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As the Oscars—arguably the most important night in movies—approaches, we are thinking about how our city has played the backdrop in many Academy Award-winning films.
This weekend in particular, as we gear up for Sunday night’s Oscar broadcast, we pay homage to Best Picture nominees Maestro and Past Lives, which were both filmed in the area.
Below, find a list of some of the most iconic Oscar-winning film locations in NYC that you can visit at your own leisure. Perhaps, you'll want to embark on a movie-guided walking tour of sorts before joining friends to catch the event on TV.
May the best movie(s) win!
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Midnight Cowboy (1969): 58th Street and Sixth Avenue
Who can forget the iconic scene during which Dustin Hoffman's character is crossing the street at 58th Street and Sixth Avenue just as a taxi approaches and almost hits him?
“Hey! I’m walking here!” Hoffman shouts, delivering a line that cinephiles still remember today. Fun fact: the scene was not scripted!
How New York is that?
The Godfather (1972): The St. Regis New York
The Godfather, which won the Best Picture award back in 1973 alongside a slew of other prizes, was filmed all around New York but it's the scenes at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan that stand out the most.
Annie Hall (1977): Central Park Zoo
Our very own Central Park has (rightfully!) starred in plenty of movies but perhaps none of them are as "New York" as Woody Allen's Annie Hall. In the latter production, one of the most memorable scenes involves Annie (a wonderful Diane Keaton) and Alvy (played by Allen) making fun of New Yorkers while sitting on a bench at the Central Park Zoo. Just an average Sunday afternoon in the life of your average New Yorker, right?
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979): Tweed Courthouse
Designated a New York City Landmark in 1984 and listed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, the Tweed Courthouse at 52 Chambers Street is where Hoffman's character delivers what folks refer to as "Ted's plea," a monologue that makes us cry every single time we watch it.
The courthouse is one of the many New York locations filmed in the 1980 Best Picture winner, a list that includes Central Park, Federal Hall, Lenox Hill Hospital, J.G. Melon Restaurant and more.
A Beautiful Mind (2001): Fordham University
The 2002 Best Picture winner is based on the 1998 biography by Sylvia Nasar of Josh Nash, a mathematician dealing with hallucinations while climbing the ranks of academia. Heavily featuring a variety of university campuses, A Beautiful Mind often showcases Fordham University in the Bronx.
Birdman (2014): St. James Theatre
Birdman stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson, a former movie superhero who hopes to revamp his career through an ambitious Broadway production staged at the real-life St. James Theatre on 44th Street in the Theater District.