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Movies and Books about San Francisco

Replies: 29 - Last Post: Sep 22, 2012 8:21 AM Last Post By: nutraxfornerves

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cakehead

cakehead avatar

Sep 18, 2012 12:34 PM
Posts:  32

15

Any Clint Eastwood "Dirty Harry" movie would be a good start.

estanardo

estanardo avatar

Sep 18, 2012 3:13 PM
Posts:  4

16

"Season of the Witch" is great book that came out recently which chronicles SF in the 1960s, 1970s and early '80s.

"Zodiac," the movie with Robert Downey Jr. was also good.

Websterella

Websterella avatar

Sep 18, 2012 5:11 PM
Posts:  46,899

17

Christopher Moore's - Bloodsucking Fiends, A Dirty Job, You Suck, Bite Me, all set in SF.

Amy Tan's - The Joy Luck Club

stopthebus

stopthebus avatar

Sep 18, 2012 6:19 PM
Posts:  636

18

What, no mention of the Nic Cage masterpiece, The Rock?

Actually, pretty sweet car chase through the streets of San Francisco in that one, too - if a little explosion-y. Though you'll get no argument from me, the car chase in Bullitt is pretty much the best thing ever.

ianw6705

ianw6705 avatar

Sep 18, 2012 6:28 PM
Posts:  8,296

19

The one in Bullitt (from memory) had two unintended consequences: (1) the guy coming off the bike at the gas station was an accident, and (2) a cameraman (and his assistant?) were killed filming the chase when one of the cars hit them - they left a couple of red frames in the film by way of a fleeting memorial.

nutraxfornerves

nutraxfornerves avatar

Sep 18, 2012 7:26 PM
Posts:  6,816

20

(2) a cameraman (and his assistant?) were killed filming the chase when one of the cars hit them
If so, I can't find a single web site about the film that has bothered to mention it.

Edited to add: one of the stunt drivers says the motorcycle was a stunt
an extra (on another set) was talking about BULLITT, and he was saying how it was amazing how accidents get into films and he said that the best one he ever saw was the scene where Bud Elkins did the spill off the motorcycle. I let him go ahead and tell it. He said 'the cops were watching the action and weren't watching the traffic and this motorcycle guy slipped through, and got into the scene and ended up in the picture.' I said, 'you really think that's what happened?' The extra said, ' I know, I saw it, I was there.' And I said that's the way it's supposed to look, because it wasn't supposed to look like a stunt."

Edited by: nutraxfornerves

ianw6705

ianw6705 avatar

Sep 18, 2012 8:24 PM
Posts:  8,296

21

The one in Bullitt (from memory)

Perhaps it was a different film, but I think the death of the cameraman is true (I think a cameraman told me) ... but I often suffer from Reverse Alzheimer's - remembering things quite clearly, but they didn't happen.

And from MovieMistakes:

There are many stories on the internet claiming a cameraman was killed when the charger hits the camera during this chase. On the DVD extras, we see this scene from a different angle. The charger hits the camera and we see it break up, but there is no-one near the camera. Obviously the cameraman set the camera rolling, then retreated - smart guy.

bindle_stiff

bindle_stiff avatar

Sep 18, 2012 9:36 PM
Posts:  125

22

reading ........ A heart breaking work of staggering genius - Dave Eggers, Hell Angels - Hunter S Thompson, Ringelevio - Emmet Grogan, Armistead Maupin stories, some jack London short stories
movies - Vertigo, of course, I married an Ax murderer - nice little Mike Myers one and sad that I include in ...Mrs Doubtfire

kenko

kenko avatar

Sep 18, 2012 10:13 PM
Posts:  1,481

23

Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald in "San Francisco" from 1936; and "The Rock" with Sean Connery.
Classic!

ianw6705

ianw6705 avatar

Sep 18, 2012 11:40 PM
Posts:  8,296

24

This was a really interesting read about the 1906 Earthquake (and much more about San Fran - sorry - Frisco): A Crack in the Edge of the World.

zashibis

zashibis avatar

Sep 19, 2012 2:20 AM
Posts:  729

25

If all of the above is insufficient, then, naturally, Wikipedia has a list: San Francisco in popular culture.

(Extensive, but decidedly incomplete, as two of the first works that popped into my head, Flower Drum Song and Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book aren't mentioned.)

clodbod

clodbod avatar

Sep 19, 2012 4:56 PM
Posts:  367

26

Holy crap Batman no one suggested Coppla's The Conversation? Bogdanvich's slapstick comedy What's up Doc????
Basic Instinct? Experiment in Terror? House of Sand and Fog? Come on!! And who can forget Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin in the Graduate driving the wrong way across the Golden Gate Bridge to get to Berkeley? GO BEARS!

nutraxfornerves

nutraxfornerves avatar

Sep 19, 2012 5:21 PM
Posts:  6,816

27

Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin in the Graduate driving the wrong way across the Golden Gate Bridge to get to Berkeley? GO BEARS!
Ahem. The Bay Bridge.

clodbod

clodbod avatar

Sep 22, 2012 7:35 AM
Posts:  367

28

Well, it has been nearly 45 years since I saw it . I swear the POV is from a helicopter and when the wide shot is shown the city skyline is in the center left of the frame. If it were the Bay bridge they skyline would be on the right side of the frame. Good excuse to watch the film again I guess . Let's see if my memory is failing more than I care to admit.

nutraxfornerves

nutraxfornerves avatar

Sep 22, 2012 8:21 AM
Posts:  6,816

29

It's one of the classic bloopers. He drives east on the upper deck, which is one-way west-bound. Originally the upper deck was for cars and the lower deck was for commuter trains, truck (& cars if people wanted to drive on it.). It was converted to the current configuration in the early 1960s.

The Golden Gate Bridge has only one level.
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