In this week’s New York, David Edelstein lists a number of films that significantly represent the Big Apple. Because it’s a celebration of the magazine’s 40th anniversary, though, it only goes back as far as 1968 (the year of Planet of the Apes and Rosemary’s Baby). So, tragically no timely mention of The Naked City, which lost both its director and star recently.
Edelstein claims to be upset about having to be exclusive, though he seems more concerned with the fact that there aren’t many recent films in the bunch (he asks if I Am Legend has cultural impact). There are a couple films from this decade cited, both of them bearing post-9/11 significance, though he glaringly avoids referencing Cloverfield. Even if he didn’t like the film — though I think he did — it would still be noteworthy. If not just for the sake of the subtext, at least for the fact that, in the last twenty years, the destruction of this city has been a huge part of its cinematic identity. New York even did a top ten list last year.
Sure, it’s a little sad to have disaster movies and other fantasies like Spider-Man and Enchanted be the primary representations of New York these days, especially considering most of them look less authentic than Stanley Kubrick’s manufactured Manhattan of Eyes Wide Shut. But as long as he’s including a film acted out with Barbie dolls, there’s got to be room for a giant menacing creature, even if its the more popular Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
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