How many times have you found yourself Googling a film’s location because it’s made a place seem incredibly appealing?
I recently talked about location appeal (on Saturday in fact) with regards to that pic that paints a picture of a perfect Paris – Amelie.
LA Story, on tonight, is another example of a tourist board’s dream. Presented as cosy and carefree, this film’s LA is indeed the city of angels or fun and frivolous la-la land and shows no signs of the poverty, the violence, the fires or the earthquakes that also define the place.
So that’s got me thinking about how many other films paint ideal pictures of a perfect setting, and how many do the opposite.
Here are just a few of the films that have seen me forming (or questioning) overly idealistic impressions of a place, or that have caused me to adopt an unfairly negative view.
Amelie
Paris is a city of friendly bars and restaurants and quirky playful Parisians.
LA Story
The city of angels is friendly, cosy and carefree.
This New York district is a delicious slice of the big apple.
You’re just falling over period properties, charming churchyards, castles and rolling hills in Great Britain.
It’s not uncommon to live in a remote country cottage if you work in London.
What with the below-zero temperatures outside and the unfriendly staff, the Transsiberian Express is one seriously chilly choo choo,
If you’re a Westerner in Tokyo you’ll be sure to suffer a sense of alienation.
Georgia is full of in-bred hillbillies.
Edinburgh is very similar to Glasgow…
Set in the fictional community of Grimley, based on the real life hardships of colliery town Grimethorpe, is it any wonder people think it’s grim up north?
New York’s a big poisonous apple
If small-town Australia is enough to make a porpoise spit then it must be bad.
