tracy's character is reportedly based on Allen's real-life relationship with Stacey Nelkin, though the film itself does not say so.

Reception and legacy

Released in the United States in April 1979, the film won critical acclaim and audience success, partly because of its resemblance to Annie Hall. It earned two Academy Award nominations, for Best Original Screenplay and for Best Supporting Actress for Mariel Hemingway. It also received the National Board of Review award for best film, the César for best foreign film and the Bodil for best American film. Its North American box-office take of about 39.9 million dollars made it Allen's second biggest commercial success. Over time it has become one of his most admired works, and in 2001 the United States Library of Congress selected it for the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.