Manhattan (1979)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

Woody Allen (written by) &
Marshall Brickman (written by)

Release Date:

14 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Woody Allen's New Comedy Hit

Plot:

A divorced New Yorker currently dating a high-schooler brings himself to look for love in the mistress of his best friend instead.

Plot Keywords:

Comedy Of Manners | Lolita | Humor | Television | Urban

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Isaac Davis
Diane Keaton	...	Mary Wilkie
Michael Murphy	...	Yale Pollack
Mariel Hemingway	...	Tracy
Meryl Streep	...	Jill Davis
Anne Byrne Hoffman	...	Emily Pollack (as Anne Byrne)
Karen Ludwig	...	Connie
Michael O'Donoghue	...	Party Guest Dennis
Victor Truro	...	Party Guest
Tisa Farrow	...	Party Guest
Helen Hanft	...	Party Guest Helen
Bella Abzug	...	Guest of Honor
Gary Weis	...	Television Director
Kenny Vance	...	Television Producer
Charles Levin	...	Television Actor #1

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12A (Revised certificate) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2006) | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Ireland:18 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Trivia:

While this is Woody Allen's least favorite of the movies he has directed, this was the most commercially successful film of his career. He said years later that he was still in disbelief that he "got away with it".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Isaac asks Tracy how old he will be when she is thirty-six, she says "sixty-three," and he agrees. Earlier Isaac says that she is seventeen and he is forty-two, which means he is 25 years older than her, and would therefore be sixty-one, not sixty-three.

Quotes:

Isaac Davis: It's brown water! I'm paying seven-hundred dollars a month, I got rats with bongos and a, and a frog and I got brown water here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trelladiko polyteleias (1989)

Soundtrack:

Sweet and Low Down

Beautiful views of New York

Woody Allen's homage to the city he loves, and it's no surprise if the way he shows it to us is the way he sees it, it truly is amazing.

The film is shot in black and white, and has George Gershwin's music flowing through most of it.

It's very funny, Allen is an older guy going through a crisis, he is dating the gorgeous 17 year old Mariel Hemmingway when he meets Diane Keaton's Anti-Annie Hall, a brash, pretentious snob who he becomes obsessed by, a series of very funny events with even funnier dialogue ensues. There are some incredibly perceptive moments, and there is an almost tragic feel to certain parts of the film, it is undoubtedly one of Allen's finest works and if you're a fan, chances are you'll have already seen it. If you let it, the film will play with your emotions much like the characters in it play with each other, and I don't want to give anything away, but it is one of Woody's most uplifting pictures, you'll come away with a renewed feeling of hope and an itching desire to walk into the picture and into this New York.