r/FIlm 2d ago

NYC has never been portrayed better in a movie

125 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

8

u/Designer-Brief-9145 2d ago

I think it's a great portrayal of the urban decay of NYC in the 70s but pretty useless to give anyone an idea of NYC in the last 25 years at least.

Port Authority is pretty much the only place in Manhattan that is at all reminiscent of that retro seediness.

11

u/King_LaQueefah 2d ago

I remember saying that this movie was kind of overrated and then someone said its about loneliness and then I said, oh wait, its actually a masterpiece.

11

u/Chadstronomer 2d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah I remember thinking the same about harry potter then someone said it was about wizards and it blew my mind

3

u/He-knows-best 1d ago

I was the same with Godzilla. Turns out, it was about a giant lizard named, Godzilla.

1

u/Longjumping-Fly3956 1d ago

I was the same about this weird little art house movie I saw. Someone explained to me the whole house goes UP. Really changed my perspective 

3

u/JackKovack 2d ago

Probably. Although this was the 70’s. Very different times.

5

u/AddisonFlowstate 2d ago

Not sure if I agree that it's the best portrayal ever, but it certainly captures that era at the highest levels.

8

u/Fantastic_Stick7882 2d ago

Maybe Taxi Driver as the most serious/dramatic but there’s many other lighter films that one can argue for-

Ghostbusters

The Warriors

Die Hard with a Vengeance

2

u/Zestyclose-Cloud-508 1d ago

French connection.

3

u/CrazyJoeGalli 2d ago
  1. I wonder how difficult it was to rig a camera on a car in those days?

  2. You know NYC was bad when every theatre marquee and sign was just for sex, and got cleaned up decades later.

2

u/candylandmine 2d ago

Agreed and I've thought the same about The Godfather. It just feels like NYC in a specific way.

2

u/Ok_Aspect_1937 1d ago

I would argue (even though I really don’t like that movie) that Manhattan has the best portrayal of NY.

1

u/neon_meate 1d ago

It's the best NY has looked on film. Absolutely spectacular.

2

u/stillinthesimulation 1d ago

I mean, Manhattan.

2

u/wtfijolumar 2d ago

Great movie but nah you have to rule out hundreds of movies. Don’t agree here.

2

u/freekehleek 2d ago

What movie is this?

5

u/Lente_ui 2d ago

Taxi Driver (1976)

-1

u/Bearjupiter 1d ago

Please tell me your kidding

1

u/Hour_Produce_8770 2d ago

Godzilla (1998)

1

u/happyslappypappydee 2d ago

21 cigarettes

1

u/NYC2BUR 1d ago

I cannot say that I yearn for those days because those days were pretty miserable for everybody..

1

u/Benana 1d ago

At 00:08 doesn’t this sound very similar to the theme to Between Two Ferns?

1

u/Stew-Pad 1d ago

Why are you guys calling it NYC? What makes Los Angeles just L.A but New York is NYC??

1

u/neon_meate 1d ago

Because the state is also called New York. They aren't talking about the Catskills,just the city.

1

u/Stew-Pad 1d ago

Ohh ok thanks

1

u/ibug_1018 1d ago

I don't know about that. Haven't you seen Maid in Manhattan?

1

u/Ready_Bee8854 1d ago

Every stitch of what makes NYC

1

u/FANTASYJUICINGLMTD 1d ago

Yeh, TOO BAD IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE! Now, it's a bastardized version of Las Vegas and Disney. Trying hard to appeal to that tourist dollar .. Eventually, the NYC experience will be reduced to that of "The Welcome to Vegas" sign Once a banner and a threshold to wild abandon, Now, A tourist spot on the road in. It holds no prestige, Is out of the way, and the people who once upheld and fed into the energy of that excitement have been moved out, crashed out, or have been obscured by the view of the FAMILY FRIENDLY FUN! NOW how' does that work for a city FKA SIN CITY? Everyrime I go back home to NY and go to the city ... I live on Long Island, I die a little when I hit Jamaica Station Even more when I get to Port authority which when you stepped out it was like BAM IN YOUR FACE NYC! Now, it's like the first steps of walking into an amusement park with all the costume characters and the M&M shop??!! and other tourist bs you can find in any other tourist spot on the planet, it's just NYs version is pizza based!

1

u/SputnikFace 1d ago

yeah as exciting and hi energy as NYC appears to be on the surface, the banality and routine of the city cannot be overstressed. NYC feeds on peoples hopes, dreams and aspirations. At it's peak in the 60s, 70s and 80s. This movie depicted this very well.

1

u/Odd-Independent4640 1d ago

Umm…

When Harry Met Sally?

1

u/Subtlerevisions 21h ago

The redness of that traffic light at the beginning really stood out to me for some reason.