From Here To There
The top of the Empire State Building.
A scooter on a busy Manhattan street.
A spider in the webs of a hanging plant.
Sitting in your New York apartment, overlooking Central Park (if you're lucky).
If you're like me and many others, then these are some of your favorite photographs.
But these are also some of your favorite moments.
Now imagine not being able to experience them in person.
It's not as though you can't afford the ticket, or that you don't have the time; it's just that, for one reason or another, you cannot be there and experience those moments for yourself.
That's exactly how I feel about New York City, which I will never get a chance to visit in person. I'm intrigued by the city and its many captivating images; however, I'll never be able to see NYC in person and watch it all happening right before my eyes. I'll never be able to touch the many iconic buildings, which are a part of my childhood and those of many other New Yorkers. I'll never get the chance to say goodbye to the girls that I used to date in the city. I will never walk down Broadway or stroll by the city's parks and museums.
And then there is Central Park.
Pictures of Central Park are equally as captivating as those of New York City; however, they're not "capturable". For one reason or another, we can't go there in person and see it all happen right before our eyes. For one reason or another, we can't touch the flowers, the ground, the trees and all of Central Park's other landmarks.
We'll never get the chance to spot a raccoon in the shadows of night. We'll never be able to see a squirrel play with its food outside The Plaza hotel.
All we can do is see these moments on film, or in photos. We can only look at these images, but we cannot experience them for ourselves. And it's not just because New York City is too far away; it's also that Central Park doesn't exist outside photographs and film—it exists only in our imagination.
No matter how much I treasure these moments of New York City, I'll never get a chance to see it in person. The same goes for Central Park.
It's a shame that we can't experience these moments in person, but it's not all bad. In some ways, we're quite lucky that we can see these captivating images and moments in photographs and film; otherwise, they'd always remain out of reach—they would only ever be a part of our imagination.
This goes for many of our favorite films and photographs: we may never get the chance to experience them in person, but we can still see them in films.
I'm talking about the Paris at night in Before Sunrise . I'll never get the chance to experience it for myself; however, I can still see it—and enjoy it—in Before Sunrise .
I'm talking about the sweeping shots of Sydney in this video clip. While I may never lay eyes on those sites, I can still experience them via film:
And that's what this list is all about—those places and moments that exist only on film. While we may never get the chance to visit them in person, we can still have a glimpse of them through films.
And guess what? Even old films can be captivating.
Enjoy these films that are only available in films!
1. The Love Bug (1963) North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
The Love Bug is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by William Crain and starring June Allyson and Don Knotts, who play an unmarried couple who must travel across the United States to get married. The film was written by Don McGuire and James Webb based on an original story by McGuire and Webb. The main plot centers on a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie that has intelligence and personality.
The movie takes place in the fictional town of Seabreeze, North Carolina. It was filmed in California, but the filmmakers tried to make it seem as though it were taking place elsewhere by having Don Knotts gesture toward the ocean while standing on a lighthouse at the beginning of the film and also showing a map with no state names and only major highways (one among them being U.S. Route 17) on it.
2. The New Centurions (1972) Metropolitan Police Academy, Los Angeles, CA USA
The New Centurions is a 1972 film starring George C. Scott as a captain in the Los Angeles Police Department, and Stacy Keach as a rookie cop who comes under Scott's command. It was directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay adapted by Alvin Sargent from the novel of the same name by Joseph Wambaugh.
As one reviewer puts it: " This film is about a rookie cop who goes in with ideas about honesty and integrity but clashes with his superior officer over what he sees as useless rules and unrealistic policing practices. The conflict between the two of them is amplified by the fact that they are both trying to rise through the ranks of the LAPD by being politically minded. It's a very good film, and I loved every moment of it. In fact, I've seen it so many times that I've seen all the bad parts; however, that doesn't prevent me from enjoying it.
Here's a scene from The New Centurions:
3. The World's Greatest Sinner (1962) The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA USA
The World's Greatest Sinner is a 1962 American film directed by Richard L.
Conclusion
There are so many films that take place in New York City--and virtually every one of them features iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, the Rockefeller Center and Broadway.
However, while I love films like Home Alone (1990) and Annie Hall (1977), they're not really "capturable". Films like this exist only in film.
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From Here To There