My affections started in the 1990s, watching shows like Seinfeld and Friends, and following the Mets. It was this massive place that felt connected and close knit. And so many movies I loved included the iconic shots of the Washington Square Arch, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Twin Towers.
The city was going through a revitalization at the time of the 90s. High crime, rampant poverty, and urban flight made New York something of a joke in the decades before. The city almost filed bankruptcy at the time the World Trade Center was being built.
Despite all that, I noticed that every time I watch a movie or show filmed in 1970s New York, something made me want to be there.
The streets were dirty. You can smell the decay through the TV screen. It looked so cold, even in the middle of summer.
Gated storefronts, splashes of graffiti, steam wafting from sewer grates.
Clunky box cars. Lights twinkling behind constant drizzle. Not a coffee shop in site.
But It was gritty. It was real. You didn’t need fancy cinematography because the unfiltered city on its own was so bliss.
How can a place be so welcoming to all and yet somehow seem uninviting?
The skyline back then was so much better. Theres a detail you can study and a nuance that can be appreciated so much more than today’s massive CGI looking metropolis. The iconic landmarks are present, some having withstood the test of time.
Or maybe its seeing youthful versions of my favorite actors. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman. Dressed in terrible fashion and sporting ridiculous hairdos.
I’m not sure the reason. But I’m thankful I have these feelings. If you’re like me, these movies will transport you to 1970s New York from the comfort of your modern couch.
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975)
Robert Redford plays a CIA agent who comes back from lunch one day to find everyone in his office dead. To survive, he must find passage across the city. Old school tech, cigarette smoke, and payphones are abundant. As are shots of the recently completed Twin Towers.
SERPICO (1973)
Al Pacino stars as a hardened New York cop patrolling the tough streets of the 1970s. The city looks brooding and scary, living up to the infamous Sinatra quote.
THE TAKING OF PELHAN ONE TWO THREE (1974)
Thugs demand ransom from a hijacked subway car. With snappy dialogue and gritty New York attitude, the film feels immersive. Like you are not only in a New York subway car, but also five decades into the past.
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
There’s nothing more New York than a taxicab. Except maybe Robert De Niro as a maniac driving one. Tawdry lights, decrepit buildings, vacant lots. The beauty of old New York is here.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Gene Hackman plays a do-whatever-it-takes cop with the city serving as a perfect backdrop. Hackman’s character staggers out of a seedy bar and walks past a group of youths playing street hockey with a crushed aluminum can serving as the puck. A perfect and timeless capture.
MEAN STREETS (1973)
This Scorsese mob movie features two of the greats, Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. The cast also includes Bronx born Victor Argo and Brooklyn born David Proval. A perfect representation.
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
Al Pacino robs a bank. That itself is archaic. Doing so in New York makes me want to put on a ski mask and join him.
Bonus!
ROCKY (1976)
Yes, I know its not New York. But Philadelphia is an equally impressive and equally enviable place in the 1970s. “Rocky” is the Philly staple. Its set during the Bicentennial and displays all the crud and dreariness of the aforementioned films.
We get the slums of Rocky’s neighborhood, the blue-collar dockyard and of course the steps of the Art Museum where he looks out at the cities then modest skyline. One of my all-time favorite movie moments occurs by chance, when the L-train rolls past the street as he’s talking to Mickey.
Chef’s kiss.
