Manhattan

I know Valentine’s Day was last week, but I want to profess my love for New York City. It’s a hard city to define, but if I had to choose just three words to describe it, they would be energy, diversity, and above all, attitude! The opening scene of Woody Allen’s 1979 film Manhattan is a wonderful ode to the Big Apple. Filmed in black and white and accompanied by George Gershwin’s composition Rhapsody in Blue, Mr. Allen captures the city’s essence.

Chapter 1

He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion... no, make that... He romanticized it all out of proportion... better... To him, no matter [1] what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white, and pulsated [2] to the great tunes of George Gershwin... Ah, no, let me start this over...

Chapter 1

He was too romantic about Manhattan as he was with everything else. He thrived [3] on the hustle-bustle [4] of the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women, and street-smart guys who seemed to know all the angles [5]... Nah corny [6], too corny for a man of my tastes [7]. Let me try again...

Chapter 1

He adored New York City. To him, it was a metaphor for the decay [8] of contemporary culture. The same lack of individual integrity that cause so many people to take the easy way out [9] was rapidly turning the town of his dreams into [10]... It’s going to be too preachy [11], come on, let’s face it, I want to sell some books here...

Chapter 1

He adored New York City. Although to him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. How hard it was to exist in a society desensitized [12] by drugs, loud music, television, crime, garbage... Too angry, I don’t want to be angry...

Chapter 1

He was as tough [13] and romantic as the city he loved. Behind his black-rimmed [14] glasses was the coiled [15] sexual power of a jungle cat... I love this!... New York was his town and it always would be!

---

[1] da igual, [2] palpitaba, [3] prosperaba, [4] bullicio, [5] saber a todo de P a Pa, [6] cursi, [7] gustos, [8] decadencia, [9] coger la salida fácil, [10] convirtiéndose, [11] sermoneador, [12] insensibilizado, [13] duro, [14] con montura, [15] enroscado