Manhattan (1979)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

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

Release Date:

25 April 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | 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:

Love | Writing | Writer | Lolita | Break Up

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Isaac
Diane Keaton	...	Mary
Michael Murphy	...	Yale
Mariel Hemingway	...	Tracy
Meryl Streep	...	Jill
Anne Byrne Hoffman	...	Emily (as Anne Byrne)
Karen Ludwig	...	Connie
Michael O'Donoghue	...	Dennis
Victor Truro	...	Party Guest
Tisa Farrow	...	Party Guest
Helen Hanft	...	Party Guest
Bella Abzug	...	Guest of Honor
Gary Weis	...	Television Director
Kenny Vance	...	Television Producer
Charles Levin	...	Television Actor #1
Karen Allen	...	Television Actor #2
David Rasche	...	Television Actor #3
Damion Scheller	...	Isaac's Son
Wallace Shawn	...	Jeremiah
Mark Linn-Baker	...	Shakespearean Actor (as Mary Linn Baker)
Frances Conroy	...	Shakespearean Actress
Bill Anthony	...	Porsche Owner #1
John Doumanian	...	Porsche Owner #2
Raymond Serra	...	Pizzeria Waiter (as Ray Serra)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Llewellyn Lafford	...	Broadway Pedestrian (uncredited)

Directed by
Woody Allen

Writing credits
Woody Allen		(written by) and
Marshall Brickman		(written by)

Produced by
Robert Greenhut	....	executive producer
Charles H. Joffe	....	producer
Jack Rollins	....	producer

Cinematography by
Gordon Willis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Susan E. Morse

Casting by
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Mel Bourne

Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
Fern Buchner	....	makeup artist
Romaine Greene	....	hair stylist
Craig Lyman	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Martin Danzig	....	production manager
Michael Peyser	....	unit supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frederic B. Blankfein	....	assistant director
Lewis Gould	....	dga trainee (as Lewis H. Gould)
Joan Van Horn	....	second assistant director (as Joan Spiegel Feinstein)

Art Department
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	....	carpenter (as Joseph Badaluco)
Leslie Bloom	....	property master
Justin Scoppa Jr.	....	set dresser
Cosmo Sorice	....	scenic artist
James Sorice	....	scenic artist
Morris Weinman	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Jack Higgins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Vito L. Ilardi	....	boom man (as Vito Ilardi)
Lowell Mate	....	assistant sound editor
James Sabat	....	sound mixer
Dan Sable	....	sound editor
Leslie Gaulin	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Victoria Vanderkloot	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Hamill	....	still photographer
Jim Hovey	....	assistant cameraman (as James Hovey)
Fred Schuler	....	camera operator
Dusty Wallace	....	gaffer
Robert Ward	....	key grip
Douglas C. Hart	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (uncredited)
Robert Paone	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Howard Feuer	....	casting associate
Jeremy Ritzer	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Clifford Capone	....	costumer
C.J. Donnelly	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Michael R. Miller	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Bud Graham	....	music recording engineer
Andrew Kazdin	....	audio producer: New York Philharmonic
Ray Moore	....	music recording engineer
Tom Pierson	....	music adaptor
Tom Pierson	....	music arranger
Don Rose	....	music arranger: Buffalo Philharmonic

Transportation Department
James Fanning	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
Cheryl Hill	....	production assistant
Scott MacDonough	....	unit publicist
Kathleen McGill	....	location auditor
Jennifer Ogden	....	production office coordinator
Gail Sicilia	....	assistant: Mr. Allen
Robert E. Warren	....	production assistant
Charles Zalben	....	production assistant
Dennis Kear	....	stand-in: Woody Allen (uncredited)

Thanks
Paul Glanzman	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of (as Lieutenant Paul Glanzman)
Ed Koch	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of (as Mayor Ed Koch)
Nancy Littlefield	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of

Production Companies

• Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions (as A Jack Rollins-Charles H. Joffe Production)

Distributors

• United Artists (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• New Star (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Park Circus (2006) (UK) (theatrical) (re-issue)
• United Artists (1980) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1980) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Blu Shine (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nordisk Film (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ralph Lauren  Mr. Allen's wardrobe by
• Aaron Beckwith Casting  extras casting
• Bernstein and Freedman P.C.  production accountants (as Bernstein and Freedman)
• Dawn Animal Agency  animal trainer: "Waffles" trained by
• City of New York, The  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Museum of Modern Art, The (MoMA)  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of (as Museum of Modern Art)
• The American Museum of Natural History  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of: Hayden Planetarium
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• New York Shakespeare Festival  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Hunter College  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• New York University (NYU)  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Warner Bros. Music  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• New World Music  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Chappell Music  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 (original rating) | 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 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | UK:12A (re-rating) (2006) | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:12 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Peru:14 | Netherlands:AL (orginal rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Trivia:

Stacey Nelkin, whom Woody Allen dated while she was at New York's Stuyvesant High School, was reportedly the inspiration for the character of Tracey.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mark Linn-Baker appears to be credited as Mary Linn-Baker.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[music: the opening of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Voiceover]
Isaac Davis:Chapter One. He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion. Eh uh, no, make that he, he romanticized it all out of proportion. Better. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin. Uh, no, let me start this over.
Isaac Davis:Chapter One: He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else. He thrived on the hustle bustle of the crowds and the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women and street smart guys who seemed to know all the angles. Ah, corny, too corny for, you know, my taste. Let me, let me try and make it more profound.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mad About You: Married to the Job (#2.4)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

But Not for Me

"Chapter One. He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Beneath his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat."

After the phenomenal success of 'Annie Hall,' the hilarious Oscar-winning comedy detailing the romantic exploits of neurotic Jewish comedian Alvey Singer, Woody Allen had become of America's most respected filmmakers. In 1979, he released what is generally accepted as his second great masterpiece, 'Manhattan,' a poignant tribute to the city that Allen loves so dearly. Written by Allen and his 'Annie Hall'-collaborator Marshall Brickman, 'Manhattan' stars Allen as Isaac Davis, a twice-divorced, 42-year-old comedy writer who is intimately involved with a 17-year-old high school student, Tracy (an Oscar-nominated Mariel Hemingway). Meanwhile, Isaac begins to fall for Mary (Diane Keaton), who is the secret mistress of his best friend (Michael Murphy). Adding to all of Isaac's troubles, his former second wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who had originally left him for another woman, has plans to write a tell-all book on their failed marriage.

If this all seems very confusing to you, then you're not alone. Just as in 'Annie Hall,' Allen plays the hopeless romantic who is struggling desperately to understand the maddening complexity of human relationships. Though Tracy is only seventeen years old, she is arguably the most honest and mature of the women in Isaac's life; nonetheless, he doesn't treat her seriously. In his mind, anything that she says is quite obviously influenced by the naivety and downright ignorance of the young. Their relationship was never meant to be anything more than a brief "fling," and so he feels no guilt for seeing another woman behind his back, an act that makes him livid when it ultimately happens to him.

'Manhattan' was shot in beautiful crisp black-and-white by Gordon Willis, who has also worked on, among countless other films, 'Annie Hall' and the three installments of 'The Godfather.' The cinematography offers New York City a romantic 1940s feel, reminiscent of how Allen claims to remember the city as a child: "Maybe it's a reminiscence from old photographs, films, books and all that. But that's how I remember New York. I always heard Gershwin music with it, too. In 'Manhattan' I really think that we — that's me and cinematographer Gordon Willis — succeeded in showing the city. When you see it there on that big screen it's really decadent."

Mysteriously, this film remains the least-liked by the director himself, though, at the same time, it was also his most commercially successful. As you've no doubt already noticed from this review, 'Manhattan' is often likened to 1977's 'Annie Hall,' perhaps due to the repeated casting of Allen and Keaton (a not uncommon occurrence) or its similar attempt to uncover the elusive secrets behind love and relationships. In terms of film-making style, however, the films are quite dissimilar. Unlike the highly-energetic 'Annie Hall' – which cut back and forward in time, visited old memories, broke the fourth wall and made conversations with passing extras – 'Manhattan' boasts a more classical approach – quiet, softly-spoken and accompanied by a wistfully slow jazzy soundtrack, also relying heavily on the works of George Gershwin.