Think about the last three films we have watched, including Woody Allen's Manhattan, and the filmmakers' choice to use black and white film instead of color. Discuss, in cinematic terms, why you think Woody Allen chose to make his film in black and white. Think about any implied meaning he is trying to convey and how his film does so. Would it have been a different film if it had been in color? Your response should be at least 3 paragraphs and should discuss the film's mise-en-scene, camera work, and sound.
Due: Friday, February 3, 2012.
“Manhattan” is, amongst other things, a film about a man trying to recapture his youth. It is thus fitting that Allen shot the film in black-and-white, as an homage to the New York he remembered as a youth in the 1940s. It is that Manhattan, the one that “existed in black and white and pulsated to the sounds of George Gershwin,” that Allen “romanticized all out of proportion” and wanted to recreate. Allen speaks of this love in the film’s opening, and from the first low-angle shot of the New York Skyline and swell of the non-diegetic Gershwin, the viewer falls in love with New York too. This opening montage of iconic new york sites, when combined with the music, allows us to see New York as Allen fantasized about it, as a place of beauty and romance. Yet, the romantic feelings that the audience and Allen have of New York are deeply rooted in the black and white color of shots, more so than the subject. For, it is human nature to romanticize that past and if the film was shot in color, we would not feel such a pull towards the city.
ReplyDeleteAs the film progresses, the black and white allows Manhattan to become a character in and of itself, standing out as a beacon of hope amongst the questionable morals and infidelity of the film’s characters and the city’s larger population. This infidelity is supported by the film’s mise-en-scene, apart from the beautiful backdrop that is. This becomes apparent in the scene in which Isaac and Tracy walk with Yale and Mary after meeting at the museum. Mary and Yale are both clothed in black, as if to highlight their decaying morals. Tracy, on the other hand, is clothed in white with just a thin black vest at the edges. This implies that she, as a youth, is still relatively pure, but as she grows up and keeps with such company, she too will give in to the city’s temptations. Isaac, standing in between the two women, is clothed in a checkered shirt, as if signaling to the audience that he’s torn. Black and white proves to be key here, as the lack of color allows the audience to see only the light vs dark imagery, as opposed to being distracted by other things (which also explains the lack of camera movement apart from dollying with the characters as they walk.
In addition to its role as a characterization tool, the black and white of the above scene also allows Allen to portray New York in his idealized way. As the characters walk, the city looks beautiful behind them; even the traffic looks appealing. This gives the impression that despite the infidelity and pretentiousness, New York is the only place worth living, and thus redeems the characters who choose to live there. Everything looks better, more inviting, in black and white. Allen knew this, and wanted to do the city he loved justice.
“Manhattan” is a 1979 comedy directed, written, and starring Woody Allen. The film takes place in the titular city and, like so many of Allen’s other films, is a love-letter to Manhattan – its’ people, style, culture, etc. With the film the city emerges not just as a location, but as a character itself. Although the writing and dialogue is certainly weighted by naturalism, the look and feel of the film is pure romanticism. Right from the start of the film, Allen makes the city look like a different realm: the fantastic “Lawrence of Arabia”-esque music that starts the film takes Manhattan to another land as Allen’s voice rings out “New York was his city, and it always would be”. Just like the book within the film that Allen’s character is writing, the feel of the film is reminiscent of literature, from the “Lolita” like relationship between Isaac and Tracy to the final tragi-comic ending of the film. Allen in no way tries to show the grittiness of the city, but instead shows the audience is ideal version of the city, the way that he sees Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteThe film would not have worked in color because Allen is by no means trying to portray a realistic portrait of New York. In “Annie Hall” Allen is trying to show an actual relationship between two normal people, who are living in the real city of New York. It is in color. In “Manhattan” Allen is not trying to do this, and so if the film were to be in color the meaning of the film would be destroyed. The film is about a man’s search for faith – not necessarily religion, but in someone or something. Isaac (Allen) falls in love with a pseudo-intellectual who in the end does not reciprocate his feelings, and is betrayed by his best friend. In the end he finds that the only good thing that he had was Tracy – not necessarily because he loved her, but because she was innocent and uncorrupted, and that innocence gave him something to believe in. The film has one of the most powerful endings ever captured on film (in my opinion at least), but it would not have translated well into color. As Isaac makes a list of things that make life worth living – a list that a bit self-mockingly and also devastatingly truthful includes Groucho Marx, Marlon Brando, and Swedish movies – he realizes what he has lost when he gave up Tracy. Isaac runs through the city to stop her before she goes to London, and with the black and white cinematography it looks more like he is running through a painting of Manhattan instead of the real thing. Allen chose to shoot in color and then convert it to black and white in order to achieve this stylistic look on the screen. Allen begins the film revealing that the protagonist of Isaacs’ novel “romanticized the city [Manhattan] all out of proportion” and this can be seen as a direct reflection on the New York native director himself.
The film ends with Isaac losing Tracy in the end, the final lines of the film being “you just have to have a little faith”, advice from Tracy to Isaac. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” slowly heightens as an ironic smile spreads across Isaac’s face, breaking his cynicism. He has lost Tracy, but there is still some hope in the world if someone can be so innocent as to believe in faith, and so in paradox this gives Isaac something to have faith in. It cuts to shots of the skyline of the New York as the sun sets in the distance. This is the true world versus the ideal world, the pessimism versus the optimism, the gritty realism versus the stylized romanticism, all juxtaposed together. It is captured in black and white, and would not work in color because the reality of color would ruin the underlying themes of innocence so prevalent in the film. The film is about the importance of faith in something, and the purity and beauty of New York shot in black and white certainly gives some faith to the director.
“Manhattan”, directed by Woody Allen, is romantic comedy-drama film was released in 1979. The boroughs of New York City, particularly Manhattan, are often portrayed as a clamorous, hectic city, yet in the opening sequence of “Manhattan” the viewer hears a lazy rendition of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and a voice over by Woody Allen. The viewer is missing the usual cacophony and as a result one concentrates more completely on the details within the stationary shots of the Manhattan landscape. Indeed, Isaac admits in an attempt of writing Chapter One of his book that “…no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin.” The film is no doubt an artistic representation of Isaac’s romanticized version of Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteIn the iconic park bench scene, Allen’s usage of black and white really draws the viewer’s attention to the composition of the shot. As Isaac and Mary sit below the hanging Fifty-Ninth Street bridge, this particular static shot exemplifies the rule of thirds.
Below the bridge, in the first third, one can make out the hazy outline of the Manhattan skyline. The second third emphasizes the heavy structure of the bridge looming diagonally across the shot and above Isaac and Mary. Finally, Isaac and Mary sit on a bench, gazing out at the water in the final third of the shot. The viewer’s gaze is immediately drawn to their dark frames, despite their minuscule size in the frame. “Someone to Watch Over You”, composed by George Gershwin, plays soothingly in the background of the scene, an implicit reminder that in Isaac’s mind, Manhattan “pulsates to the great tunes of George Gershwin” continuously.
I completely agree with Alex and Flora’s analyses of innocence as a theme within “Manhattan”. Yet, the black and white coloring of the film also symbolizes an equally prominent theme in the film: romanticism. Not only does Isaac have romantic relationships with Tracy and Mary, but he also romanticizes Manhattan. Furthermore, the black and white coloring emphasizes Isaac’s nostalgia for traditional societal principles. While discussing his uncomfortable feelings about Mary and Yale’s relationship, he tells Tracy “I'm old-fashioned, I don’t believe in extra-marital relationships. I think people should mate for life…like pigeons or Catholics.” The world, and specifically, Manhattan, seems to be changing rather quickly for Isaac’s taste and the black and white coloring of the film seems to emphasize Isaac’s desire for traditional morals within society.
Woody Allen’s 1979, “Manhattan,” above all, is a tribute to his absolute favorite city. Looking past the light story line, a common theme in all Allen films, its main purpose is to pay homage to his hometown-- a place he recalls in black and white. His choice to make the film colorless is something that can be connected to his childhood. The film explores a character who is trying to recapture his youth, which explains why “Manhattan” was shot the way it was. It almost sends the viewer and characters back in time, to the prime of Allen’s boyhood, when everything was simpler and more romantic. If the film had been shot in color, we would not be as drawn to the beautiful city Allen presents. He is opening up his world in New York, which is clearly something that is very meaningful for him. Color would make the film seem too real, because after all, this is the romantic, flawless Manhattan as Woody Allen sees it.
ReplyDeleteThe major themes of the film relate to recapturing youth, loss of innocence, and how to rekindle faith in something that appears hopeless. Throughout the film, we find several aspects of mise-en-scene that highlight these subjects. In the restaurant scene, Tracy is bathed in soft light the entire time, while the three adults, including Isaac, are all in dark shadows. Right from the beginning, before we know how old Tracy is, she is implicitly presented as pure, while the others remain dark under the influence of society. Satirically, Isaac then explains how smoking makes him look “handsome,” essentially, mocking the way society views bad things, such as cigarettes, so highly. This can also be connected to the use of black and white, by the way that Isaac, like Alison said, desires traditional morals. The black and white serves to bring us back to childhood and tradition yet again. Additionally, here we can begin to understand why Isaac is dating someone so much younger than him. He is struggling to find his youth, something he lost and out grew years before. This, we realize, is the reason he is interested in someone as young as Tracy at all.
In the opening montage, Allen speaks of his love for Manhattan and how “to him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin.” The use of non-diegetic Gershwin music all throughout the film readily brings the viewer back to the time Allen desired to create and share. It undoubtedly sets the romantic mood, right from the first shot of the skyline, and continues until the final shot, when we see the skyline once more, as Gershwin music begins to swell yet again. This solidifies his undying first love-- not for Jill, or Mary, or even Tracy, but with Manhattan.
Woody Allen's film Manhattan is a film that was really a way for Allen to express his love for NYC. I think teh movie was produced in black and white to give it that dreamy feeling, if it would have been in color then it would have seemed to realistic, and i dont think that that was the feeling that he was going for. The black and white also represent this being Allen's point of view of the city as a child. As a child you dont have as much experience so a lot of things are just seen in "black and white."
ReplyDeleteThe film itself is about the reminiscing of your past and youth. From the beginning when Tracy is firt introduced to the audience it is very evident that she is significantly younger than Isaac. Not only was she young in the face but also with the black and white contrast her white outfit shows her immature nature. As Ellie states that the reason that he tries to get involved with a girl as young as Tracy is to try to find his youth again and try to hold on to it for as long as he can.If the film was in color I feel that this love game that Issac is playng with Tracy wouldnt be as evident in terms of him wanting her to reach his youth again. I feel if the film was in color the audience would be forced to take the affair literal and as they were in love.
The beginning of the film was very different from other films in how it starts with a very long voice-over with a montage of shots of the city. This I think represents the memories that Allen had as a child as he ebeds them in his film. There are many shots of NYC itself that glorifies it even more for the audience, which i think is one of the main purposes of this film from allen's point of view.
Woody Allen’s 1979, “Manhattan,” was a film produced during the beginning of the "Colored" film era, but was filmed in black and white. Some may ask, why is that? Cinematically, using black and white can create more implied meaning if shot correctly. But, not only through the use of black and white film, Allen created a ode to the city he loved so much, New York, through his use of camera work, mise-en-scene, sound in relation to the black and white footage.
ReplyDeleteThe use of black and white film places more importance on the visuals because of the fact that when black and white film is used, lighting is used to represent what colors would in most films. This is where the creation of more implied meaning comes into play. Take the shots of New York. When shot in black and white, it becomes more beautiful, and as Flora stated, more inviting. This may have not been the case if it were to be shot in color. In black and white, the lights look brighter amongst the night skies, creating a more beautiful atmosphere. This is also the case with the characters. The characters are lit in ways to convey their emotions and their importance to the story. If this were to be shot in color, these things would have been harder to convey. The mise-en-scene and camera work possibly played one of the most important roles in the creation of this film as well. The set and props used in this film, when put in black and white, look slightly more appealing than what they would if they were in color. Same thing with the camera work. Some shots that were shot in black and white might not have been able to been shot in color. An example of a shot in my opinion is the scene with Isaac and Tracy were in the diner with one and other and both exit the frame, but their voices stay lingering in the shot. This effect might not have been able to work in color because of the fact that with black and white, the lighting created beautiful visuals while the color may have obscured them.
Like my peers previously stated, the black and white coloration of the film gives it a feel of innocence and I feel as if that is exactly what Allen was aiming for. He created this film as an ode to his city and to do so, he had to make it and his characters look beautiful and innocent, which black and white did perfectly.
Manhattan is a twisted love story filmed in 1979 and directed by Woody Allen who also stars as a neurotic lover/ boyfriend/ best friend/ father/ Ex-husband who is dating a high school girl. Allen’s character however is not really in love with the girl and he does everything to convince her to move on from him and he incidentally falls in love with his best friend’s mistress. This is more than just the love story between a man and his friend’s mistresss it is a love story about New York City. Allen is sure to introduce the city, for which he shares this great love for, in the beginning of the film. The entire film is shot in black and white, which detracts from some of the city’s grandeur. Allen does this purposefully to force the audience to do more than just look at or just watch as he depicts his love for the city, but to also listen to and understand it.
ReplyDeleteAllen uses an array of cinematic techniques that draw the audience in at some points and distance them at others. For example, in the first shots of the film, Isaac and his teenage companion are at dinner with Isaac’s best friend and his wife. The lighting is dark and every shot is a CU of the character speaking. The entire table is never seen at once in one shot. This forces the audience to be interested in the conversation. The mood is very intimate and the closed fram CU shots become overwhelming and almost claustrophobic. Symbolizing the inside of most places in the City. The next scene is outside and the shots are mostly moving camera, eye- level MS. The movements is continuous with the feeling of the city and the MS allows the audience to draw back from the conversation and take in more of the setting.
Allen also uses mise- en- scene in a way that is explanatory to Allen’s love for the city. Constantly moving his furniture around Isaac portrays the constantly changing styles that pass through the city along with the freedom to express your style. Also the way Allen has Isaac walk everywhere pertains to the lifestyle of a New Yorker. No one has a car and no one needs a car everything can mostly be reached by a walk or a quick taxi ride. Allen’s explicit meaning for the film is essential to his decision to film the entire film in black and white. He is able to show that the city is more than just bright lights, loud noises and a lot of people and he loves those other aspects also.