While Annie Hall may be the first great crowning achievement of Woody Allen’s directing career, a film that seems to be almost universally beloved and charming as can be, many critics consider his next serious comedy (Interiors came in between the two, and I think it’s terrific though few seem to agree), Manhattan, to be his strongest work. It’s certainly the subtler of the two, relying on tones struck between the genuinely felt but not uncreepy story of the relationship between the Allen lead and his 17-year-old girlfriend. It’s not without amusing moments, but the real core of the film looks at the tragedy of love, nostalgia, idealization and loss.
The soundtrack featuring George Gershwin music and the much-lauded cinematographic work of Gordon Willis give this film gravitas. Allen wants to show us and play for us what beauty is to him, what it looks like, and what it ultimately means. Its black and white photography makes it feel classical, less concerned with realism and more to do with subtly invoking particular thoughts and feelings. It’s as much a lament for lost romantic love of a partner as it is for the loss of a romantic memory of New York, and the loss of classical film. But this is also a critical look at nostalgia, the idea that you appreciate something more after you lose it, all ideas that come up in Allen’s work again and again as he matures as an artist and filmmaker and person.
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