Films where city is a character in the film

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Inprogress

Well-known member
I'm looking for examples where city, well, mainly the surroundings of a film, is such in such a way as to become a character in the film. Not so much a creepy way, but more how a city, or a landscape affects the characters within the story in such a way as to change the main characters in some way. I keep on thinking of The Shining but that isn't exactly what I mean, although a good example since Kubrick did make the hotel a character in the film.

I'm looking for examples of films that has a city as a character, or a city that is kind of a character trait of say a country, or continent, a character trait that suggests to something larger. I'm looking for examples of who other directors/DOP's/Cinematographers brought life to a non-direct character in their stories, where those non-direct characters was a city, or a landscape, changing and affecting the main characters in some way, becoming part of the elements that brings the main character closer to resolution or change or action.

If that makes sense.
 
I may not completely understand you, but in case I do, I recommend:

Home Movie (documentary, 2001)
Sweetgrass (documentary)
Vernon, FL (documentary)
Delicatessen (not a documentary)
127 hours
Eraserhead
High Noon
Into the Wild
The Fall
The Bird People in China
The Fast Runner
Lawrence of Arabia
Dersu Uzala
most Miyazaki films (if animations count)
Moulin Rouge
Pee-wee Herman

The list goes on!
 
Film Noirs. Their usual oppressive city setting breeds the dark, desperate characters and situations. Isolation cynicm and corruption etc. Think Sin City, Taxi Driver, Bladerunner, Third Man and others. I guess Dark Knight too.?
 
Thank you so much everyone. Some of these do spring to mind when I read the titles, I will have to watch them again and some for the first time, that and to read up on decisions made in terms of storytelling and cinematography in terms of the setting and presenting the city/landscape as a character in the story. When I Google this, funny enough, Sin City keeps popping up in the results.

If cities and cultures (to some extent) is a product of the landscape, how would you capture that? Or to put it another way, if the geography is the character, and the city and culture a trait of that character, then how would you capture that? Cities form closely along with cultures, we can see this in the various different ways that architecture differs from country to country and culture to culture. To some extent, the culture is linked to the geography I think....think I need to go to the library and find books on architecture and it's influences. But, that is still something I think to be true to some extent.

We see it with the new global sub-culture of "green" living (I'm not going into the discussion of how many of these "Green" lifestyles just look green but is far from it) where houses and apartments make a closer match to the needs of the surroundings and geography. On the far end is the houses that attempt to make as little impact on the surround nature it is erected in, and on the urban side, the houses that attempt to use less of the urban space and use that space more wisely in order to bring back some of the original landscape, which I suppose also attempts to change the current landscape the dwelling is in.

Some further research is definitely required, what better place than some good stories in the from of cinema.
 
You should have a look at 'Wings of desire' by Wim Wenders. Berlin and it's architecture are representative of the tone of the film and the city is integral to the story ( the Berlin Wall also being a good metaphor for the separation of the characters ). The angels look down on the city seeing it from far so it almost looks like a vast character in its own right.
 
'The International' had some stupendous architectural cinematography, which really helped create the sense in your mind of these 'all powerful' corporations that are running the world.

And the constantly moving, chaotic, evolving and revolving sets of Anna Karenina are another one - where the free flowing walls allow now secrets to be held secret for long.
 
That a setting truly is-a-character hardly ever really happens. A movie showcasing a setting WITH LOTS OF CHARACTER is another thing, in order for something to BE an actual CHARACTER, the setting must have some sort of will and desire, etc. Haunted house stories mostly, although a rare and excellent example is Nolan's Batman series, where "the people of Gotham" are treated as having a collective will and emotional state of sorts. Batman and Joker fight almost literally for "the soul of Gotham"- whether Gotham has hope, whether the Gothamites blow each other up on boats, at the end of Dark Knight, Batman chooses to let "Gotham" believe that he killed Dent, etc.

Off the top of my head also Ghostbusters.

Yes, I know were using the term loosely and looking for movies where the setting accounts for alot of the mood of the story and is showcased and shot beautifully or interestingly, etc..

Just sayin.
 
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Chinatown
Ad Vitam
Metropolis
Closed Circuit
Spirited Away
Castle in the Sky
The Island
Europa Report
Alien
Alens
 
this is what im sayin. does any movie with a "moody" setting or sci-fi setting or just tons of cool production design or great establishing shots and cinematography count as having a setting that can be called "a character"? when you stretch the definition too much it loses its meaning. If were going that way, then...sure...blade runner...batman '89....any movie where a character goes to a strange new land (half of all movies?)...

"Dredd" was gorgeously shot in psychedelic candy colors; I guess we can say Mega-City-One and Peach Trees were characters if we stretch it. Pulp Fiction (Jack Rabbit Slims), etc ?

Again, "has character" isn't "is a character"

Go on though...
 
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