San Francisco in the Movies

I lived in New York for half my life, and probably twenty-percent of the movies that get made are filmed in New York City — and yet when I see New York on screen, I don’t feel anything.  And neither do New Yorkers.  So what is it about San Francisco on screen that is always curious and arresting?  If it’s an old movie, you just wish the camera would linger over the establishing shots, so you can identify the streets and figure out how they’ve changed.  If it’s a new movie, there’s the kick of seeing the familiar represented on the big screen.

I think part of the appeal is the size of the place.  San Francisco is just not that big, so it’s very possible that you’ll know whatever place is being shown.  Also, the neighborhoods are so identifiable that, if you know the city at all, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking at within a second or two.  Finally, it’s a very photogenic city, and so often there’s the pleasure of seeing the familiar suddenly idealized — or at least held up so that you can look and actually see it.
That said, not all movies set in San Francisco show the tourist side of the city.  Woody Allen’s BLUE JASMINE, in fact, was even criticized for not showing the city at its most pretty.  Then there was Marc Decena’s lovely DOPAMINE, from 2003, which showed us the San Francisco that residents know — a lived-in city, not a postcard.

More recently Hollywood has taken an interest in demolishing the place, first in “Godzilla” and next in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

Anyway, there are many faces of the city, idealized and realized, the San Francisco of reality and of fantasy, and the above gallery tries to show and direct you to some of them.

Theater goers gather outside the Castro Theater for the premiere of "Milk," staring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin, in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Josh Brolin had a tough time getting into the role of Dan White, the man who killed gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, played by Penn. (Photo by Tara Zorovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

'Basic Instinct' was shot around the Bay Area, including Carmel, Oakland and Pacific Heights and the bar Tosca in S.F. 

 

 

'Contagion.' The Jude Law parts were filmed in S.F., including a brief scene in the Chronicle building.

Diane Keaton and Woody Allen ride on a cable car together in a scene from the film 'Play It Again, Sam', 1972.

 

A car flies through the air while traveling down a San Francisco street in a still from the film, 'Bullitt,' directed by Peter Yates, 1968. 

 

 

For the Complete List of Movies Featured in San Francisco Click here:  http://blog.sfgate.com/mlasalle/2014/07/18/san-francisco-in-the-movies/#14198101=4