Cities as Movie Stars
I’ve been on a total Woody Allen kick lately, most recently catching Manhattan. It started me thinking about directors who make the city a star in a movie. Who do you think does it best? Here’s a short list for me:
Woody Allen and New York City, in most of his movies:
Also, Woody and London in Match Point:
Another favorite is the way Cameron Crowe shared Seattle and grunge with us in Singles:
I really wanted the image of Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott sitting on a park bench in Richard Haag’s Gas Works Park, but I haven’t been able to find it! Now that I think about it, that shot seems to be an homage to that Manhattan poster.
I really can’t resist Amy Hecklering’s National Lampoon’s European Vacation either - they did an awesome job of matching up the typical idiot American tourist with they typical sight-seeing tour (”Look Kids! Big Ben! Parliment!”)! Als0, Hecklering also did a great job of capturing Beverly Hills in Clueless (Isn’t my house classic? The columns date back to 1972!”).
Michael Moore’s Roger and Me certainly captured the devastation caused by the GM plant closing in Flint, Michigan. I don’t know if a city as a character has ever depressed me more than Flint did in that documentary!
Speaking of depressing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bodymore Murderland, oops, I mean Baltimore Maryland captured like it is on “The Wire.” There’s even a character named Bubbles who symbolizes of the city, struggling to get better but constantly tempted and ravaged by drugs. Of course, they rarely show the really nice parts of Baltimore on the show; when they do, they do a great job of juxtaposing the characters with the settings, like when McNulty takes Bodie to the botanical gardens and Bodie says “are we still in Baltimore?” O.K., I’ll stop, you really can’t get me started on “The Wire” or I won’t shut up about how good it is! You can even catch up on all of the seasons between now and the premiere of season 5.
Of course I am missing a million here - what are your favorites? When does SF play the best role? Vertigo? The Rock? Basic Instinct? Boston (well, at least Southie and Charlestown) - Mystic River? The Departed? Chicago - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?
Manhattan poster available here
Match Point photo from imdb.com
European Vacation photo from moviegoods.com
October 17th, 2007 at 11:43 am
has been making gorgeous experimental films about San Francisco for years. One of the more gorgeous is Side/Walk/Shuttle, composed of of twenty-five 16mm shots from the moving glass elevator of the Fairmont Hotel. He has a keen appreciation for the intricacies of the urban landscape.
A bit more conceptual than your picks, but thought it would be worthwhile recommendation nonetheless.
October 17th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Michael Mann and LA are practically married. LA is his muse, his canvas, his most obvious influence.
Somehow, he seems to make it look so different, depending on the film, that you almost don’t believe it’s the same city. Watch ‘Heat’ and then ‘Collateral’ (yes, I know that Collateral wasn’t that good) and the difference is startling, I think.
I also liked how he managed to remake ‘Miami Vice’ (again, not the best movie in the world) without once showing a girl on rollerskates in a bikini. He made Miami look grimy and lo-fi, as opposed to the sun-kissed playground we’re all so used to seeing.
SF’s best supporting role? Gotta be ‘Dirty Hatty’ or ‘Bullitt’. They just don’t make them like they used to.
October 17th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Hey guys, more conceptual or deeper than me is always a good thing, I mean, for God’s sake, I watch “Rock of Love” religiously! Thanks so much for the input!
BTW, my roommate Kristin and I saw Miami Vice in the theater. I am old enough to have seen the show, and thought the movie was a suck-fest, and was completely shocked that it got rave reviews. Those must have been on Michael Mann and Jamie Fox’s past work (personally, my fave was when he was Rhonda on “In Living Color” - he “rocked my world!”). Anyway, I do agree with your comments on how the city was represented. It seems that most Miami movies (besides Scarface, of course), show a beautiful high-rise on the water scene with wave runners on the ocean all the time, CSI Miami-style!
Becky
October 18th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Sorry for entering broken html into my comment : (
If the whole paragraph link didn’t clue you in, it was about Ernie Gehr, whose name got lost in my broken code.
Also, my other cinematic favorite SF film has to be the often talked about 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers with many fabulous urban scenes around and about town…
October 24th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I’m going to have to watch ‘Singles’ and ‘Match Point’ now so I can tell you if they really are true to their cities (most American takes on London are laughable).
And, just so I can take the conversation to a new low, I always loved that NYC was the fifth major character in Sex and the City.
(Speaking of guilty pleasure TV set in Manhattan, when can we chat about Dirty Sexy Money? I am besotted by this show.)
October 24th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Oh and funnily enough Notting Hill was actually a fairly reasonable depiction of a certain stratum of Notting Hill society, though of course no mention was made of the fact that one of London’s biggest West Indian communities, and one of the world’s biggest carnivals, lives/takes place right around the corner.
October 25th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Hey Paola! Actually, I have no business saying it captures London at all, because I’ve never been!
Dirty Sexy Money - I was so pissed I missed it last week. I tried to download something from ABC.com to put it on my Mac and it crashed my computer. I’m still loving it. So far, it’s the only new show I like. While the a bunch of the characters are almost characitures (OK, I know I spelled that incorrectly but my brain is not awake yet), there is something so much fun behind it. Speaking of SATC, the song “Rollin’ down the River” always goes through my head whenever I see Blair Underwood! :). You reminded me of Karen on Will and Grace, lamenting the end of her favorite shows and saying “and don’t forget the fifth lady, Manhattan!”
Back to dirty sexy money, who do you think killed Dutch? I have no idea at this point! Did they reveal that one of the children is not Tripp’s last week? If so, who?
May 31st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Shortly after I visited England I watched National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and howled at the scene in which Clark Griswold backs into a lith at Stonehenge and knocks the whole circle of stones down. That set me on the trail of other movies featuring Stonehenge’s standing stones. Of course, I had to rent This Is Spinal Tap, with its 15″ high structure. I still keep an eye out for standing stones in movies, and would be delighted to hear of others…..
May 31st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Shortly visiting England several years ago I watched National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and howled at the scene in which Clark Griswold backs into a lith at Stonehenge and knocks the whole circle of stones down. That set me on the trail of other movies featuring Stonehenge’s standing stones. Of course, I had to rent This Is Spinal Tap, with its 15″ high structure. I still keep an eye out for standing stones in movies, and would be delighted to hear of others…..