Time Capsule Movies (1 Viewer)

[quantumsnoga]

I would like to taps the combined knowledge of movies here at HTF.

Some movies may not be great movies, but they act as a "time capsule" of a particular place and time. I am not talking about historical movies, but those made then and there. Let me give you a few examples.

The original Ocean's Eleven - a time capsule of the era of "mob Vegas"; circa 1960.

Elvis's Blue Hawaii - about the period of Hawaii; after tourism started but before it took over Hawaii.

The earliest "beach movies" - Gidget and Beach Party

Casablanca - admittedly studio bound, but about the period just before Pearl Harbor.

The Maltese Falcon - the period of hard boiled detectives in the 1930's.

The sex farces of the late 1950 - early 1960s.

What other ones can the collective wisdom add to the list?

 

[ahollis]

Panic In The Streets - filmed on the streets and wharfs of New Orleans in 1950. It was a major production by 20th Century Fox starring Richard Widmark. .

 

[Will Krupp]

Oh, wow, what a fun idea!

Some of my picks would be:

The Black Camel (1931) Early Charlie Chan mystery set on, and filmed in, 1931 Hawaii with gorgeous shots of a pre-skyscraper Waikiki Beach and actually filmed, in part, in the lobby and public areas of the then five-year-old Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Buck Privates (1941) Abbott & Costello's first "service" comedy, a perfect time capsule of pre-war propaganda designed to ease the country into the idea of entering the war. In fact, I think I remember reading that a print of the movie was placed in a time capsule at some point (maybe in the Bob Furmanek/Ron Palumbo book?)

Marty (1955) Mid century, working class NYC aesthetic to maximum effect.

Where the Boys Are (1960) exemplifies that specific era of "spring break" right before it exploded (due, in no small part, to this movie!)

The World of Henry Orient (1964) I choose because the girls get to play in a far more innocent and innocuous New York City than I have ever known in my lifetime.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) always comes up as my absolute favorite San Francisco movie of the 1970's. It perfectly encapsulates the late 70's era SF, due in no small part to being completely shot on real locations throughout the city (the only soundstage used was for the finale.) It also helps immeasurably that Philip Kaufman takes the time to develop the characters into real people with real personalities so that we, the audience, are always aware of what they stand to lose.

The Ritz (1976), though a parody, gives us a slice of 1970's NYC gay bathhouse culture we'll never see gain.

Those great "New York City" movies of the 70's and early 80's that, if nothing else, embody that great feeling of the derelict, slightly seedy, slightly dangerous, but always exciting New York specific to that era. Too many to name them all but I'd give special mention to The French Connection (1971), Serpico (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Network (1976). The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Can't Stop the Music (1980), and The Fan (1981)

The Breakfast Club (1985) The Gen X movie to end all! It came out when I was 17 and it was the movie everyone my age thought was speaking directly to each of us. If any movie is a time capsule of what an entire generation thought of themselves at a very specific time, it's this one.

What a fun idea this is! Thanks so much for suggesting it, George. I could probably go on and on but I think I've been long winded enough for now, lol!

 

[Mark-P]

So if I'm reading you right, this would be contemporary movies that became "historical" in that they captured the contemporary time so precisely that we now see them as historical records.

Just a few off the top of my head would be:
It Happened One Night
The Clock
The Apartment
The Graduate
The Boys in the Band (1970 version of course)

 

[Jack P]

Niagara (1953). Filmed in beautiful color on location in Niagara Falls, it captures that location at that point in time perfectly.

The Taking Of Pelham One-Two-Three (1974). The perfect time capsule of New York in its full seedy decline.

 

[KeithDA]

'Get Carter' for its (grim) early 1970's depiction of the North East of England...

 

[cinefan]

Harold Lloyd's Speedy comes to mind. Much of it was filmed on location in the summer of 1927 in New York City -- including at Luna Park at Coney Island. John Bengtson, who does amazing and fascinating work researching locations where silent films were shot, has researched a lot of the Speedy locations. Here's one sample article that includes a map of the New York locations where Lloyd shot.

Harold Lloyd’s Speedy – Five Fun Facts

This Saturday morning, May 30, Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd and I will be introducing Lloyd’s final silent comedy Speedy (1928) at the Castro Theater as part of the San Francisco Sile…

silentlocations.com

The article also includes links to Mr. Bengtson's other articles about Speedy locations, including this excellent one (his research is kind of astounding to me):

Slapstick on the Streets by John Bengtson - Moving Image Source

The New York City locations of Harold Lloyd's Speedy by John Bengtson

www.movingimagesource.us

 

[Desslar]

Great thread! The time capsule aspect is one of my major motivations for collecting physical media.

To me, the most important aspect of this is being able to observe real locations from the era, not only cityscapes, fancy houses, and historical landmarks, but also mundane everyday places like supermarkets, airports, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, movie theaters, etc. - places an Average Joe living in that era may have gone to regularly.

I tend to collect more TV series than movies. I guess one reason is that, on average, one tends to see more ordinary locations in TV series than in movies. Some movies are good for this too, but many naturally have a tendency to focus on more cinematic, exotic, and/or exclusive locations, which are a little harder to relate to.

So I'd have to think about time capsule movies, but for TV series I can quickly recommend a few:
1950s: Highway Patrol (southern California small towns and suburbs before everything got built up), Perry Mason, Naked City (amazing footage all over NYC)
1960s: Route 66 (great USA-wide travelogue), I Spy (locations on multiple continents), Hawaii Five-O (beautiful Hawaii scenery)
1970s: Streets of San Francisco, Family, CHIPS (showcase of 70s cars and the LA area as a third of every episode is spent cruising the streets)
1980s: Magnum PI, Miami Vice (definitive mid-80s look/music), Hunter

 

[Will Krupp]

To me, the most important aspect of this is being able to observe real locations from the era, not only cityscapes, fancy houses, and historical landmarks, but also mundane everyday places like supermarkets, airports, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, movie theaters, etc. - places an Average Joe living in that era may have gone to regularly.

You just reminded me and now I could kick myself for leaving Bachelor in Paradise (1961) off my list! It's a perfect time capsule of the mid-century American suburban dream with a catalogue of middle-class pleasures, including drive-in restaurants, gleaming new supermarkets, bowling alleys, themed restaurants (Polynesian, in this case), and wood paneling. I have great affection for this one and I can't believe I didn't think of it. Thanks!

 

[LouA]

All of those Viet Nam era movies made much later like : Deer Hunter, Apocolypse Now , and Coming Home.

 

[bujaki]

Paul Fejos' Lonesome (1928) for a visit to the now defunct Luna Park and downtown Manhattan. Not to mention the wonderful, authentic fashions of the time.

 

[titch]

The Taking Of Pelham One-Two-Three (1974). The perfect time capsule of New York in its full seedy decline.

I would add Taxi Driver to that. Shot in 1975, it captures a central Manhattan that is completely gone. Likewise, the After Hours of 1986 doesn't resemble SoHo today at all!

 

[Walter Kittel]

The New York films of the '70s mentioned so far immediately come to mind when I consider the question of films that capture a time and a place. To those named, I would add The Seven-Ups which has been a longtime favorite of mine. Another film that captures that era, but set in Boston instead of New York is The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

Some other contributions to the thread...

Bullitt - Late 60's San Francisco.

The Third Man - Post WWII Vienna.

The Best Years of Our Lives - Not so much for locations, although the aircraft graveyard qualifies; but more for the period in which veterans of WWII were dealing with a return to "normal" life in post war America.

Fox Films Noir of the '50s often featured segments shot on location. A few that were shot in New York (or feature segments shot in New York) include: Kiss of Death, Where The Sidewalk Ends, and The Dark Corner. There are others of course.

While not a Fox film noir, The Lady From Shanghai was shot in San Francisco (the house of mirrors).

Late '50s New York is brilliantly captured by cinematographer James Wong Howe in Sweet Smell of Success.

- Walter.

 

[RichMurphy]

I would add Dear Heart, with Geraldine Page, Glenn Ford, and Angela Lansbury, for its imagery of the original and magnificent Pennsylvania Station in NYC.

 

[Robert Saccone]

Niagara (1953). Filmed in beautiful color on location in Niagara Falls, it captures that location at that point in time perfectly.

The Taking Of Pelham One-Two-Three (1974). The perfect time capsule of New York in its full seedy decline.

Great movie! Except that the TA would not allow for any graffiti to be shown which was all over the subways at the time.

 

[Worth]

There's probably no movie that captures 80s aesthetics and politics quite like the original Top Gun.

 

[Desslar]

Great movie! Except that the TA would not allow for any graffiti to be shown which was all over the subways at the time.

You could watch Beat Street (1984) for that. One of the characters is a graffiti artist who paints trains.

 

[Desslar]

There's probably no movie that captures 80s aesthetics and politics quite like the original Top Gun.

Interesting, I hadn't though of it that way. The soundtrack is definitely mid-80s to the max, and I guess the goofy beach scene fits too. But otherwise I feel there's a lot of military scenes/backdrops that might fit in any decade.

For Cruise, I would suggest maybe Risky Business or Cocktail are more visually 80s, although their soundtracks are a bit weaker.

 

[jcroy]

Not a movie.

The Jetsons cartoon representing the cold war era "Googie" architecture.

Mid-21st Century Modern: That Jetsons Architecture

The artists and animators working on "The Jetsons" were inspired by the futurist architecture popping up around Los Angeles

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[bujaki]

The Exiles (1961) for a view of a Los Angeles neighborhood where Native Americans lived. The Angels Flight railway is featured prominently.