Manhattan star, Mariel Hemingway, says the Woody Allen film “100% couldn’t come out” today due to its depiction of an underage romance. Released in 1979, Manhattan is one of the earlier films written and directed by Allen after his Best Picture-winning breakout Annie Hall in 1977. Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest, starred in Manhattan as Tracy, a 17-year-old girl attending the Dalton School who begins dating a twice-divorced, 42-year-old television comedy writer named Issac (played by Allen).
However, the film did not receive much criticism at the time of its release for its portrayal of an underage relationship. Instead, it was mainly praised for its beautiful black-and-white cinematography, romance, humor, and as a glamorous tribute to the city of New York. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, Manhattan is Allen's second-highest-grossing film in a massive filmography that includes at least 70 films. The romantic comedy also starred Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep, and Anne Byrne.
Now, on the podcast Better Together with Anne & Heather, Hemingway spoke at length with hosts Anne Heche and Heather Duffy about Allen's Manhattan and the current controversy surrounding Allen v. Farrow. Hemingway says the film “100% couldn’t come out” today due to the now-infamous underage relationship at the heart of the film, according to Variety. “I’m not condoning any behavior, but that movie probably couldn’t come out today,” she added.
Hemingway says she has not seen Allen v. Farrow, HBO's four-part docuseries which chronicles the events that led to then 7-year-old Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, to accuse her father of sexual abuse in 1992. Hemingway says it is very difficult for her to discuss the Woody Allen controversy since she is very fond of him and had a wonderful experience working with him on Manhattan, “It’s a bit touchy for me because he wasn’t disrespectful of me or unpleasant.” Hemingway claims she does not know Mia or Dylan Farrow and concluded by saying it is not her "story to tell.”
Allen has been the center of much controversy before the HBO docuseries, Allen v. Farrow. Before its release, Amazon abandoned a four-year deal with the director that included the release of his 2019 film, A Rainy Day In New York over Allen's comments regarding disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Though Manhattan was wholly embraced by audiences in 1979, this is just the latest example of allegations of abuse changing the lens through which an alleged perpetrator's works of art are viewed.
Source: Variety