The Best Scenes by Location

[Qrazy]

Every once in a while a filmmaker comes along and completely captures the feeling of a place and/or imbues that place with a unique tone/atmosphere/memorable quality which makes it special. We've seen many films feature subways, waterfalls, ships, diners, shopping malls, clubs, etc... but which filmmakers have truly utilized locations to their fullest potential? Feel free to use any of the above places and name a corresponding scene, or to list some of your own locations. Just make sure it's a relatively common real world location which has appeared in many films, and that your scene cast it in a new or particularly interesting light.

[B-side]

First 2 that came to mind:

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u200/LL_KG/2001-ASpaceOdysseyStanleyKubrick-5.jpg

http://catalisecritica.files.wordpres s.com/2009/10/barry11.jpg

[Adam]

This isn't exactly what you're looking for because it's not a specific location or scene, but the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title of your thread was Wes Anderson's hyper-stylized riff on uptown 1970s NYC in The Royal Tenenbaums. He paints the whole area as this otherwordly, nostalgic thing; and it feels nostalgic even though his vision is almost wholly imaginary and idealized. Characters ride around in "Gypsy Cab Company" taxis and they visit places like "The 375th Street Y" and it all just works in the context of the movie and it's wonderful

To correctly answer your question though, how about the Battersea Power Station in Children of Men? That's pretty much The Perfect Answer, yeah?

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/children_of_men/_group_photos/clive_owen8.jpg
You know what it is, Theo? I just don't think about it.

[Adam]

Ah, but now I'm re-reading your intro here and it looks like you're looking for more general places like schools or hospitals and not specific locations that have been featured in multiple films. So you can just forget about my last post and move along, I guess

[Dukefrukem]

The Matrix Subway

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/65736981_3e5f4f3fe6.jpg?v=0


Night of the Living Dead - Cemetery

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-_OMl505-tM/SQe5T1Z2c8I/AAAAAAAABfU/FNCC0iGvbrQ/s320/NOTLD-Cemetery-OTIS.JPG

[Qrazy]

Congratulations Dukefrukem! You are the first person to read my first post. :)

[balmakboor]

The obvious answer for subways is any of a number of Brian De Palma movies -- I'll say Blow Out.

To that I'll add this one:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/06/risky-business-train-med.jpg

[Adam]

Well, how about the school in Children of Men? There's no kids in the entire world, you see, so it feels weird being in a school and so forth

http://www.avclub.com/assets/images/articles/article/1655/Children-Of-Men_0.jpg

[Raiders]

Most scenes in this film could count I guess, but...

Airport Terminal in Songs from the Second Floor

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/songs-from-the-second-floor-1.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

Congratulations Dukefrukem! You are the first person to read my first post. :)

Don't I get rep for that?

[Qrazy]

Well, how about the school in Children of Men? There's no kids in the entire world, you see, so it feels weird being in a school and so forth

http://www.avclub.com/assets/images/articles/article/1655/Children-Of-Men_0.jpg

Good call. I also liked the use of glass in that scene to create frames within frames.

[Qrazy]

The obvious answer for subways is any of a number of Brian De Palma movies -- I'll say Blow Out.

To that I'll add this one:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/06/risky-business-train-med.jpg

Two other subway sequences I really like are in Midnight Cowboy and Le Samourai.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/430019421_b18f53b9f8.jpg

[Benny Profane]

http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/51246342.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=444ED34A869CB9703BB0F1CC3166 B39F

I really like this subway scene in Saturday Night Fever, when Tony is taking the train uptown after Bobby C. fell off the Brooklyn bridge.

[Fezzik]

One I could think of off the top of my head:

Small Town Diner: Groundhog Day

It works so well here, i think, because of the cyclical nature of the story. We meet/learn about these people over time, so its almost like we're a part of that little town.

http://www.reelfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gddiner.jpg

[Adam]

The jail cell in Down By Law

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss47/adamstone20/site_28_rand_193537977_down_by _l-1.jpg

[B-side]

Congratulations Dukefrukem! You are the first person to read my first post. :)

2001 best used the inside of a space ship. Barry Lyndon best used the countryside.

[Qrazy]

2001 best used the inside of a space ship. Barry Lyndon best used the countryside.

Ahh k sorry I should have been clearer, I meant real world, common, specific locations so countryside is a little too broad. But I do agree with you that those two films use location to great effect.

[B-side]

Ahh k sorry I should have been clearer, I meant real world, common, specific locations so countryside is a little too broad. But I do agree with you that those two films use location to great effect.

I don't see how those two are any less real world, common and specific than "jail cell" or "subway".

[Qrazy]

I don't see how those two are any less real world, common and specific than "jail cell" or "subway".

Is the inside of a futuristic spaceship something you've ever experienced? Countryside is real world it's just too broad. I mean the alternative is best representation of a city, there's just too much there.

[Pathétique]

The Ferrris wheel and storm drains are presented pretty strikingly in The Third Man. The movie often comes to mind whenever I think of those two types of locations.

http://addictivethoughts.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_151/rotator/third_man1.jpg

[Russ]

which filmmakers have truly utilized locations to their fullest potential?
Agree tht De Palma is THE answer here. I mean, let me know if there's a filmmaker that does this any better or more consistently. You'd be hard pressed to name one of his films that doesn't have at least one memorable location-specific setpiece. My favorites include Dressed to Kill (elevator, art museum), Body Double (shopping mall), The Untouchables (train station), Femme Fatale (movie theater)...the list goes on and on.

[Sven]

How's about a seaside resort in M. Hulot's Holiday? The factory in Mon Oncle? The restaurant in Playtime? The car expo in Trafic?

Tati is pretty much the best.

[Russ]

Tati is pretty much the best.
Cannot disagree.

[balmakboor]

How's about a seaside resort in M. Hulot's Holiday? The factory in Mon Oncle? The restaurant in Playtime? The car expo in Trafic?

Tati is pretty much the best.

I don't think it would be a crazy stretch for me to call those four films taken collectively the greatest directorial achievement in movie history. That's how I love them so.