Travel and Film

[Deleted]

Oddly enough, we seem to have never discussed this subject. But I was struck by this article from the Sydney Morning Herald about "films that get travel all wrong".

It's true that it is something that annoys me no end, perhaps even more so because so many movies have scenes that take place in Paris, and I can see in less than 2 seconds if those scenes were not even filmed in Paris. Common stand-ins for Paris are Québec, Prague and Budapest.

However, that is not really the problem since even when movies are filmed in Paris, the geography of the scenes often has absolutely nothing to do with reality (for example getting out of the metro at Opera and being next to the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower two minutes later).

And that is not the problem either. I completely understand that it is not always possible to film where you want to film and that the "visuals" of a city are more important than respecting real geography when 99% of the spectators will never see or care about the difference.

But what is really awful is when movies totally disrespect the country in question with total caricatures of the "natives" or the feel of the country. Naturally, often comedies do this on purpose, so it can almost be forgiven, but it is also common for totally serious movies to completely flout reality, whether it be the judicial system, the food that is eaten there or just the way that a street market is set up.

I'm sure that we all have examples of films that embarrassed us or just pissed us off with such scenes.

[htmb]

Probably not quite what you had in mind, but My Cousin Vinny struck a chord with me, both for its stereotypes and because the outside scenes of the courthouse were filmed in Monticello, Georgia (USA) rather than in Alabama.

I still thought it was a pretty funny movie, but I also laugh wherever I think of my poor SIL who, before he moved to Florida from NJ as a kid, thought we all acted as portrayed in the film.

[Deleted]

So many (yes Kerouac, bad) films are filmed where I live, yet none are about where I live, so none of us are disconcerted when we see the art gallery standing in for a state capitol building, or our library appearing as a shopping mall, or a city park standing in for Alaska. I imagine New Yorkers, Parisians and Los Angelenos have much more to complain about.

The charming man I talked with this week on the bus from Seattle was amazed I didn't talk like a Canadian, i.e. Bob or Doug McKenzie.
Never mind that is a 30 year old send up of people who live 3,500 kilometres from me.

[Deleted]

I remember in the Spielberg film "Catch Me If You Can" there were scenes that supposedly took place in a French village, and anybody in France could instantly see that there was nothing French about that village (which was in Québec). Some countries seem to be "identified" by just one detail -- in this case, it was the fact that there was a stone church. Well, I'm sorry but just having a church built out of stone does not make a place look like France.

[bjd]

Toronto was often used for a stand-in for US cities, particularly New York. Of course, Torontonians used to claim that they had to throw some garbage around on the streets to make it really look like NYC.

[Deleted]

Yes, my wife filmed about a half dozen films in Toronto which all took place in the U.S. plus about 3 in Vancouver.

[patricklondon]

I'm sure that we all have examples of films that embarrassed us or just pissed us off with such scenes.

Oh lordy lordy, yes. Quite apart from the fact that Hollywood likes its villains British, and the same sort of geographical displacements kerouac notices about films set in Paris, it's the limited range of ideas about who we are that get up my nose, like, we're all stuck up pseudo-aristocrats (or drunken hooligans), or that London is only selected famous sights. Bill Bryson once had a joke about how it must have been the law that every film set in London had to feature a bunch of people laughing their heads off in an open-top sports car racing over Tower Bridge.

Mind, it happens with our own productions - the longstanding police series The Bill used to film all over the place, and if you knew your various different council estates, any one episode would have had them zipping all over London. I rather suspect something similar happens in a French series like Engrenages.

[Deleted]

One thing about most of the French series, though -- unless they were made specifically for export, as some are, the French do know that not everything is right next to the Eiffel Tower. In fact, almost nothing is. On the other hand, there is a bridge going over the railroad tracks just three blocks from my flat which must have been the scene of at least 50 murders, hundreds of drug deals and countless creepy and loud footsteps closely following the person walking in front.

And actually, since my "micro-quarter" is just a tiny wedge between the railroad tracks of Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est, for about six months starting next month, we will have film crews constantly staking out the terrain and using all of the bridges for "old Paris" and "criminal Paris" scenes. I rarely see fashion shoots on those bridges, but yes, I have actually seen those, too.

[bjd]

Just the other day on the radio I heard an interview with the man working for the city of Paris who is in charge of giving permits for filming and photography. He said lots of films are shot in August because it's easier to find empty streets. And you don't need permission to film the Eiffel Tower during the day, but you do at night. If I remember correctly, it's because it's a private company that pays for the lighting.

[Deleted]

The lights on the Eiffel Tower are protected by copyright, so royalties must be paid for any professional night photographs or films.

[htmb]

Aug 16, 2013 10:40:05 GMT kerouac2 said:

Yes, my wife filmed about a half dozen films in Toronto which all took place in the U.S. plus about 3 in Vancouver.

Is she still in the film industry?

[Deleted]

Yes, I suppose so. She was working most recently on one of those ridiculous tornado movies in Detroit (which already looks like it was hit by a tornado).