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500 Days of Summer puts L.A. back on the map

Posted by Team Boxwish 7 months ago

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The city of Los Angeles is a funny one. On the one hand we associate it with all the glamour and pizzazz of the Hollywood ‘dream factory’, but on the other there’s no denying that the Californian capital also has an unhappy alter ego. Recent years have seen L.A. portrayed as a smoggy and oppressively dark place to be as shown in urban-nightmare flick Falling Down and the futuristic film-noir Blade Runner. We’re also presented with the town’s criminal undercurrents as seen in films like L.A. Confidential and Traffic, its rundown downtown areas in the upcoming Jamie Foxx flick The Soloist, whilst a shallow and superficial image is indelibly linked to the Town of Tinsel as we witness in 1995’s Clueless. However, with the release of our favourite new indie rom-com, 500 Days of Summer, it seems the tide is turning in a rather favourable way on L.A.’s reputation.

The Los Angeles Times believes that the film, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, has brought attention to the city’s historic landmarks and cultural attributes. Levitt’s character Tom plays an aspiring architect in the movie, and his fondness for particular spots in the city, such as the Bradbury Building on Broadway and the Barclay Hotel (which serves as a cafe he frequents with friends) has encouraged audiences to see the city in a welcoming and vibrant new light.

Marc Webb, the director of the film has spoken out in defence of his location decision: “There is this romantic, beautiful part of Los Angeles. It’s really an amazing urban centre.” The assistant location manager on the film has even recently held a tour of the most popular places featured in 500 Days, including the Angel’s Knoll pocket park as well as the Redwood Bar and Grill.

Harry Medved, an expert on movie locations who also supervised the tour, says the film “celebrates pre-war downtown buildings that most Angelinos have never seen up close and on screen, so we’re going out to rediscover them”. And perhaps we fans of the film can expect more of these tours in the future if the impressive U.S box office figures are anything to go by.

The city often stands as the understudy for America’s more amiable and culturally rich cities, but perhaps 500 Days of Summer will mark a revival in the film career of L.A.

[via The Los Angeles Times]

UPDATE: Steal Tom’s cool style with our top-to-toe look here.

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