Manhattan

Shot in widescreen black-and-white and set to the music of George Gershwin, 1979's Manhattan is a serious movie about troubled relationships and failing marriages, with filmmaker Woody Allen starring as Isaac, a twice-divorced, middle-aged TV writer still fighting with his ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), and dating an adoring teenage girl, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), who doesn't challenge his fragile ego. Isaac is far from admirable, especially when he also falls for Mary (Diane Keaton), mistress of his married best friend, Yale (Michael Murphy). Writing with his Annie Hall collaborator, Marshall Brickman, Allen plays it all in a comic key, but under the jokes are sharp and painful observations of hypocrisy, cynicism, and a fear of genuine emotional engagement—at least among the males—in modern relationships. The characters are for the most part intellectuals and artists, men and women who use words and ideas as shields—as well as to seduce—with the exception of Hemingway's high school student, whose plainspoken manner conveys trust, honesty, and an endearing naïveté. The handsome cinematography (by the great Gordon Willis) and the romantic employment of music have also made this a valentine to New York City; perhaps more than any other film, Manhattan has identified Allen as a Big Apple artist. Nicely remastered for Blu-ray, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)