I'm in a New York state of Cinema

Here it is, the six-year anniversary of that horrible day the World Trade Center went down. A good day to remember what a great town New York City is. For those of you scattered around the country and the world, you may not have had the opportunity to visit New York, New York - the town so nice they named it twice! But even so, we've all experienced NYC through the movies.

So taking any of the five burroughs and trying to use flicks that actually shot at least partially on location in The Big Apple, what are some of your very favorite movies that showcase New York City? Also tell us the feeling of the metropolis you have through cinema.

I've never lived in NYC, but being on the East Coast most of my life I certainly visited quite a bit. I was in the habit of going up at least a couple times a year, often with no clear plan, just to hang out in that great city. Some of the movies I love that give snapshots of New York...



After Hours
1985 - Martin Scorsese
"I just wanted to leave, you know, my apartment, maybe meet a nice girl...and now I have to DIE for it?!?"
A Kafkaesque paranoid nightmare of one poor shlub's desperate attempt to get out of SoHo one weird night without being killed, this is one of my all-tme favorite movies, period. There are many Scorsese movies that would fit for NYC, but this one is the best at conveying that otherworldly twisted fantasyland after the sun goes down and the odd misfits that dwell within. I used to try and watch this one before every trip I took to NYC...and maybe thanks to that preparation, I always had the correct change for the subway and I never wound up being chased by a bloodthirsty mob in an ice cream truck.


A Thousand Clowns
1965 - Fred Coe
"If things aren't funny then they're exactly what they are...and then they're like a long dental appointment."
Ah, Murray Burns! What I wouldn't give to spend just a day walking around town as it comes to life with Murray as my guide and mentor. There probably isn't a real person as witty and wonderful as Murray Burns in the world and I doubt I could keep up with his banter and personal philosophy, but he certainly represents the iconic ideal of what I like in people and he works perfectly as a metaphor for the old, classic, stubborn, non-conforming ideals of New York itself.


They All Laughed
1981 - Peter Bogdanovich
"That's not a terrace, Christy. That's a ledge!"
More known in infamy as the picture former Playmate Dorothy Stratten was finishing when she was brutally murdered by her crazed ex-boyfriend (see Star 80), it's a shame because this is a fantastic modern romantic fable and Bogdanovich's love letter to NYC. This isn't the New York of Taxi Driver, but the one of George & Ira Gershwin lyrics, the one that has you walking through the park or midtown with the love of your life on your arm. The story of a few bumbling detectives becoming enamored with and then involved with the marks they are supposed to be following is right at home in a screwball farce from the '30s, but the modern update in sensibility and almost magical New York locations has imprinted it in my cinematic heart.


Midnight Cowboy
1969 - John Schlesinger
"Frankly, you're beginning to smell. And for a stud in New York, that's a handicap."
This is another view of New York entirely, the city that isn't talked about in Gershwin tunes. The marginal misfits barely hanging on, but every once in a while finding solace in each other. This is the Humanistic look at New York City, stylized brilliantly by Schlesinger, and made so relateable thanks to the layered empathetic performances of Voight and Hoffman. Other than as a punchline to a joke, it's hard to think of a movie before Midnight Cowboy that examined the "bums" and "deviants" you'd see on the streets, and definitely no movie before or since has made you feel so much compassion for these outcasts.


There are many, many, MANY other New York favorites of course, but those four give a glimpse of the fascinating darkness and paranoia, the wit and integrity, the romance and fantasy and the humanity I feel toward New York City. I feel it when I visit it in person, and most definitely when I visit it in the movies.




So what are some of your favorite NYC movies and what sense of the city do you get through the cinema?

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Nice choice for a thread, Holden. Thank you.

I'm at work, so my initial response will be brief, but here are a few more New York selections:


Sweet Smell Of Success
Standout performances, and Manhattan captured by James Wong Howe in gorgeous black and white cinematography.



The Odd Couple
Okay, maybe not so much a movie about New York, but about New Yorkers.

I may as well do the inevitable and be the first to mention Woody.

I'm not sure how many there are exactly, but Woody Allen has set many of his films in the great city in which he was born. The one that comes to mind first is not only my favourite of his, but perhaps the most gloriously nostalgic portrait of New York City there is.



"He adored New York."

In Manhattan, Allen turns New York into the most romantic city in the world, and does so with ease. Through the elegant use of black-and-white, the litter ridden sidewalks and grim buildings of New York's streets become magnificently beautiful.

It's romantic, stylish, classy and whimsical. Manhattan is one of my all-time favourites and if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out.

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Yes, Woody Allen, Marty Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, John Cassavetes and Spike Lee are all native NYC filmmakers who have many different portaits of the city in their filmographies. Lots to choose from with those five guys alone!

I love the New York street scenes in Godfather 2. Really gives a great view of the immigrant experience in the early part of the 20th century.



and while I was a little disappointed in the movie, I loved the look of the Gangs of New York.

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"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."- Groucho Marx

And for kids growing up in poverty, what's better then



Angels with Dirty Faces

and



Dead End

Wow, what a cool screenshot. It could be a piece of art in itself.

My no.1 favorite New York-centric director is Hal Hartley

And No Such Thing is my no.1 favorite Hal Hartley movie (which only partially takes place in NY)

That's Scorsese's cameo in Taxi Driver. It's the scene in front of the campaign office, the first time Travis (DeNiro) sees Betsy (Cybil Shepherd). It was supposed to be his only appearance in the film, a Hitchcockian cameo, but toward the end of the shoot he wound up casting himself in a much more visible role. Actor George Memmoli, a friend of Scorsese's, was supposed to play the part of the jealous man in the back of Travis' cab who fantasizes about killing his unfaithful wife ("That you should see"). Unfortunately Memmoli suffered a bad accident from a stunt gone wrong on a Z-grade movie he was filming, making him unavailable. Since it was the end of the shoot and Scorsese had already tapped all of his friends for other various parts in the film, he was persuaded by DeNiro to do the scene.

But it was just supposed to be that brief shot on the street.

Yup, Hartley is another great NYC filmmaker I should have included in that group. His most recent, Fay Grim, a sequel to Henry Fool, is I think fast becoming my very favorite of all his stuff (definitely his funniest flick yet), but Trust, Amateur and The Unbeliveable Truth, all set in and filmed in New York, are great too.

I guess it's only natural for us to concentrate only on the directors, but writers have a great part to play, too, in the making of a good film. The specific person I have in mind is known more as a playwright, but so many of his plays have been made into films, I think he deserves to be included in the ranks on New York filmmakers.

Like most folks, probably, when I think about New York the first name that comes to mind is Woody Allen, but running close behind him is another brilliant and funny New Yorker:

Neil Simon
Among his many plays and screenplays set in New York: The Odd Couple, Barefoot In The Park, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Out-Of-Towners, The Goodbye Girl, and others that escape my memory for the moment.

I have many New York city favorites. For now, a couple of them are . . .
These probably need spoilers. I really don't know.


Barefoot in the Park

A story about a newlywed couple, starting their lives together. One aspires to be a successful lawyer, while the other is completely carefree, wanting to have as many wild, and crazy experiences, as life will show her. They go through some rough patches, pull her mother along for part of the ride, but in the end, they all change enough, to make it work.



Arthur

A story about a spoiled, rich man, who has never quite grown up. I doubt he has ever had to make a serious decision on his own. Now, he meets the one women that shows him what growing up is all about. Responsibilities, heart felt decisions, and life's heartaches, all play a part in teaching him that not everything comes so easy. Some things, you have to fight for. Some things, you have to give up. Others, you just have to accept.

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I'm quite capable of compiling a comprehensive list of New York films and filmmakers, what I was hoping is that members would share their impressions of the city through cinema. When you hear the words "New York City", what cinematic images come to mind? What movies made you want to go there, or perhaps conversely made you wary of going? What movies define the city for you, and how?

Neil Simon is great, his voice is definitely very New York. But how are his plays and characters New York to you? I adore Hal Hartley, but how is his New York different than Neil Simon's or Martin Scorsese's? Or go by landmarks. Is everybody else like me in that you can't see the Roosevelt Island Tram without instantly thinking of Rutger Hauer and Sylvester Stallone? When you think of the New York City subway is it The Taking of Pelham One Two Three or Turk 182 or Die Hard with a Vengeance or Crocodile Dundee or Jacob's Ladder or Carlito's Way or The Fisher King or The French Connection or Michael Jackson's "Bad" video? When you think of Central Park West do you expect to see a two-hundred-foot-tall Stay Puft Marshmellow Man? Do you wish they really did serve Breakfast at Tiffany's? If you go into Macy's are you looking for Kris Kringle or a defecting Russian saxaphone player? Is it even possible to see that one fountain in Central Park and not wonder how he got it in that tiny apartment for the mermaid?


What are your thoughts about New York City in relation to film, folks? If you've never been before, what places do you just have to visit because there's some movie scene burned into your mind? Memories, impressions, feelings about the metropolis as depicted through the magic of cinema.

I have only been to New York a few times and I never left the Airport. The Military made us go to the USO room, even if we had a long layover. In relationship to film and New York I think of:

King Kong ~ 1933



and even though it is "new" and a bit mysterious:

Cloverfield (1.18.08)



It is hard for not to think of The Statue of Liberty when thinking of New York, from the Planet of the Apes


to Spaceballs to Day after Tomorrow I think of Ms. Liberty and New York as a wonderful symbol/example of America, which is why I think it is used so many times in films.




It is also hard not to think of September 11thand in turn of United 93 and World Trade Center.

Unfortunately I also think of muggings and other violence when I think of New York, not just in film but in reality. I really do want to visit New York someday when I can enjoy it.

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“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

Two of my favourite movies take place in New York...


The Warriors (Walter Hill, 1979)

"War-ri-ors...come out to play-ay..."

If you blended A Clockwork Orange with Taxi Driver, you'd probably get The Warriors. Definitely one of those movies that depicts New York as an urban hellhole falling apart under the stress of street gangs and corrupt police. The whole movie is like a tour through the dark side of New York, going from Gramercy Park to Broadway, all the way to the beaches at Coney Island, with each part protected by some sinister, vaguely amusing gangs (read: Furies). Warriors is possibly the most fun thrill-ride through the seedy underbelly of New York.

And Holden, to answer your question - when I think of the New York subways, I think of The Warriors.


Escape From New York (John Carpenter, 1981)

"Snake Plissken. I've heard of you. Heard you were dead."

Escape From New York is very similar to Warriors in its presentation of New York as hell on earth, this time as a giant prison walled off by the U.S. Government. Broadway is riddled with heads on stakes, the sewers are populated by cannibals and the city is "run" by the all-powerful Duke of New York. Not to mention the security guards who blow up escapees with rockets. Glorifying New York? Not really.

And also, an honourable mention to the Godfather movies and 25th Hour.

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My second favorite scene with the Statue of Liberty (after Planet of the Apes) was in the famous scene in the Godfather when Clemenza kills Paulie and then says, "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis."

Did you notice the Statue of Liberty in the background?

and the scene from Hitcock's Saboteur also was a great use of the Statue of Liberty.

On the Town (1949)
This always makes me think of New York. The whole aspect of having one day to see the sights and experience the city. Growing up we still had relatives in NYC (and the surrounding areas) and would go up several times a year to visit. However, we only had that one day in Manhatten...and eventhough my mom grew up (for the most part) there, she was like a kid in being very excited for us to see the sights. So I dunno...this movie sort of brings out that feeling of excitement that my mom use to share with us.

Also...I think this was the first musical to be have shot some scenes on location. That first opening scene with the boys running around town singing "New York, New York" is perfect. I still love it.

Here's only part of the lyrics...

New York, New York, a helluva town.
The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down.
The people ride in a hole in the groun'.
New York, New York, it's a helluva town!

The famous places to visit are so many,
Or so the guidebooks say.
I promised Daddy I wouldn't miss on any.
And we have just one day.
Got to see the whole town
From Yonkers on down to the Bay.
GABEY, CHIP, OZZIE:
In just one day!

New York, New York, a visitor's place,
Where no one lives on account of the pace,
But seven millions are screaming for space.
New York, New York, it's a visitor's place!

The Muppets Take Manhattan
(d: Frank Oz, 1984)

I get the sense from this movie that New York is a great place to go to start your life, even if you have to struggle. There are lots of people who have connections with Broadway and sometimes you might get lucky and one of them will help you make it big. Also, there are many tall buildings and places where you can hide and spy on your frog boyfriend with a pair of binoculars to make sure he isn't cheating on you behind your back.


Party Monster
(d: Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato, 2003)

I get the sense from this movie that New York contains lots of interesting people who like to go out and have fun. Also, New York has lots of clubs and parties where you can dress up in strange costumes, stay up all night, take drugs if that's your thing, and basically be a wild animal.


Ghostbusters 1 & 2
(d: Ivan Reitman, 1984 & 1989)

I get the sense from these movies that New York isn't just crowded with people, but also crowded with ghosts. Luckily, they have ghostbusters to help take care of any hauntings in your New York home (or business). There are also art galleries and orchestras to entertain you in the meantime. The women in New York can be very hot and sometimes they might become possessed by a dog that's in heat. Also, giant marshmellow men and even the Statue of Liberty can sometimes stalk through the streets, stomping on cars and any unlucky New Yorkers. The people are also very festive on New Year's Eve and enjoy singing outside buildings covered in slime.


Sex & The City
(TV Show! 1998-2004)

I get the sense from this TV show that New York is filled with lots of relationship drama and that a group of women, usually in a pair of four, will meet at a restaurant or talk on the phone or maybe even go to a bar to discuss their drama. These women usually wear fabulous clothes and are always with the "in" crowd. There is usually one of them who has sex with every New Yorker man she can possibly find, and she might even be bold enough to try a lesbian relationship one time. It also seems like food is more expensive in New York, especially birthday cakes which can cost around $80 for just a little round, simple cake. If you're into struggling to find a man or if you're an oversexed middle aged woman, New York just might be the place for you to live.

That's all I can think of right now.

Can't say i would know expecially what films are in New York or where but i think the main image i have of the city is from the 70s in the dirty and poor districts i'd guess, things like blaxploitation (they were done there, right?) and anything from Midnight Cowboy to Live and Let Die. Even though Allen's Manhatten is a love letter to the city, i found him on show as much as the city.

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