Views to a Kill
<p>News of San Francisco’s decline is everywhere — articles abound discussing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/29/paul-boden-america-homelessness-crisis" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">homelessness</a>, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/san-francisco-drug-overdose-deaths/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">drug abuse</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/30/us/san-francisco-whole-foods-crime-economy.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">crime</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/business/san-francisco-union-square-retail-closures/index.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">economic decline</a>, and more. Walk through downtown San Francisco and all the contradictions are visible, often side-by-side — the history (spanning Spanish-era churches, gold-rush era pioneers, and the imposing Golden Gate Bridge), alongside the tech of the present and future (symbolized by the Salesforce Tower and the numerous startup offices); the dirt and danger, alongside the sereneness of the parks and waterfront; the bristling traffic jams and cable cars, rushing past people seated in the street-side cafes, and reading in the bookstores.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, these contradictions have been fertile ground for filmmakers. I recently rewatched two iconic films set in the Bay — Don Siegel’s 1971 neo-noir thriller <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066999/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Dirty Harry</em></a>, and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 psychological thriller <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Vertigo</em></a><em> — </em>and retraced some of the filming locations on a walking tour of the city. While many of the locations have <a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/89927/how-san-francisco-has-changed-since-alfred-hitchcocks-vertigo-photos" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">changed</a> <a href="https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/without-limitations-san-francisco-has-changed-one-dirty-harry-kill-site-at-a-time/article_bfb4102c-8c61-5f77-97bd-3bfa1723e48c.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">significantly</a>, the charm and dread of the city can still be felt — both on screen and on the streets.</p>
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