1979 | Directed by Woody Allen |
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Woody Allen stars as Isaac Davis, a TV writer sick of the pap he is forced to churn out and
harboring dreams of being the great American novelist. His love life is in barbed-wire
territory: he is tormented by his ex-wife Jill, a lesbian who has written a tell-all book
about their marriage, and he is dating teenager Tracy, who is disenchanted with his snobbish
putdowns and refusal to commit himself. |
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| ADDITIONAL CAST & CHARACTERS |
Woody Allen
Mariel Hemmingway
Diane Keaton
Michael Murphy
Meryl Streep |
... Isaac Davis
... Tracy
... Mary Wilkie
... Yale
... Jill Davis |
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Meryl Streep, Premiere Magazine, March 1997
"I didn't get to know [Woody Allen], really. I had two days on the film. maybe three. He was
very firm. I was very surprised because his films have, to the outsider, such an improvised feel -
that's how he deals with whomever in his primary character, you know, like Diane. That all feels
very improvised, but, man, on the lower echelon, we had to stick to what we were saying! I think
he just hated my character. I played the wife writing the tell-all. He didn't take anything out
on me. He would just ask me to say the line how it was written (laughs). I think it's a fair request.
Harold Pinter did the same thing in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman'"
This was Woody Allen's first film shot using the widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic Panavision process.
Woody Allen disliked his work in this film so much he offered to direct another film for United Artists for free if they kept "Manhattan" on the shelf for good.
There is a clause in the studio's contract that stipulates that the film must always be shown in letterbox format in any home release or broadcast/cable airing.
Presentations of this film on television (broadcast, cable or home video) required preservation of the widescreen format. This presented a problem in the U.S. since certain F.C.C. technical regulations did not permit a portion of the screen to be left blank as in letterboxing. The problem was solved by making the area above and below the frame gray. The regulations have since been changed and letterboxing with black borders is now permitted.
A videocassette of Papillon (1973) is visible on Diane Keaton's (Mary)'s bookshelf, a movie in which Anne Byrne Hoffman (Emily) had earlier appeared uncredited with husband Dustin Hoffman.
Additional Information at the Internet Movie Database
Full cast & credits, trivia and business information
| AWARDS / NOMINATIONS FOR MERYL STREEP |
1979 (
Winner) Los Angeles Film Critics Award - Best Supporting Actress
1979 (
Winner) National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actress
1979 (
Winner) National Society of Film Critics Award - Best Supporting Actress
1980 (Nomination) British Academy Award - Best Supporting Actress
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Features: none
Video: Widescreen, Color
Languages: English (Dolby)
BUY DVD AT AMAZON.COM |
DVD Release: July 05, 2000
Region Code: 1
Distributor: MGM
ASIN: 0792846109
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