Friday, March 12, 2010

More Mesofacts: Celluloid Pittsburgh

From a movie review of "She's Out of My League":

SIGHTS: Forget Molly’s wardrobe; Pittsburgh looks absolutely stunning in this movie. Zowee! The obligatory dating montages are enhanced by a handful of shots of Pittsburgh’s skyline or other natural sights that are often captured at the beautiful time of dusk. I had no idea the city looked that great.
Score: 7

My wife and I enjoy watching old movies on TCM, usually on Saturday afternoons when the kids take a nap. A few weeks ago, "Summertime" was the matinée. The film was a boon to the Venice tourist industry. The TCM host stated that one of the most popular destinations was the spot where Katherine Hepburn's character fell into the canal. I didn't think much of the scene, but it must have made a big impression on other viewers.

Sense of place can be difficult to articulate and geographic stereotypes are remarkably durable. One film can change all of that and it doesn't have to be a gem from David Lean. I've often brought up what "Slacker" did for Austin. Perhaps "She's Out of My League" will be the next "Sleepless in Seattle". Concerning migration, movies matter.

1 comment:

Christopher said...

Ah, continuing my Saturday morning tour of Pittsburgh blogs. Your blog seems cool, constructive, interesting, informed, no negative nancy-ism here.

But as a Pittsburgh native, I must say, any Pittsburgh native who doesn't move and live somewhere else besides Pittsburgh for a time is going to miss out on a-lot. Even different cities in America have different cultures ... not to even begin talking more about living in foreign countries.

Pittsburgh has a-lot of great things in it, but if I understand correctly, it is a pretty small place. In my mind Pittsburgh is to the United States what somewhere like Slovenia is to the European Union. Everything with a healthy dose of moderation.