Manhattan Murder Mystery
Last week I watched an excellent portrait of actress Diane Keaton in the Sky Arts Discovering series. It was so good that I was inspired to view again Manhattan Murder Mystery and Godfather Part Two.
Manhattan Murder Mystery works on many levels not least a murder investigation. Larry Lipman (Woody Allen) a book editor and his wife Carol (Diane Keaton) are invited by their neighbours Paul House (Jerry Adler) and wife Lillian for a drink.
He is a warm-hearted bore who annoys Larry by showing him his stamp collection when he wants to get home to watch a Bob Hope movie.
One of the features of the Lipman marriage is they do not share the same interests. Lillian later dies and Carol is suspicious he may have killed her as he displays few signs of bereavement.
Larry is irritated by her inquisitiveness. So there is neither a Poirot nor Columbo to unravel but an amateur sleuth.
Carol recruits their friend divorcee Ted (Alan Alda) to assist her investigation.
However there is a repositioning of attitude after Larry meets up professionally with novelist Marcia Fox (Anjelica Huston) whom he sees as a potential date for Ted. She convinces Larry that there is something wrong afoot but Carol, jealous of her, becomes the cynic.
Quite aside from a murder investigation which becomes more and more intriguing as the suspect has multiple affaires, it’s an engaging portrayal of a marriage, New York in the 70s and all the cast give terrific performances.
It’s billed as a comedy and Diane Keaton delivers a performance of enormous charm and humour.
As she was in a relationship with Woody Allen their on screen chemistry is utterly convincing.
The great thing about a Woody Allen movie is that it is never too long. This one is one hour 48 minutes.
You cannot say the same about the Godfather Part Two.
It’s three and a half hours in length and often it feels so.
Diane Keaton as Kay Michael’s wife is again excellent. It’s easy to forget that Francis Ford Coppola gave her her debut as an unknown (as was Al Pacino) in the first Godfather.
In the great debate on which is the better film I prefer the first one as there are less flashbacks and the narrative is more taut. Diane Keaton’s career was now up and running and was to reach its apogee in the best of Woody Allen’s New York movies Annie Hall.
