Manhattan

Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from his screenplay co-written with Marshall Brickman and produced by Charles H. Joffe. Allen co-stars as a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl (Mariel Hemingway) before eventually falling in love with his best friend's mistress (Diane Keaton). Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep and Anne Byrne also star in the film.

Manhattan was filmed in black-and-white and 2.35:1 widescreen. The decision to shoot in black and white was to give New York City a "great look". The film also features music composed by George Gershwin, including his arguably most famous musical piece, Rhapsody in Blue, which inspired the idea behind the film. Allen described the film as a combination of his previous two films, Annie Hall and Interiors.

The film was met with widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Hemingway and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Allen, although it lost both awards. Its North American box office receipts of $39,946,780 are third-best in the director's oeuvre when not adjusted for inflation. Often considered Allen's best film, it ranks 46th on AFI's list of top comedy films and number 63 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies." In 2001, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.



Plot
The film opens with a montage of images of Manhattan accompanied by George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Isaac Davis (Woody Allen) is introduced as a man writing a book about his love for New York City. He is a twice-divorced, 42-year-old comedy writer for television dealing with the women in his life who quits his unfulfilling job. He is dating Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), a 17-year-old girl attending the Dalton School. His best friend, Yale Pollack (Michael Murphy), married to Emily (Anne Byrne), is having an affair with Mary Wilkie (Diane Keaton). Mary's ex-husband and former teacher, Jeremiah (Wallace Shawn), also appears. Isaac's ex-wife Jill Davis (Meryl Streep) is writing a confessional book about their marriage. Jill has also since come out of the closet and lives with her partner, Connie (Karen Ludwig).

When Isaac meets Mary, her cultural snobbery rubs him the wrong way. Isaac runs into her again at an Equal Rights Amendment fund-raising event at the Museum of Modern Art and accompanies her on a cab ride home. They chat until sunrise in a sequence that culminates in the iconic shot of the Queensboro Bridge. In spite of a growing attraction to Mary, Isaac continues his relationship with Tracy but emphasizes that theirs cannot be a serious relationship and encourages her to go to London to study acting. In another iconic scene, at Tracy's request, they go on a carriage ride through Central Park.

After Yale breaks up with Mary, he suggests that Isaac ask her out. Isaac does, always having felt that Tracy was too young for him. Isaac breaks up with Tracy, much to her dismay, and before long, Mary has virtually moved into his apartment. Emily is curious about Isaac's new girlfriend, and after several meetings between the two couples, including one where Emily reads out portions of Jill's new book about her marriage with Isaac, Yale leaves Emily to resume his relationship with Mary. A betrayed Isaac confronts Yale at the college where he teaches, and Yale argues that he found Mary first. Isaac responds by discussing Yale's extramarital affairs with Emily, but she thinks Isaac introduced Mary to Yale. In the denouement, Isaac lies on his sofa, musing into a tape recorder about the things that make "life worth living", with the final item, after which he sets down the microphone, being "Tracy's face."

He leaves his apartment and sets out on foot for Tracy's. He arrives at the lobby of her family's apartment just as she is leaving for London. He says that she doesn't have to go and that he doesn't want "that thing about you that I like" to change. She replies that the plans have already been made and reassures him that "Not everybody gets corrupted" before saying "You've got to have a little faith in people." He gives her a slight smile segueing into final shots of the skyline with some bars of Rhapsody in Blue playing again. An instrumental version of "Embraceable You" plays over the credits.

[edit] Cast

 * Woody Allen as Isaac Davis
 * Diane Keaton as Mary Wilkie
 * Michael Murphy as Yale Pollack
 * Mariel Hemingway as Tracy
 * Meryl Streep as Jill Davis
 * Anne Byrne as Emily Pollack
 * Michael O'Donoghue as Dennis
 * Wallace Shawn as Jeremiah
 * Karen Ludwig as Connie
 * Charles Levin, Karen Allen, and David Rasche as Television actors
 * Mark Linn-Baker and Frances Conroy as Shakespearean actors