New York has long been a favorite location for film directors, enough so that certain shots of skylines and taxis have become expected cinematic tropes. Fascinatingly, one facet that has appeared in nearly every New York City-set film is the idea of the modern woman who calls the city home. She has changed immensely based on the culture at the time of the film’s release, as well as the director’s vision, and one of the keyways to observe this is in her interactions with spaces in New York City. How does the director place a woman in such a unique setting and what does it say about their artistic vision? How might this have changed in recent years, where significantly more women are directing films and controlling how they are represented? Take a look at this map of different spots in New York City used in films to see how the cinematic gaze and its view of women has changed.
IMAGE CREDITS: The 40-Year-Old Version https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/artworks/535532/images-original.png?1681827867 , The Devil Wears Prada https://media.glamour.com/photos/58befbe43efa4455c0d76dc3/master/w_1920,c_limit/DEVIL%20WEARS%20PRADA.JPG , Breakfast at Tiffany’s https://media.tatler.com/photos/61938197ac8c55142f3e8999/16:9/w_1920,c_limit/BAT%206045%20.jpg , Leon: The Professional https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Laeon_The_Professional-154991506-large.jpg , Funny Face https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e6/37/e3/e637e3c442cdc5497f6e907263fcfcef.jpg, Lady Bird https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b788d28697a98e17a6d4c7a/1554826664196-6ZJH4J74PCD4DRN03WH5/image-asset.png , Frances Ha https://jpbohannon.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/francesrunning.jpg , Sabrina https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lai5m8MguU1qbilh4o1_640.jpg