Modernity and Migration

Modernity in Manhattan

New York City has been the setting, backdrop, and focus of a substantive corpus of films, few of which showcase it as favorably as Manhattan. There are many subplots in the film Manhattan, and one belongs solely to the city itself. The film is an ode to New York City, irresistible even if one is not a fan of urban spaces. In the opening scenes, Woody Allen's voice-over describes New York City from five different perspectives, each of which he rejects until he captures the milieu to his satisfaction -- and to the audiences. The Manhattan that Allen introduces to the audience is exciting, beautiful, romantic, multidimensional, and set in black and white against the rhapsodic melodies of George Gershwin. The New York aesthetic is conveyed through affectionate photography that brings the audience along on a tour of the cultural centers, familiar highlights, and...
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