By: Alex
“Chapter one. She adored New York City. She idolized it all out of
proportion.” As I write this column, I sit on the fourth floor of a residence
hall in Brooklyn, beneath string lights, surrounded by posters of grunge films
of the 90s, amateur photography developed by the photographer in her own dark
room, and scented hippie candles, while the Velvet Underground plays. I. love.
this. place. As I am so inspired by this city and its opportunity for people to
be admired and respected for being different and ambitious, I am so inclined to
share my favorite movies set in the NYC that explain its magical, inspiring
lifestyle so well.
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| Art by Alex |
Manhattan (1979)- I would classify most any Woody Allen film as the quintessential
‘New York movie,’ but Manhattan, being named after a burrow of the
city, is certainly one of his best. His main character Ike (played by himself,
of course) makes his way through day to day life in the city, confronting his
ex-wife, dating a high school student, and falling in love with a pretentious
middle-aged woman. Through the magic of the city, Woody battles with his inner
turmoil and realizes that, even though life can get overwhelming, sometimes you
have to have a little faith in people.
The Squid and the Whale (2005)- Using the intelligent community of Brooklyn as its backdrop,
this movie centers around two authorial parents who break it to their teenage
sons, Walt and Frank, that they are getting a divorce. Confused and
overwhelmed, Walt and Frank must deal with the aftermath of their parents’
decision: how to deal with a broken family, whose sides to take, and how to
move on. Forced to adjust to this new life, Walt and Frank try to both break
from their parents and also become more like them, leading to their downward
spiral of pathetic hopelessness and unrightful arrogance.
Taxi Driver (1976)- In
a not so positive look at New York City, the troubled, sleepless Travis Bickle
takes on a night shift as a taxi driver. Through his journal, we learn of
Travis’ inner thoughts about his disgust with humanity, his fascination with
the beautiful Betsy, and his desire to help a child prostitute, Iris. Travis
doesn’t seem to care about much, with his apathetic attitude and rebellious
nature, but with this shocking look at the underbelly of New York culture, we
see that Travis does want to change the decay (physical and mental) of the
city, wishing for someone ‘to clean this garbage off the street.’
When Harry Met Sally (1989)- When Harry carpools
with Sally from Chicago to New York City the day of their college graduation,
the two were destined to be together, though they barely knew each other at the
beginning of the journey. Throughout the rest of the film, Harry and Sally have
chance encounters, until they become good friends, each of them lamenting over
the fact that they are still single in New York City. Eventually, Harry and
Sally become more than friends, which is what we always wanted, and their dates
in Central Park become an envious relationship for anyone.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1964)- The gorgeous,
glamorous Holly Golightly rules New York City with her style and poise. In one
of Audrey Hepburn’s most well-known roles, this movie showcases the New York
high life and the chance that everything great in the world is possible through
the holy grail-esque promise of Tiffany’s. In a story of self-discovery, we get
to know Holly’s surprising past as her relationship with Paul Varjack, or
‘Fred,’ as she so fondly refers to him, grows and helps teach her about life
and love.
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