h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm back again!

A little something about the obvious landmarks used to identify the location for the audience. After all, an office is an office is an office; but if we see the Houses of Parliament (and specifically Big Ben) directly before hand, we know that the office is in London. Similarly, the Statue of Liberty and we know where we are. In Paris it's a straight choice between the Eiffel tower (favourite, i think) and the Arc de Triomphe. Moscow, Red Square and the Kremlin.

Other European countries aren't as easily identifiable, I don't think. Perhaps Gaudi's Church in Barcelona, but Madrid?

Nothing springs to mind about Belgium or Luxembourg. Scandinavia - Well, Denmark has The Little Mermaid in ... er... Copenhagen. Norway - fjords and christmas trees. Sweden, saunas? Wooden buildings? Finland. Anything?

Berlin? I don't really think so. Any offers. I mean, there's the Reichstag with it's distinctive dome, but I can't think of many films where I've seen it used in this way. In actual fact, I'd say Frankfurt was more recognisable, thanks to its skyline. Vienna? I don't know of anything. Rome? hmm... not really either, but I don't know Rome too well. Is this something to do with the 39-45 war? I don't really think so. But why then? There is the Vatican; but that is a separate thing, kinda.

The cold war certainly played it's part (ah-ha! until 89 the wall itself was probably the best 'visual signpost' for Berlin!) and even though Prague is reputed one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, I'm not sure I'd recognise an aerial shot. Other former Warsaw pact countries do even worse. I think they just came under the blanket symbol of the Kremlin.

Washington? Well, just too many too choose from, but obviously the WH comes top. Tokyo? I don't think so... other than tightly packed very tall buildings.
San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge. Los Angeles, of course, perhaps the most striking of them all: those fifty-foot letters leave us in no doubt as to where we are. New Orleans has the old district, Miami... well, the beaches, i guess.

This posting is taking longer than i intended, but one last one:

Sydney has the Opera House in its harbour setting.

I'd guess there are lots more, all over the world. Any offers?

cya
spiff

If it's not "Big Ben" (subjcet to correction I think the bell is called Big Ben, but the tower is something else ... St Stephens maybe?), it's Tower Bridge from the Tower of London side and a few bars of Rule Brittania.

There's always the Prater Wheel in Vienna. I know it was used in a film, but I can't remember which one. Was it the 3rd Man? It sounds vaguely familiar.

Is that wheel still there? Wow! It is indeed the setting for the confrontation between Welles and Cotton in The Third Man set in post-war Vienna.

Oh, and btw, Monty; yeah, sure, it's *really* St Stephen's, but the world knows it as Big Ben. I wonder what the statistics (that well known source of authoratitive info) would give in a study of French citizens who would answer correctly 'In which world capital is St Stephen's a major landmark?'...

For Rome they probly use that circualr arch thing. Collisseum. How did they set the scene in Roman Holiday. With a Vespa.

Sure, but how often do you see that? The Colisseum used as an identifying landmark, I mean.

I tried to stick to things that I could instantly remember having seen used in that way, either in films of even soap operas, series etc.

I can imagine it could be effective, but I can't immediately think of an example.

mind you, it's late.


spiff

I think that Tom Hanks movire "Philadelphia" starts off with an overhead helicopter view of the smoky/steamy city and a river and some steel truss type bridges. And there was I thinking "where's that then?"

There is another building in New York, the one you see at the beginning of 'Someone to Watch Over Me'... kinda sqare 'steeple' type bit on top and the camera does a full circle... no, not ring any bells?

Then in China, that palace (is it the 'forbidden city' or summat like that)

Still got none in Africa...

Pyramids says Egypt.

The Forbidden City

This 178-acre compound was built under the edict of Emperor Yong Le between 1406 and 1420 and was closed to all but nobility, its 800 buildings and 9,000 rooms protecting and housing the Ming and Qing dynasties for some 500 years. Highlights include the Three Great Halls; Supreme Harmony, Middle Harmony and Preserving Harmony; the Imperial Gardens, the Western Palaces (where the Empresses and Concubines lived); and expansive courtyards where regal audiences of 100,000 people could gather.

"We dashed into The Forbidden City (¥30/- each) to find a series of courtyards culminating in the Emperor’s Palace where numerous Imperial leaders of yesteryear China had held court and enjoyed the comforts of wives and concubines. I thought somewhat irreverently that, with its various yards and outbuildings, the whole complex looks not unlike a farm."
- Extract from the Travel Journal of Montague Trout and Old Spice, 18 January 1998

Were you travelling with the fabled 'sixth spice girl'?

good one about the pyramids (sphinx too). Any more on the dark continent?

Ah, thinking about that, I spose the Taj Mahal has probly been used in this way. Can't think of an example, but Shirely it musta been...

Movie Makers usually set the scene in Africa by bunging in some ill-considered short clips including National Geographic footage of lions pulling down a zebra and folowed some Samburu-dancing. I haven't seen it for a while, but Wilbur Smith's Gold (Roger Moore and Susannah York (maybe)) surely had all that.

There don't seem to be many 'big' films set in Africa to have established a cliche-culture.

And yes - "that's no Spice Girl, that's my wife."

If you talk about Berlin, I think a more recognisable landmark than the Reichtag are the Brandenburg Gate (mostly the view from the east to the west with the Victory-Coloum behind) and the "Gedächtniskirche".

If you watch old cold-war movies, in a quite a lot of them you have a scene in Berlin, where they show you The Wall ... but I think in most cases it's just A wall

AXR

People might recognise the 'blue' church, but the Brandenburg Gate is more recognisable and 'defining' than the Reichstag, I'd have thought.

hiya,

B'burg gate gets my vote; should've thought of that.

I think only those who have actually visited Berlin would know of the G'niskirche, though.

cya
spiff