A phenomenal story comes to Blu-ray, with Woody Allen’s timeless comedy about a New York writer whose interpersonal relationships create complex, and revealing, situations.
Allen plays Isaac, a forty-something cultural intellectual and semi-successful writer, with a lesbian ex-wife (Meryl Streep), a teenage girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway), and the hots for a woman he despises (Diane Keaton) - who happens to be his best friend’s (Michael Murphy) mistress.
You would need an impressive flow-diagram (and acumen) to successfully depict all the varying trysts and emotions rolling around in Allen’s bittersweet take on modern relationships. The story delves deep into human nature, revealing its insatiable appetite for self-destruction and the way our urges not only define our character, but ruin our chances at happiness.
But, through this chaos and self-exploration come some exquisite comedy scenes that have secured their place in cinematic treasure-land, displaying Allen’s genius at capturing the hilarity of love and other things.
With dialogue that overlaps, and a star-studded cast utilizing a naturalistic acting style, Manhattan reaches levels rarely seen in a human comedy like this. Allen’s style and influence has undoubtedly shaped the course of cinema, and Manhattan is a superb example of just how much.
Picturesque seventies New York, outrageously corny montages of couples in the park, and the blithering wonderings of Isaac as he cynically ponders on the minutia; it would be easy to dismiss Manhattan’s legacy as being overrated schmaltz. However, any lover of true cinema will see the brilliance in this movie, how it is a celebration of the cinematic form. From the witty banter and character nuances, to the loving depiction of the Manhattan streetscapes, Allen douses his film in artistry and devotion.
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