Streams: New York on Film
A cinematic tribute to the iconic city.
Have you ever felt the uncanny sensation of déjà vu in a place you've never visited? That fleeting, disorienting familiarity that blurs memory and reality? Few cityscapes are as engrained into our collective imagination as New York's skyline, a lasting testament to its iconic role in cinema history. From Fritz Lang's Metropolis to the likes of Spider Man, its iconic power has endured over the centuries. "It never gets old," even native New Yorkers say, as reality and fiction seamlessly blend…
This film series pays homage to New York in the movies and is by no means exhaustive. For current streaming options, please have a look online. The selection list and film info is at the end of the page below.
While We're Young, Noah Baumbach (2015)
New York is a city of eternal youth, but then life happens. When middle-aged filmmaker Josh and his wife Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) befriend a young Brooklyn hipster couple (Amanda Seyfried and Adam Driver), their stagnant marriage gets a second wind. Noah Baumbach's dramatic comedy skewers generational divides, pitting perfectionism against improvisation. Funny yet poignant, it occasionally dips into cliché, but the characters and locales ring true for anyone who's navigated the city in the past decade. Based on a true story? It might as well be.
Kids, Larry Clark (1995)
Before Supreme ruled streetwear, they were Kids. Larry Clark's debut shocked and inspired in the 90s. Written by Harmony Korine amid the HIV crisis, it captures raw scenes of aimless skater kids, bringing the era's paranoia to the surface. Tragically, some cast members, like Justin Pierce (Casper) and Harold Hunter (Harold), didn't survive to the millennium, while Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson rose to stardom in Hollywood and New York's art world.
Léon: The Professional, Luc Besson (1994)
I adore this film. In Little Italy, a corrupt NYPD detective (Gary Oldman at his unhinged best) triggers tragedy, leading young Matilda (Natalie Portman in her debut) to ally with reclusive hitman neighbor Léon (Jean Reno). Their unlikely bond is bittersweet, building up to an inevitable showdown. A match made in Manhattan.
Crooklyn, Spike Lee (1994)
Do the Right Thing is the obvious pick, but this chapter in Spike Lee’s Brooklyn Chronicles shines for depicting ‘70s Bed-Stuy family life through a 9-year-old girl’s eyes. Co-written by Lee’s siblings Joie and Cinqué, this semi-autobiographical “Spike Lee Joint” honors their childhood. With Soul Train dominating, the soundtrack bursts with soul and disco classics, until it turns jazzy down south.
When Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner (1989)
Katz's Delicatessen in the Lower East Side owes much of its fame to this '80s rom-com staple. Meg Ryan's infamous fake orgasm amid pastrami paradise still draws tourists braving lines in the cold and paying $20+ for a sandwich. You've likely seen it, so relax as this witty duo debates if men and women can truly be just friends. "I'll have what she's having!"
Eyes of Laura Mars, Irvin Kershner (1978)
Voyeurism turns deadly in this stylish thriller set in New York’s fashion scene just before the 80s. Star photographer Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) inspires a killer who recreates her provocative images with a lethal twist. Even worse, she has visions of the murders like in a live feed camera. Thankfully, NYPD detective Tommy Lee Jones is on the case. Featuring photographs by Helmut Newton .
Annie Hall, Woody Allen (1977)
Annie Hall catapulted Woody Allen into New Hollywood’s elite. Love or loathe his persona, his New York devotion is unquestionable, birthing neurotic archetypes (hello, Larry David). As comedian Alvy Singer, Woody romances Annie (Diane Keaton) in a hilarious emotional whirlwind, not considering the lobster.
After Hours, Martin Scorsese (1985)
Leap to ‘80s SoHo/NoHo, pre-gentrification. Martin Scorsese’s comedy tracks Paul (Griffin Dunne) through a chaotic, unplanned night where chaos reigns. The title says it all: It’s one of those wild spontaneous city nights in which anything can happen. Go with the flow!
News from Home, Chantal Akerman (1976)
In this essayistic gem, 24 year old Belgian director Chantal Akerman, who was NY based at the time, reads her mother’s letters over meticulously framed 1970s city shots. Omitting her own replies, the urban visuals speak volumes and portray a city long lost in time, conveying her perspective as visual responses. More of a visual poem than a conventional movie.
Three Days of the Condor, Sydney Pollack (1975)
Nixon-era paranoia pulses in this conspiracy thriller prototype. Robert Redford plays "Condor," a Manhattan CIA analyst who knows too much. Inexperienced in fieldwork, he becomes the elusive target in a thrilling cat-and-mouse game. Even as shadowy forces pull the strings, a cornered mouse shouldn’t be underestimated. Max von Sydow shines as a memorable freelancer.
Klute, Alan J. Pakula (1971)
Though the film is named for detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland), who arrives from Pennsylvania to search for a missing executive, Jane Fonda owns the screen as Manhattan call girl Bree Daniels. Their paths entwine in this thriller, sparking attraction amid danger. Turns out, Klute isn't the only one with eyes for her.
Shaft, Gordon Parks (1971)
Beyond its cult appeal, Shaft holds historic weight. Photojournalist Gordon Parks adapted Ernest Tidyman's novel into this '70s Manhattan action flick, targeting Black urban audiences and birthing the ‘blaxploitation’ genre as a result. Richard Roundtree's effortless detective navigates legal and illicit worlds all across the city. With Isaac Hayes' on the soundtrack, some romance is inevitable, too.
The Queen, Frank Simon (1968)
Before Paris Is Burning, there was The Queen. This doc follows drag queens at the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant in NYC’s Town Hall. Premiering at Cannes amid 1968 unrest, the film screened in Manhattan as people were still arrested for cross-dressing. A year prior to Stonewall, The Queen is a vanguard of LGBTQ+ visibility and a snapshot of New York way ahead of its time.
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, William Greaves (1968)
What if you filmed an arguing couple in Central Park, with varying actors and three cameras? Over and over again. Enter Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. Steve Buscemi loved this film so much to co-direct its sequel 35 years later. The ultimate meta-flick, William Greaves’ 1968 hybrid blurs doc and fiction while questioning its own making. Loose and anarchic in cinéma vérité style, Greaves becomes director and actor in his own film. Tensions peak when the crew debates the project in his absence, but was that scripted too? Where to draw the line between reality and fiction: you decide.
Shadows, John Cassavetes (1959)
“The film you have just seen was an improvisation.” Partly true, John Cassavetes’ debut spearheaded American indie cinema. Shot guerrilla-style on location without permits and with a mostly nonprofessional theater cast, Shadows follows three drifting African-American siblings in their mid-twenties over the course of two weeks.
In an attempt to break from method acting conventions at the time, Shadows’ central premise emerged from a classroom exercise: A light-skinned young African-American woman starts dating a white man, but he rejects her when he discovers she has a black brother. The film expands on this concept, offering an unprecedented look at unfulfilled expectations in relationships and life.
On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan (1954)
No wonder it’s a Scorsese favorite: On the Waterfront prefigures mafia tales before the genre was a thing. Inspired by Malcolm Johnson’s Pulitzer-winning “Crime on the Waterfront” articles, the film exposes Hoboken dockworkers’ extortion under a corrupt union. After a fatal “accident,” the victim’s sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint’s debut) seeks justice. Ex-boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) knows secrets, but the honor code of ‘omertà’ demands silence, with dire stakes. Leonard Bernstein’s score elevates it all.
The Naked City, Jules Dassin (1948)
Jules Dassin delivers this naturalistic noir, filmed on-location in 1948 New York. An ex-model's murder on a hot summer night draws a veteran detective and his rookie partner in this classic police procedural. Their quest unfolds amid vivid cityscapes, from aerial Manhattan views to a gripping Williamsburg Bridge climax. The narrator reminds us: "There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this is one of them." Blacklisted for Communist ties amid McCarthyism, director Dassin fled to France, crafting heist classic Rififi (1955). He never returned to the U.S., dying in Athens at 96 in 2008.
Selection list (in reverse chronological order):
While We’re Young (United States, 2015) (Noah Baumbach) (97 min) Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried
Kids (United States, 1995) (Larry Clark) (91 min) Cast: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson
Léon: The Professional (Léon, France, 1994) (Luc Besson) (110 min) Cast: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello
When Harry Met Sally… (United States, 1989) (Rob Reiner) (95 min) Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
Crooklyn (United States, 1994) (Spike Lee) (115 min) Cast: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, Zelda Harris, David Patrick Kelly
Eyes of Laura Mars (United States, 1978) (Irvin Kershner) (104 min) Cast: Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif, René Auberjonois
Annie Hall (United States, 1977) (Woody Allen) (93 min) Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
News from Home (Belgium/France, 1977) (Chantal Akerman) (85 min) Cast: Chantal Akerman (voice)
Three Days of the Condor (United States, 1975) (Sydney Pollack) (117 min) Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow
Klute (United States, 1971) (Alan J. Pakula) (114 min) Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider
Shaft (United States, 1971) (Gordon Parks) (100 min) Cast: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John
The Queen (United States, 1968) (Frank Simon) (68 min) Cast: Jack Doroshow (as Flawless Sabrina), Crystal LaBeija, Harlow (documentary participants)
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (United States, 1968) (William Greaves) (75 min) Cast: William Greaves, Audrey Heningham
Shadows (United States, 1959) (John Cassavetes) (87 min) Cast: Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, Hugh Hurd, Anthony Ray
On the Waterfront (United States, 1954) (Elia Kazan) (108 min) Cast: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
The Naked City (United States, 1948) (Jules Dassin) (96 min) Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart