It is quite possible that when watching films based in New York, you are actually looking at a transformed Liverpool.
The city has doubled for the Big Apple in many blockbuster films, partially due to its cost-effectiveness and accessibility, making it the second most-filmed city in the UK.
Its rich architect also plays a part, with buildings mimicking early New York skyscrapers better than New York itself. Places like the Cunard Building, Water Street, and St George’s Hall have all been used to replicate the US city – but how did they disguise it so well?
Nicholas Bennett from Los Angeles film company Technicolor VFX said: “We converted Liverpool into the busy streets of New York by adding subtle details to every frame.
“We added iconic New York buildings into the backdrop for the wide shots as well as classic 1980s’ advertising billboards, the American flag and signature New York steam rising up from the subway.”
Marvel movie Captain America is one film with a Scouse setting, where we see Chris Evans at Stanley Docks.
Also, Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep both acted in Florence Foster Jenkins, with Liverpool being used to represent New York throughout.
However, it hasn’t only been New York Liverpool has been used to mimic, with Al’s Lads, a 2001 British drama set in Chicago, also being filmed here.
William Brown Street was also used to depict a snowy Moscow in the 1989 film The Hunt for Red October.
- Watch the video below to see if you recognise any of the locations from the films!
Featured image (c) Christopher Czermak under Creative Commons
