All this week, Woody Allen’s Manhattan is screening at New York’s Film Forum. I’ve seen it 11 or 12 times straight through — it’s usually playing on September 11 somewhere in the city, and it’s a generally good movie to watch if you’re into Valentine’s Day — but that probably won’t stop me from going to see it again. On the all-time Woody list, I’d put it slightly ahead of Annie Hall but just behind Allen’s greatest movie, Hannah and Her Sisters; the three put together comprise the holiest of all New York Trilogies.
If you’ve seen Manhattan, you’ve fallen under the spell of its astonishing black-and-white cinematography, which is, of course, the work of Gordon Willis. He has built a rep as arguably the most famous American DP of all time, mostly thanks just to the unbeatable work he did throughout the 1970s. (In addition to Manhattan, Willis shot the Godfather movies, All the President’s Men, The Parallax View, Klute, and a few other Woody movies, including Annie Hall.) Willis is reclusive, and we haven’t heard much from him lately — his last IMDB credit is for 1997′s The Devil’s Own — which is why I thought I’d pass along this likable e-mail communique from him, courtesy of The Reeler, which got him talking in unaffected stream-of-consciousness style about Manhattan. Consider it worth a click if you love Willis, Manhattan, or that classic poster shot of Woody and Diane Keaton on a bench staring out at the 59th Street Bridge at dawn. It’s amusing to hear Willis ID one of the most iconic shots in movie history as just "a button that ends the sequence." Yet another reason to love the guy.
I absolutely agree that “Hannah and Her Sisters” is Woody Allen’s best movie and one of the best ever made. The end of that movie always makes me ridiculously happy…I cannot help from smiling. It’s one of the happiest endings ever, totally earned…and from the cynic Allen so less… just goes to show, you never can tell.
Ugh, “Manhattan” is one of the most over-rated movies ever made. The whole romance with Mariel Hemingway is totaly icky. I have no clue why it is so loved.
I am so glad you said Hannah and her Sisters is his finest film! I feel Annie Hall so unfairly overshadows it, but it has always been my favorite Woody Allen.
Woody’s best? Tough to say. Hanna and Annie are both great, but I’d say:
1) Crimes And Misdemeanors
2) Stardust Memories
3) Manhattan
Hannah and Her Sisters as his best? Really? To me it’s Annie Hall third, Manhattan second and Crimes and Misdemeanors first. I’d even put Hannah and Her Sisters behind his trilogy of nostalgia pics from the 80′s (Zelig, Purple Rose of Cairo and Radio Days).
You got it exactly right. “Hannah and Her Sisters” is the best Allen movie, and my favorite movie of all time. The Woodster actually attempts to explain the meaning of life with this movie in a subtle and very funny way.
His most underrated movie? “Purple Rose of Cairo”. Brilliant.
That photo pretty much sums up NYC for me. I love NYC-and that photo:].
Yes, ‘Hannah’ is his best movie. Let’s all raise a glass of brown water to it!
After seeing Manhattan and hating it, I realized finally that I am just not a Woody Allen fan. I’ve tried. I’ve seen several of his movies thinking that this would be the one were I got it – the Woody Allen genius but no I just have hated them all.
I too kind of thought the Woody/Mariel Hemingway matchup was odd…Annie Hall is the best! But I also love C&M and Manhattan Murder Mystery and Husbands & Wives. I don’t really remember Hannah & Her sisters but if that curly haired blond lady from taxi is in it then I don’t like it. She gives me the creeps.
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