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Classic NYC Movies: "The Muppets Take Manhattan"
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Last week we floated the theory that the classic black and white thriller "King Kong" might be the ultimate New York flick. This week we're countering that with a film much more recent, and perhaps a bit more near and dear to our hearts. We went to the Empire State Building because of Kong, but we looked for the carriages in Central Park because of 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan."
Here's why the childhood classic, about a frog and a dog and a chicken and a, well, whatever Gonzo is, trying to make it in New York, could be the ultimate NYC movie:
Because starry-eyed arrivals are best young, cute and undefeated. If you haven't seen the movie, the Muppets arrive direct from college where they have written a musical called "Manhattan Melodies." That they had never been to New York before writing the show is no deterrent; nor is their eventual moment of dissolution when they all go off to get menial jobs to achieve their dreams. Adorable menial jobs, that is, like working in a movie theater alongside the Swedish Chef. (Your poppin' corn is... 3-D!)
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Classic NYC Movies: Is King Kong the Ultimate New York Movie?
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It may seem strange that our leading contender for Classic New York movie doesn't primarily take place in New York City. But when you think of the original 1933 "King Kong," do you picture the cliff of Skull Island or the Empire State Building? Our point exactly.
Here's why the ape epic paved the way for characters from Annie Hall to Miranda Priestley to appear on the streets of New York:
Because where else would Kong fit in but on Broadway? Whether he's the main attraction or fleeing his captors, Kong takes his place amongst the current luminaries acting on the Great White Way--Oscar-nominated actresses like Laura Linney, stage giants like Patrick Stewart and singing divas like Patti LuPone.
No wonder most tourists who visit the city make a point of seeing shows, even if they would never go to a musical in Indianapolis or Tucson or Fargo.
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Shopping with Classic NYC Movies
With the release of the "Sex and the City" movie, a new wave of tourists is poised to enter the Big Apple with one question in mind: Where would Carrie shop? But she's hardly the first person who has looked at the fleet of taxis and seen a shopping-bag-friendly mode of transportation.
Of course with the influx of cheap-chic mall stores like H&M and Forever 21, New York trends reach the rest of the country much faster than they used to, but there's nothing like indulging in a little retail therapy in New York. Let these movie scenes get you started:
Tiffany & Co., as seen in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Sex and the City." Fully 90 percent of the foot traffic in this grande-dame store on weekends is comprised of curious tourists, not engagement-ready moguls. Still, even if you can't afford the wares, window shopping is free. (BYO croissant.) 727 Fifth Ave.
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Reader's Choice NYC Movie: "Trust The Man"'s Village Fantasia
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This week we took a hint from reader Eva, who recommended the 2006 movie "Trust the Man." On her blog Eva described "Trust the Man" (as well as another romantic comedy, "Prime") as potential successors to former Classic Movies topics "Annie Hall" and "When Harry Met Sally," calling them "smart movies about the way people really relate to each other." So how do people really relate to each other? No surprise: Dysfunctionally.
"Trust the Man" opens with a montage of stage-setting, Allenesque New York locales -- Washington Square Park, Abingdon Market in the West Village, East 10th Street and Stuyvesant Place. By luxuriating over these places, even with no apparent characters in them, writer-director Bart Freundlich is connecting the well-off, Village-dwelling characters in this world to their filmic predecessors.
These people have money, but it doesn't make them happy: Tom (David Duchovny) is not adjusting well to being a stay-at-home dad while his wife Rebecca (Julianne Moore, who happens to be Freundlich's wife) opens a play at Lincoln Center, so he cheats on her and doesn't seem to feel guilty about it. Meanwhile, Rebecca's younger brother Tobey (Billy Crudup) is feeling the pressure from girlfriend Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an aspiring children's book author, to settle down. As someone wise described "Hannah and Her Sisters," people meet, people cheat, people love and people leave.
