Entertainment

Manchester in the movies: Times the Rainy City doubled as other towns on film

Entertainment comes in many forms, from music to novels, from amazing real money casino games from All Jackpots casino to theatre acts and moving pictures projected on the silver screen.

But the pictures on the silver screen are often deceptive – they show you places that are not really what they seem.

Manchester, for example, has been used in a series of famous movies telling stories from various parts of the world.

Manchester’s Northern Quarter has doubled as New York on numerous occasions. Some of the scenes in Captain America: The First Avenger taking place in The Big Apple of the 1940s, were filmed in this location – most notably, the car chase scene, which featured authentic American cars from the 1940s.

Another time, when filming the biography of Scribner book editor Max Perkins, who oversaw the works of authors like Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others, was also filmed on Harter Street in the Northern Quarter.

Another time, scenes in the 2004 movie Alfie, directed by Charles Shyer and starring Jude Law, were also shot in the Northern Quarter, once again representing Manhattan in the 1900s.

Of course, some fire escapes have been added to make the scene look more authentic.

New York is not the only location that was mimicked by Manchester on the silver screen.

The 2015 picture “Victor Frankenstein”, starring James McAvoy as the title character and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor, has used the Town Hall to give viewers the impression of being in the Victorian England.

But this wasn’t the only movie to feature this building as a backdrop (due to its resemblance to the House of Commons). It also showed up in 2009’s “Sherlock Holmes” and 2011’s “The Iron Lady”.

Aside from feature films, Manchester has often served as a backdrop for TV series, too.

Peaky Blinders, the BBC’s crime series, is set in the 1920s Birmingham. Most of the show is, in fact, filmed in Greater Manchester.

The crew has been spotted filming on Mangle Street and the Rochdale town hall, with production, also taking place at the Old Granada Studios.

The crime comedy series Snatch is also being shot in Manchester – the show, starring Rupert Grint along with Westwick, Luke Pasqualino, Marc Warren and Dougray Scott and Phoebe Dynevor, is shot entirely in the Rainy City, despite being set in London.

Image courtesy of Stuart Stewart via YouTube, with thanks.

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