Manhattan's Background

Manhattan’s a parody or a strong critic to the way people live in a so obsessed society, where people fight against a monotonically simple and common life. The characters of this film are the way Allen sees people in a crowded city like Manhattan, and even the way he sees himself. Woody Allen tries to make people understand that existence is way too complicated to live or to seek for the “best” one, Allen shows with Manhattan that the best way to live, is to be yourself, and forget about what everyone else thinks or do.

Manhattan is shot in black and white, by the same cinematographer who had filmed The Godfather, Mr. Gordon Willis. Allen wanted to shot Manhattan in black and white because he remembered New York in that way, thanks to old pictures, films, books, etc.
The music composed by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, shows, according to Allen, the real appearance of New York, its decadent, sad, and cold side, even though Woody Allen loves this city.

A fun tip, is that Woody Allen himself appeared in a Simpson’s chapter, and the movie Manhattan itself was parodied in the Simpsons chapter Rome-old and Julie-eh, where Grandpa Simpson and Selma get married.