Why is life worth living? It's a very good question. Um... Well, There are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. uh... Like what... okay... um... For me, uh... ooh... I would say... what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing... uh... um... and Wilie Mays... and um... the 2nd movement of the Jupiter Symphony... and um... Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues... um... Swedish movies, naturally... Sentimental Education by Flaubert... uh... Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra... um... those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne... uh... the crabs at Sam Wo's... uh... Tracy's face...
-Isaac Davis (Woody Allen, Manhattan)
For whatever reasons Allen may have for disliking the film, I can think of thousands of reasons why its a winner. The rich Gershwin score, the lustrous black and white wide screen cinematography of Gordon Willis (who, if I ever start doing the DP appreciation column I've been promising myself to start researching, will get one of the first entries), the dazzling script by Allen and his Annie Hall writing partner Marshall Brickman. Diane Keaton a long way from playing Annie Hall. An ice cold Meryl Streep. Manhattan itself and all its gorgeous locations. Good lord this movie makes me want to go to the planetarium with that special someone and just soak it all in.
Its such an oddly grouped list, an almost calculated mix of pretentious affectations (note that its not just "Swedish movies" but "Swedish movies, naturally"), wistful low-brow and unabashed sentiment. The "uh's" are spot on too. Even the most elastically verbose of us can't summon genius fluidly. The pauses not only make it sound more natural but make it relate-able.
If you've noticed the header of this blog (and who hasn't?) you'll note that I have a great deal of love for this particular Allen film. Interestingly enough Allen disliked the film so much he begged United Artists to shelve it indefinitely. I can't even begin to fathom why. Maybe some of the personal details of Davis' love-life hit too close to home? Maybe he was worried how he'd look dating someone so much more younger than himself on screen (a fear he clearly later abandoned)?
For whatever reasons Allen may have for disliking the film, I can think of thousands of reasons why its a winner. The rich Gershwin score, the lustrous black and white wide screen cinematography of Gordon Willis (who, if I ever start doing the DP appreciation column I've been promising myself to start researching, will get one of the first entries), the dazzling script by Allen and his Annie Hall writing partner Marshall Brickman. Diane Keaton a long way from playing Annie Hall. An ice cold Meryl Streep. Manhattan itself and all its gorgeous locations. Good lord this movie makes me want to go to the planetarium with that special someone and just soak it all in.
1 comment:
I actually hated Manhattan the first time I saw it, in college. It was not until a second viewing, a year or more later, that I fell in love with that film.
Also, one of the rare Woody Allen films where what it looks like is as good as what is said in it. Amazing cinematography from The Prince of Darkness.
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