Footnote #51 - Cinema and the City

The Fantasy/Animation Footnotes return with this consideration of the many relationships that cinema can have with - and to - the city. Building on their recent episode on Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007), Chris and Alex reflect on those scholars who have placed cinema in dialogue with issues related to space, urban design, and sociology, and who ask questions about how a city is represented onscreen, how its spaces are organised and mapped, and the stakes of re-animating a ‘real’ space to transform an otherwise authentic and accessible locale. Topics include how cities can and do become different through their rendition via animation and fantasy; cinephilic cinema cultures that unfold within urban spaces; filmmaking as a form of tourism and the spectacle of the touristic gaze; and the fictionalising of real cities to create an imagined and imaginary place. **Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo** **As featured on Feedspot’s 25 Best London Education Podcasts**