Rhapsody In Black And White

Manhattan (1979) is a good film, but not a great one (as Woody Allen might say). Coming after Annie Hall--let's ignore Interiors--it's a letdown.

One of the notable things about Manhattan is the photography. Woody wanted to show his town with a romantic glow, so he shot in black and white. He's done it a number of times since.

I've always felt this is an arty affectation. Not shooting a feature in color these days ("these days" being the last 40 years or so) draws attention to itself, and generally adds nothing. At least not to Allen's movies. (Maybe the only b&w film of his I feel may be justified is Stardust Memories, but that's full of other trickery). Manhattan has lovely camera work from Gordon Willis, but I bet it would have been just as magnificent in color.

PS Allen also loves to have characters walk out of frame so we get a view of nothing but the set for a while. I like long takes, but because they keep us involved, not because they distract.

PPS At the time, Mariel Hemingway was new and striking--plus she has a good crying scene--so she got the cast's one Oscar nomination. I think Diane Keaton does a better job with a funny but believable neurotic character, and very different from her Oscar-winning turn in Annie Hall.

PPPS The orchestral arrangements of Gershwin throughout the film are pretty muzak-y--surprising since Allen usually has better taste in musical selection.