Seeing as I’m still in the Big Apple this week (well actually I’m sitting at home writing this in advance but you get my drift) I thought I’d do a post on five famous frames that are particularly relevant to New York City.

1. Planet of the Apes (1968, Franklin J Schaffner)

While I haven’t seen Planet of the Apes, I don’t think you have to to be able to recognise this shot. The central premise of Planet of the Apes is that a man goes on a space mission, only to find his ship out of control and leading him to a planet where apes rule. As the film goes on, we slowly learn (SPOILER ALERT!) that he has in fact travelled not in space but in time to a future where apes rule the earth. This classic shot of iconic New York landmark the statue of liberty shows at the end of the film finally reveals the dark truth both to the audience and the protagonist, who falls on his knees in despair.

1a. The Simpsons parody of Planet of the Apes: Homer works it out

Sorry, had to put it in.

2. King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack)

Again, do you have to have seen this film to know the image? The fearsome ape (what is it with New York and killer apes?) grabs Ann Darrow and climbs up to the top of the empire state building, all while being shot at by fighter planes. Is it any wonder Roger Ebert gave this four stars?

3. Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese)

With the yellow cab, the classic Scorsese/De Niro pairing and the gritty, urban violence could this film be set anywhere else?

3a. The Simpsons parody of Taxi Driver

Can you tell I’m a fan?

4. Wall Street (1987, Oliver Stone)

Not the first or last film to be set in New York’s world-famous finance district, but perhaps the most memorable, if only for that famous line, “Greed is Good.” A gorgeous shot at the end here shows us New York under a dim, depressing haze. Hopefully I’ll have better weather.

5. Ghostbusters (1984, Ivan Reitman)

Who could forget the Stay Puft man terrorising New York City to the tunes of Ray Parker Jr? Perhaps the oddest of characters to make it into the cult cinema canon (no, wait, I’m sure there are weirder ones!), the Ghostbusters resided and did their honourable work in an old fire brigade station in the heart of New York. With that in mind, this ought to put you in an empire state of mind: