Summary

Some flick apply their localisation as vital reference , and cities all over the world have iconic movies which separate their stories better than any touristry safari . moving picture which are filmed on location can invite the watcher in , often using iconic landmarks and other distinct characteristics to paint a portrait of their city . These movies would n’t work if they were prepare anywhere else , because the setting is fundamental to their stories .

It ’s possible to construct a single-valued function of the world using nothing but iconic picture show which embody their city . Sometimes , director secernate narration about their own homes and their own lives which add their cities to a global audience , but other time filmmakers from other places take an sake in a sealed scene . These motion picture are now synonymous with the cities they take place in , and some people from distant countries can even refer to the cities based on democratic moving picture which were filmed there .

Setting a movie entirely ( or almost exclusively ) in one fix allows filmmakers to concentrate on character and story , resulting in gems like Misery .

Collage of James Stewart in Rear Window, Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men, and Kathy Bates and James Caan in Misery

10The Third Man (1949)

Vienna, Austria

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Vienna was struggling to rebuild after the topsy-turvydom and destruction of the Second World War , andThe Third Manshows people go about their stage business beside spile of rubble and tattered glass .

The Third Manis considered one of the sterling British movies of all metre , and its beautiful depiction of post - war Vienna is a with child reason why . Vienna was struggle to reconstruct after the bedlam and destruction of the Second World War , andThe Third Manshows citizenry going about their occupation beside piles of rubble and tattered glass . The city was a haven for criminal and smugglers , just like Orson Welles ' character Harry Lime .

One of the most iconic scenes inThe Third Mantakes place on the Wiener Riesenradin the Prater entertainment park . The Ferris wheel was built in 1897 and has become a symbolization of the city , andThe Third Manonly added to this legend . Another notable fit takes place in Vienna ’s sewer organisation , as Harry Lime leads the constabulary on a mad chase , and this has translate the tunnel into a tourist magnet .

Kaitlyn Santa Juana as Stefanie looking horrified in Final Destination Bloodlines

9Lost In Translation (2003)

Tokyo, Japan

recede in Translationuses the bright lights and busy streets of the Nipponese capital to play up the isolation that Bob and Charlotte feel .

misplace in Translationstars Bill Murray as a washed - up actor on a trip to Tokyo to seem in an ad effort for Japanese whisky . While he spends his lonesome nights thousands of miles aside from his married woman , his agentive role , and everyone else he knows , he sustain to cognize an equally disenfranchised American constitute Charlotte , roleplay by Scarlett Johansson . Bob and Charlotte come to up an unusual friendly relationship , despiteLost in Translation ’s controversial years gap .

lose in Translationuses the bright light and busy street of the Japanese capital to highlight the closing off that Bob and Charlotte feel . Although they are constantly surround by masses , they often feel unable to help alone , andthere are many shots of them looking at the city through windows , as if they ’re look out their own lives on a screen . They only chance some semblance of happiness when they get down to street level and connect with each other and the other people in the metropolis .

In a dusty landscape Finn stares out into the distance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

8The Italian Job (1969)

Turin, Italy

One iconic sequence shows the thieves making their getaway through the gorgeous city of Turin in their Mini Coopers .

Michael Caine stars inThe Italian Jobas the leader of a striation of British thieves who aim for a big account of gilded bullion in Turin , Italy . The crime caper stands out for presenting a different class of criminals than most heist flick . Charlie Croker and his associate are nervy British hooligans , and a far watchword from the suave , sophisticated archetype in other movies from the era likeTopkapiandOcean ’s 11 .

The Italian Jobends on an unforgettable cliffhangeras the thieves escape through the winding roads of the Alps , only for their bus to twirl out and drop dangerously off the edge of a cliff . The other iconic sequence comes just before this , as the thief make their getaway through the gorgeous city of Turin in their Mini Coopers . The cars are so small that the stealer can barrel through brood securities industry and along mosaic - tiled sidewalks .

Custom image of The Third Man and In The Mood For Love

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

7Roma (2018)

Mexico City, Mexico

Romaeven reference work tangible diachronic upshot , with a particularly shocking scene revivify the Corpus Christi Massacre of 1971 , in which over 100 scholar protesters were killed .

Romaisn’t just evocative of Mexico City , but also of a specific bit in clip . Set during 1970 and 1971,Romais managing director Alfonso Cuarón ’s semi - autobiographic take on his own puerility , and the things that he see to it around him last in Mexico City . It even references veridical historical events , with a in particular shocking scene recreating the Corpus Christi Massacre of 1971 , in which over 100 student dissident were killed .

Romais a robust portraiture of a glum clip in Mexico ’s history , as the Mexican Dirty War took over hoi polloi ’s life . It also analyze the complex racial and cultural history of Mexico City , and the way of life that diachronic event extend to shape modernistic life in the city . This means thatRoma ’s snapshot of Mexico City is more than just skin deep , and the focus on the metropolis ’s computer architecture and visual style are just one part of a more complex puzzle .

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6City Of God (2002)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

City of Godis as heartbreaking as it is beautiful , but this dichotomy means that it can leave a more complete picture of the city .

Rio de Janeiro is bless with remarkable born beauty , from the picturesque beaches to the rich foliage , butCity of Godfocuses more on the uglier side of things . Rio de Janeiro has long been transfix by wildness , peculiarly gun violence stemming from the illegal drug craft , andCity of Godshows how this influence can corrupt even the youngest child and most innocent souls living in the metropolis ’s favelas .

metropolis of Godis germinate beautifully , but this only pull in the viewer deeper into the world of harsh furiousness in Rio ’s favelas . The contrast between the scenes of an idyllic coastal paradise and those of indurate deplorable behavior highlight the water parting that fly the coop through Rio . City of Godis as heartbreaking as it is beautiful , but this dichotomy means that it can provide a more unadulterated picture of the city .

Headshot Of Bill Murray In The 65th BFI London Film Festival: ‘The French Dispatch’ premiere

5District 9 (2009)

Johannesburg, South Africa

District 9uses sci - fi to get at the heart of South Africa ’s colored account , and it shows that picture can expose the truth about a prison term and a place without relying on close reconstruction of the era .

territorial dominion 9uses sci - fi to get at the eye of South Africa ’s glum history , and it shows that movies can uncover the truth about a time and a place without relying on close reconstruction of the earned run average . The divide between the aliens and the humans inDistrict 9serves as an allegory for apartheid in SouthAfrica , andthe motion picture get its name from District Six , a whites - only locality that was built during the 1960s .

Although apartheid officially ended in the 1990s , the country has sputter to run away from its bequest . territorial dominion 9uses broad snapshot to punctuate the watershed between the man and the prawns . Although the landscape of Johannesburg inDistrict 9is entirely fictional , what it tell about the city rings true . After the winner ofDistrict 9,directorNeil Blomkamp has been work onDistrict 10,but the plot of ground and prepare remain a mystery story .

Headshot Of Anna Faris In The Overboard Los Angeles Premiere

4In The Mood For Love (2000)

Hong Kong, China

In the Mood for Loveuses the tall skyscraper and murkily - illuminate street of Hong Kong to shrink the lineament within the frame . Their stories seem simultaneously insignificant and representative of something much larger .

Many of Wong Kar - wai ’s motion picture share a close association with Hong Kong , includingChungking ExpressandAs Tears Go By . In the Mood for Loveis a hauntingly beautiful passion tale set in the busy metropolis , and it continues the music director ’s geographic expedition of Hong Kong and its people . The story hire place in the 1960s , and it be two stranger who are attract together by the fact that their spouses are both cheating on them with each other .

In the Mood for Loveuses the tall skyscraper and dimly - lit streets of Hong Kong to shrink the characters within the frame . Their stories seem at the same time insignificant and representative of something much larger . Wong Kar - wai frames his characters much more closely when they are alone together , in the morose corner of a legal community or walking through the empty side street of the city .

Headshot Of Giovanni Ribisi In The 5th Annual Kodak Film Awards held at The ASC Clubhouse

3In Bruges (2008)

Bruges, Belgium

While in Bruges , Ray and Ken get to try out the best of what the city has to offer , including a boat tour on the canal and some blond Belgian beer .

In Brugeswas the firstcollaboration between Martin McDonagh and Colin Farrell , but they light upon upon their distinctive comedy stylus early . Farrell plays the depressed triggerman Ray , racked with guilty conscience after by chance killing a child in a task gone wrong . His privileged turmoil is a immense demarcation to the postal card - quick scenery and the lighthearted amusements that surround him . He may hate City of Bridges , but his boss sends him there as one final act of mercifulness before say his assassination .

2Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca, Morocco

With dusty bazaars and sweltering gin joints , Casablancapaints the range of a function of a township that attempt to snare everyone who passes through .

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco , and the picture of the same name differentiate the story of a brief moment in meter when it was an crucial hub for refugees hear to break away the carnage of the Second World War in Europe . Although the events of the movie are fancied , the background is real . This has allowedCasablancato become close distinguish with the metropolis that it represents .

Casablancais packed with iconic quotation , mostly pertaining to the doom love story between Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund . However , Rick and Ilsa ’s story can only take post because of the dramatic backstory allow by the city and its curious political landscape painting during the war . With dust-covered bazaar and sweltering gin joints , Casablancapaints the simulacrum of a town that seek to ensnare everyone who choke through .

Shot Of Michael Caine In The World premiere of ‘The Great Escaper’ at BFI Southbank

1Vertigo (1958)

San Francisco, California, United States of America

Hitchcock frames San Francisco ’s steep hills to create a sense of unease , as if Scottie ca n’t get his foot on solid earth .

Alfred Hitchcock often used famous landmarks in his moving-picture show , from the chase scene across Mount Rushmore inNorth by Northwestto the fight atop the Statue of Liberty inSaboteur . Vertigotakes this proficiency one footstep further by using the entirety of San Francisco as a visual theme to play up the paranoia of Scottie , a retired detective played by frequent Hitchcock collaborator James Stewart .

Hitchcock frames San Francisco ’s unconscionable hills to create a mother wit of disquiet , as if Scottie ca n’t get his feet on solid background . The curve of Lombard Street are another cue to his home state , but Hitchcock also peppers in a long list of other iconic San Francisco landmarks , including the Golden Gate Bridge , Coit Tower , and the San Francisco Ferry Building . Vertigois wide acknowledged as one ofAlfred Hitchcock ’s effective motion picture , and the way he incorporates the setting into the story is a key component .

Headshot Of Sharlto Copley In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Universal Pictures ‘Monkey Man’

Headshot Of Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Headshot Of Colin Farrell In The Los Angeles Press Day For Apple TV+’s ‘Sugar’

Headshot Of Brendan Gleeson iN The 66th BFI London Film Festival

Headshot Of Ralph Fiennes

Headshot Of Kim Novak