Here is a list that might interest you.
AWESOME!!! Thank you so much.
If you haven’t seen them: These shorts from Agnes Varda deal with sculpture and architecture in public space. The first one is Les dites cariatides (The So-called Caryatids) but it’s unsubtitled. The other one is Plaisir d’amour en Iran.
Plaisir d'amour en Iran 1976 por le-pere-de-colombe
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She also made Du coté de la côte and Ô saisons, ô châteaux which are part of the so called “turistic” shorts of Agnes Varda. It’s fun.
Chantal Akerman’s From the East might qualify here.
John Turturro’s Passione sounds like something you might be interested in.
Peter Hutton’s Portrait of New York trilogy of silent, avant garde films are interesting contemplations of sides of the city you may not have seen even if you’ve visited it multiple times. Definitely the non-commercial side of the city. Some of the images are grimy, some of them are gorgeous, but they are all about “The City”.
Highly recommended.
I also second the Ackerman recommendations.
Patrick Keiller’s London
The Man with the Movie Camera, even though it doesn’t claim to take place in any particular city, could be taken as a portrait of any industrial Soviet city.
I’m trying to start with old films first and move past the 1930s once I’ve seen more.
I’ve managed to watch the following from the list thus far and enjoyed them all:
Man with a Movie Camera
A Bronx Morning
Manhatta
Les Nuits Electriques
A Propos De Nice
And I watched and loved People on Sunday, which is a fiction film rather than strictly an experimental documentary like most others on here but it was wonderful and certainly shared many characteristics with other city films.
Thanks for all the suggestions!!!
Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. Scorsese has a way of making his settings just as much characters as the people living in them. He showcases not only the appearance and spirit of 1970’s New York, but also the darker culture that is often overlooked by tourists. In a sense, he’s the Anti-Woody-Allen. Whereas Woody Allen glamorizes New York City, Scorsese deconstructs it.
Speaking of Woody Allen, if city showcase is what you want, I don’t think you can go wrong with his new film Midnight in Paris. The first 4 or 5 minutes of the picture are composed only of establishing shots of Paris, and by the time you’ve seen the rest of the movie, you’ll have booked a first-class flight to France. I can’t recommend that movie highly enough.
Side/Walk/Shuttle by Ernie Gehr is the film you’re looking for.
Zach A
I have recently found a love and fascination with a particular style of “nonfiction” / loose documentary film that centers around images of cities or pieces of cities that document a particular place, time, and movement of people and objects through those places and times. These are some of my favorite examples so far:
News From Home by Chantal Akerman
Hotel Monterey by Chantal Akerman
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City by Walter Ruttman
Confederation Park by Bill Brown
The Wonder Ring by Stan Brakhage
Can you link to any other forum topics that may be similar or name any other films that may be in this similar style so that I can view more?
Any insight or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.