Manhattan has one of the finest openings in movies as gorgeous monochrome shots of the city are accompanied by Gershwin's music and Allen's hilarious voiceover.

This is definitely one of his "older, funnier" movies but strangely he hated it so much he begged the studio not to release it.

You have to wonder why as this is his masterpiece.

It's also one of the best looking films ever - thanks to the beautiful Cinemascope photography from Gordon Willis who also shot such classics as the Godfather trilogy, All the President's Men, Klute, The Parallax View and many of Allen's other movies.

Adrian Zak