Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Most people have a love/hate relationship with their hometown. Only Woody Allen has put his relationship on film and set it to the music of George Gershwin. In his 1979 release "Manhattan," Allen stars as Isaac Davis, a writer who's watching his life fall apart. He writes for a TV show, but quits over the the quality of the skits. His ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep, who won an Oscar that year for "Kramer Vs. Kramer"), who left Isaac for another woman, has written a tell-all book about their marriage that is very unflattering to Isaac. The 42-year-old Isaac is involved with Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), who's 25 years his junior, yet shares his tastes and says she thinks she loves him. Isaac constantly discourages this talk, even though Tracy wants him to live with her in London, where she's planning to study once she turns eighteen.

His best friend, a teacher and writer named Yale (Michael Murphy, who co-starred with Allen in "The Front"), is having a secret affair with another writer, Mary Wilke (Diane Keaton). Mary, though, wants to know if Yale will choose her or his wife, Emily (Anne Byrne). On a restless Sunday where Yale is away with Emily, Mary gets Isaac to go out with her, though nothing intimate happens. Later, Yale breaks up with Mary, who turns to Isaac, even though Isaac is constantly perplexed by Mary's tastes and attitudes ("I'm from Philadelphia. We believe in God," is one of Mary's statements). Isaac wants what he cannot get - the upper hand in a relationship.

"Manhattan" is a wonderful study of parallels and contradictions, as well as a funny and insightful look at the "Me Generation" of the seventies. Both Isaac and Yale have great soulmates, yet they want something else. Both seem destined to create heartbreak for themselves and for their loved ones, even though the twice-divorced Isaac tells Tracy at one point, "People should mate for life, like pigeons and Catholics." Just like Mary wants to impose her intellectual standards on everyone, Isaac wants to impose his way of living on both Tracy and Jill. Isaac describes Manhattan as his metaphor for a decaying culture and lowering of intellectual standards, yet he cannot imagine living anywhere else. Like "Annie Hall," we see a man looking at life, love, and relationships, yet still grasping to learn from his mistakes. "Manhattan," though, is more present tense and more serious than "Annie Hall."

The late seventies marked a period of great growth for Allen as an artist. In the drama "The Front," he showed he could integrate his screen persona with somebody else's words. In "Interiors," he showed he was equally capable of creating a moving, serious film of his own. "Annie Hall" mixes wit and wisdom as well as I've seen the two mixed. "Manhattan" shows Allen improving the look and the sound of his pictures. Gordon Willis creates beautiful black and white imagery, especially in the opening and closing montages. I also enjoyed the shots of Isaac and Mary at the planetarium and enjoying a sunrise. The Gershwin tunes on the soundtrack are lovingly conducted by Zubin Metha and Michael Tilson Thomas.

While Allen brought in actors like Keaton and Murphy, who worked well with Allen before, he also gave Streep and Hemingway (in an Oscar-nominated performance) some great exposure early in their film careers. Streep is cold and angry as Jill, and some of it is understandable because Isaac wants to be controlling, even though they're no longer married. Jill's stares at Isaac seem to jump right out of the screen to grab attention. Hemingway comes across as the person with her head on the straightest. Tracy is sweeter and smarter than Isaac deserves. I like that Tracy knows what she wants, and repeatedly tells that to Isaac, who seems to be deaf to her arguments. Other performers have notable cameos, such as Karen Allen ("Animal House") and David Rasche ("Sledge Hammer") as actors on the show where Isaac works. Wallace Shawn ("My Dinner With Andre") appears as Mary's ex-husband, Jeremiah, who is described by his ex as dominating, but comes across as anything but that. Bella Abzug, who represented New York in the seventies in Congress and was at the forefront for equal rights for women, is the guest speaker at a party attended by Isaac and Mary.

As the seventies ended, so did Allen's creative partnerships with two people who helped make his films so memorable. "Manhattan" marked the last appearance of Keaton in an Allen film until "Radio Days" eight years later. Marshall Brickman, who co-wrote this film, "Annie Hall," and "Sleeper" with him, turned to directing himself in the eighties, though none of his efforts ("Simon," "Lovesick," and "The Manhattan Project") are nearly as memorable as his work with Allen. However, Brickman and Allen collaborated again on Allen's 1993 film, "Manhattan Murder Mystery," which starred Allen and Keaton. It seemed like they were never really away.

"Manhattan" is a successful marriage of comedy, drama, and images of a place that has meant a great deal to Allen. The image that struck me the most in my most recent viewing of the film was the one of fireworks in the Manhattan night sky. It's a sign of happier times in a place that came under such a terrible attack. Like Isaac, Manhattan is now in a state of recovery. Someday, people will celebrate such a sight in that sky again. Until then, we have these pictures and stories that seem so far away now.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age