The City on Film

This article from The Guardian looks at how the world's major cities are portrayed in film.

1 minute read

November 17, 2007, 1:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg


Paris:

"There comes a time in almost all film-makers' lives when they want to take on Paris. Strangely, 'getting Paris right' is not necessarily a question of filming in the French capital, but rather of being true to the 'idea' of Paris."

Moscow:

"Film critics complain that the Hollywood depiction of Moscow rarely goes beyond the cliches of mafia, prostitutes and KGB killers. 'It's unrealistic and wrong,' Anna Franklin, a Russian-based film critic, says. 'The way Russian and foreign films portray Moscow is very different. It's often Hollywood fantasy using the streets of Moscow as a background.'"

Rome:

"[R]ealistic portrayals of contemporary Rome are few and far between. Roma was a deliberate caricature - a lyrical (though essentially faithful) representation of the spirit of the place. Dear Diary was realistic to the point of being a travelogue in places, but the capital it portrays is an abnormal one - Rome in August, without the people, the noise and the traffic."

Los Angeles:

"Since Los Angeles is the world capital of the movie business and a city you are duty-bound to despise, it's not surprising that its most indelibly famous civic movie chronicles, in the most self-hating manner, its own municipal creation-myth: Roman Polanski and Robert Towne's Chinatown."

Friday, November 16, 2007 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

6 hours ago - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

7 hours ago - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.