Having recently watched both this and Woody Allen’s newest, Midnight in Paris, I understand the tendency to forget the tabloid-worthy content of the director’s personal life, as well as the self-indulgence of the past decade’s worth of his films about rich people with rich people problems. The two films share a fascination with place, with the way geography shapes human relationships. Manhattan is one of Allen’s masterpieces. Beautifully shot in black and white, the story follows one of Allen’s numerous neurotic, sex-obsessed intellectuals through his dalliances with a 17-year-old girl (Mariel Hemingway) and a woman closer to his own age who captures his heart (Diane Keaton). More than that, it’s a snapshot of a city full of life before Duane Reade, Starbucks, and Chase Bank took it over.—Finn Cohen
Manhattan (1979)
Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26
Midnight (both nights)
Esquire Theatre
590 Downing St., Denver
