Cities and Film Writing Task

The aesthetic of the city has been portrayed in a variety of ways in film. The city has developed alongside its portrayal onscreen. Newspapers were the first to depict the city in a manner similar to traditional landscape portraits. These photographs only showed the form of the city, only addressing the size and the architecture rather than life on the streets.

Photographs soon began to depict life in the city. Traditional portraits were only for the wealthy and only depicted one side of society. Photography shows the world what life was really like for the poor and middle class. These photographs were the first realistic depictions. Photography soon became the medium to present nearly every aspect of society for a variety of purposes. The camera would suit the needs of anyone holding it, whether for journalistic, political or artistic purposes.

Soon the city would be portrayed in film. The city is portrayed as a monolith in cinema. The larger-than-life and fantastical nature of the city is conveyed through the dramatic portrayal of film. The city usually presents the dominance of power. In King Kong, the city is cruel to the beast and overwhelms his simple nature. It depicts the lonely and isolated life of the city and its effect. The city in Blade Runner shows the dominance or reliance of technology. The city seems like a presence that can’t be fought and individuals would have to change themselves to be a part of it.

This dystopian view contrasts with the original intentions of the city of building a vast network of people and business. The depiction is almost Marxist, where the objects are the subject rather than the people.

People living in the city are captured in film through the dynamic of city life. Camera shots show the traffic and vast scale of the city. It depicts the glamour, the business and the poor. All aspects of life within the city can be portrayed yet these portrayals are all subject to the dominance of the city and its effect on individuals. The glamorous lives of the characters in Mad Men are all subject to objects offered by the city.