A group of successful New York intellectuals is unable to apply the ethics and philosophy they constantly reference to their own lives in even the most basic way. Their narcissistic, moral shiftiness is sugared by some witty dialogue, Gordon Willis' gorgeous black and white Panavison, and the Gerschwin score. But Manhattan is a dark film.
Their hypocrisy contrasts with Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), Woody's younger girlfriend, who is the only character able to apply a system of values to her actual choices. Isaac (Woody Allen) is quite an amoral anti-hero. But Tracy gives the film its optimism, including the the sweet wisdom of that fabulous closing line.
The hero of the film is Manhattan Island magnificently captured for posterity. Including that famous shot of Isaac and Mary (Diane Keaton) against the 59th Street Bridge at dawn. The film overwhelms with its tide of romanticism and nostalgia.
The performances are brilliant and the humour is sharp: 'My analyst warned me, but you were so beautiful I got another analyst'. Diane Keaton is always special in a Woody Allen film. Possibly the beauty of its surface has obscured its distressed depths. But that makes it a fascinating film to rediscover.