4 February 2016
Episode 225
30 minutes
Photo: Moyan Brenn
This week we’ve joined forces with ‘The Cinema Show’ to bring you a special episode on the relationship between our cities and the big screen. We explore how movies can shape a city as a brand, chat with James Sanders about New York on film and head to Belgrade to see how the city has posed as others in film productions. Plus: espionage and mystery in Istanbul. Why is the city always the set of spy movies, mystique and drama?
4 February 2016
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
4 minutes
Photo: Moyan Brenn
15
15
/
On the surface, Istanbul seems like a city of soaring minarets, Byzantine beauty and grandiose views. But beneath it all is a much grittier city where intrigue has often lurked behind an ornate façade – and it is this that surfaces when the camera is on.
4 minutes
Share chapter 1

Chapter 2
7 minutes
15
15
/
Rio de Janeiro is the city of sun, samba and Christ the Redeemer but it’s also the land of drug trafficking and police violence, all of which have been shown in many different forms across screens large and small. Iconic Brazilian films such as ‘City of God’ and ‘Elite Squad’ have used Brazil’s second-biggest city as a film set and even James Bond made an appearance when Roger Moore rolled through in ‘Moonraker’. We examine what these films have done for brand Rio.
7 minutes
Share chapter 2

Chapter 3
6 minutes
Photo: Jeff Attaway
15
15
/
Belgrade was once the capital of the sizeable Yugoslav film industry but then the 1990s conflict and dire economic conditions put paid to former industry giants such as Avala films. But now there’s a revival underway. Belgrade is appearing on film again – both as itself and other cities, where shooting might be difficult because of cost or logistics.
6 minutes
Share chapter 3

Chapter 4
7 minutes
Photo: Harold Navarro
15
15
/
New York has been featured in a huge number of films but how does this relationship between city and the big screen actually work? The book ‘Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies’ is a landmark study that examines exactly this, penned by the renowned architect, author and film-maker James Sanders back in 2001.
7 minutes
Share chapter 4

Want more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Urbanist - latest episodes
Tall Stories 246: Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper
We stop by Jasper Park Lodge, a historic hotel in the Canadian Rockies that’s hosted plenty of famous faces.
‘Grands projets’
We look at ‘grands projets’ in cities around the world, from turning the Champs-Élysées into a giant urban garden to a reimagining of the Los Angeles river and a new community in Canada.
Tall Stories 245: Reykjavík’s Ironclads
What form do the buildings in the world’s northernmost capital take? And what is behind their distinctive look?
Hopes for 2021
We ask a collection of city-makers, thinkers and doers to describe their hopes for urban life this year.
Tall Stories 244: Olympic Plaza, Calgary
Daniel Bach reflects on how hosting the Olympic Games can leave a legacy.
ULI Europe Conference
This week we report on the Urban Land Institute’s 2021 Europe Conference. In line with the current climate, this was a virtual affair but, as always, it was an event packed with great guests sharing their ideas on how to…
Tall Stories 243: Dragon gates, Hong Kong
We look into a strange feature that characterises many of Hong Kong’s tall buildings.
Vaccine logistics
We explore the rollout of mass vaccinations and how cities are playing their part in the solution.
Tall Stories 242: Funkhaus, Vienna
We visit an iconic broadcasting building to see how its role is changing but its culture and traditions remain.
Telling the story of New York
We look at the role New York City plays in some of our favourite films, television shows and songs.
Tall Stories 241: Monte Testaccio, Rome
We look to an ancient Roman waste-management technique that has permanently shaped the city’s topography.
Urban unrest
Taking to the streets is a powerful tool for citizens to hold their governments accountable. But what happens when things go wrong? This week we examine urban violence on different levels.
Tall Stories 240: Ciudad Real International Airport
We touch down at a white elephant of an airport built in Spain at the height of the financial crisis.
Mobility innovation
We get moving again with an episode all about innovation in the wide world of mobility.
Tall Stories 239: Sokol Village, Moscow
We visit a revolutionary Soviet suburb that's now run down and under threat of demolition.