Come Here To Me!

” I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics.”

Woody Allen’s Manhattan is one of my favourite films. Most student flats I’ve entered seem to boast a copy, and it is just as bittersweet as you’d expect. I put off watching it for a long, long time. It made it’s way into most of those ‘Films you’d like’ lists, but I’ve been let down by them one too many times. It was one of those ‘€3.99 in HMV‘ films that I consistently overlooked.

Then, when it came on telly, I decided to watch it. “Beats studying”. Turns out it beats most things. A beautiful black and white film, it had me from the get go. In fact, even just look at its opening moments:

The dialogue, the imagery, it all comes together wonderfully. It’s not a love letter to New York (God knows there are enough of them out there) – but like everything Allen has produced to date, a little more complex than that. It opens and closes with Rhapsody in Blue, which- since the time I first saw Manhattan– has been the soundtrack for many bus trips.

A festival of Woody Allen’s work is an exciting idea. To mark the world premiere of Allen’s latest effort, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, the IFI are doing just that, with Woody Allen: Part One running all through the month of May.Opening with Bananas, and concluding with Hannah And Her Sisters most films will be shown for one or two days apiece. Amazingly, this is just the first part of what will be a three part festival.

There is something to be said for the big screen, even if you’ve watched a DVD (Or, heaven forbid, VHS Tape) a hundred times. No film is the same away from the big screen, and a chance to catch Manhattan (and several other Allen films) in the right environment is something I’ll jump on.

Bananas – May 1st & 2nd (2pm)

Hannah and Her Sisters – May 29th & 30th (8.30pm)

Tickets are available from the IFI Box Office on 01 679 5744 or online at http://www.ifi.ie

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