Manhattan

1979 classic from Woody Allen, along with 'Annie Hall' one of his two perhaps most lauded films, both falling loosely into a genre of spohisticated romance and comedy (it would seem bizarre to call either a 'rom-com').
It is the most beautiful of Allen's films we have come across, hands down. The black and white cinematography, the shots of the smoky bridge. The cars and the lights behind them. Allen is perhaps not a painter in the beauty he creates, but he still shows us the (often insides of) a beautiful city with its shimmering daytime lights. The larger artistic sweep is exacerbated by the Gershwin score, which may only come in to stir at the beginning and the end but is memorable none the less. The scene in the planetarium is photographically beutiful, even in not one unified symbol perhaps comes out.
Thematically, this is also one of his more intelligent works. It does not follow the so traditional template, and the famous and curious ending offers us possibilities beyond what is perhaps otherwise in Allen. Se around this are some decent, if occasionally a little stilted performances (though never from the still-wonderful Keaton). The jokes are never set ups, but flow naturally, and are good.
THis film isn't perhaps quite so straightforward snappy and entertaining as others, but can lay claim to be Allen's best work for its memorable artistry, intelligent plotting, and fascinating conclusion. A wonderful fim, enjoyed this time as much as last.