The City of Detroit has had a long and complicated relationship with Hollywood. The once bright gem in America’s culture has since fallen from grace and relevancy, a theme that has not been forgotten by the big screen with films like It Follows and Only Lovers Left Alive exploring the decaying remains of what was once a bright and beautiful American icon.
Back in its heyday, Detroit was at the heart of America’s auto-manufacturing industry with a thriving population of more than 1.5 million people. As the industry began to struggle in the late 1970s after the 1979 oil crisis, so did the city’s glowing portrayal in pop culture. Films emerging from the 80s and 90s started to carry a vengeful and angry bend with movies like Paul Verhoeven’s original Robocop and Alex Proyas’s The Crow both demonstrating a generation of artists who were unhappy with the less than stellar economy and corrupt city politics.
As recently as Fede Alvarez’s 2016’s Don’t Breathe, Detroit has also been a key filming location for movies filled with desolate and deserted homes. The once thriving city has become the perfect place to capture the essence of a ghost town or metropolis that has become a shadow of its former self. It’s often portrayed as colorful and haunting with films like Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, Lost River, presenting it as existing in its own darkly beautiful abstract reality.
What is it about this tainted gem of the midwest that has resonated so deeply with filmmakers over the last thirty years? Is it the role it has played in the US economy? Is it the tie to Detroit’s formerly thriving music scene? Or perhaps storytellers are simply obsessed with stories about the rise and fall of an American midwest city. No matter the interest, the location has consistently served as the gateway for more interesting stories about the underlying issues of 20th and 21st- century American culture.
Inspired by Kathryn Bigelow’s new movie Detroit opening this weekend, The Cinematropolis will spend the month of August looking at films set in or inspired by the once great center of America’s automobile industry. Keep your eyes peeled to The Cinematropolis for more of our reflections on and exploration of Detroit’s rich and tumultuous history on the big screen.
What are your favorite films set in Detroit? Let us know by posting in the comments below!
