Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1557 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-07-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Finnish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Manhattan, Woody Allen's follow-up to Oscar-winning Annie Hall, is a film of many distinctions: its glorious all-Gershwin score, its breathtakingly elegant black-and-white, widescreen cinematography by Gordon Willis (best-known for shooting the Godfather movies); its deeply shaded performances; its witty screenplay that marked a new level in Allen's artistic maturity; and its catalogue of Things that Make Life Worth Living. Allen's "Rhapsody in Gray" concerns, as his own character puts it, "people in Manhattan who are constantly creating these real, unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves, because it keeps them from dealing with more insoluble, terrifying problems about the universe". It's a romantic comedy about infidelity and betrayal, the rules of love and friendship, young girls (a radiant and sweet Mariel Hemingway) and older men (Allen), innocence, and sophistication. (a favourite phrase is used to describe a piece of sculpture at the Guggenheim: "It has a marvellous kind of negative capability".) The film's themes can be summed up in two key lines: "I can't believe you met somebody you like better than me", and "It's very important to have some kind of personal integrity". OK, so they may not sound like such sparkling snatches of brilliant dialogue, but Manhattan puts those ideas across with such emotion that you feel an ache in your heart. --Jim Emerson

Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer

Synopsis
MANHATTAN is Woody Allen's glorious love letter to the city that he was born to make films about. Woody plays Isaac Davis, a twice-divorced TV writer having a relationship with 17-year old Tracy, a high school student played by Mariel Hemingway. Isaac's best friend, Yale (Michael Murphy), is having an affair with Mary (Diane Keaton), a woman whose every word about the arts infuriates Isaac. Meanwhile, Isaac's ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) is writing a book that will expose all of his idiosyncrasies and neuroses. But when Yale breaks it off with Mary, Isaac and Mary start an affair that alters the relationships of all the major characters. Gordon Willis's stunning black-and-white photography and the soaring music of George Gershwin help make Woody Allen's brilliant vision of the city he loves one of the best films of the last quarter of the 20th century. Allen delicately balances the line between comedy and satire, drama and pathos. MANHATTAN is a gorgeous, vibrant comedy that explores the changing state of relationships in the New York of the late 1970s, capturing that moment in time with charm, intelligence, and lots of laughs.

Customer Reviews

Magnificent film, good DVD
There's a rumour that Woody Allen almost threw this film in the river instead of releasing it. If he had, what a terrible loss that would have been. I have never been to New York and quite frankly I don't want to because it would destroy the illusion of the magical, clean city that 'Manhattan' brings across. I've seen this film so many times that I know much of the dialogue off by heart, yet I still don't feel qualified to write a serious review of it. The DVD itself is as good as I expected it to be. I was almost afraid to press the Play button in case the film was cropped, but I breathed a sigh of relief when it came up bright, clear and wide. I wouldn't exactly call the picture crisp; it's slightly grainy but otherwise fine. I remember the film itself being grainy at the cinema so this is to be expected. All in all, it's Allen's best film and a great DVD.

A film that rewards with every viewing
'Manhattan' is absolutely essential for any Allen collector's horde: a wry, intelligent and painfully realistic examination of personal confusion and, of course, human relationships that have become Allen's trademark. The film also showcases some of the best cinematography ever seen on film and a sweeping Gershwin score.

Woody plays Isaac Davis, a neurotic wannabe novelist who hates his television job and lesbian ex-wife, finding solace in a sexually charged but ultimately immature liaison with a 17-year-old college student. He also hates his best friend's mistress, (Diane Keaton again at her best in an Allen film), but soon his resentment of her cerebral haughtiness turns to attraction. The joy, as ever, in Woody's films is the ability he has in writing the complexities of human interaction and drawing the drama out through the characters' foibles and wit. 'Manhattan' is more than the sum of its parts and I always enjoy seeing Allen's characters facing up to the choices they've made and not necessarily resolving their issues as you'd expect. This is beautiful, urgent and honest filmmaking and 'Manhattan', like most of Allen's films, is a special experience for that alone.

This isn't a film with faults as such, though I prefer the likes of 'Annie Hall', 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' and 'Broadway Danny Rose' of Allen's canon. But there is no doubting the quiet power of 'Manhattan' that enriches the viewer's experience in different ways whenever you watch it.

It's a good night in but not a truly great movie
Just cos Woody Allen made this and its in black and white people think this must be a classic-like the best film ever made-well it isnt! Its a good night in with your partner if the 2 of u still get along but it does not hold up to closer scrutiny-really. He is still cracking rather abstruse jokes all the time thinking we havent heard them all before-my opinion-hes a 2nd rate Groucho Marx who struggles to forget himself. But the films a good night in.