Cinematic Seattle: Introduction

Mention “Seattle” and “movies” to most people, and chances are that the first film they're likely to think of is either Sleepless in Seattle or Singles. Seattle's played host to far more films than those two, however, and -- after spending the first few weeks of Grey's Anatomy trying to piece together the alternate-universe geography of our fair city -- Seattlest started to get curious about just how Seattle has been presented in other films.

As it turns out, there's plenty of material to peruse. According to the Mayor's Office of Film and Music, over 100 movies and TV shows have been filmed in and around Seattle, from 1933's Tugboat Annie up to last week's SIFF release of the Seattle-to-Bainbridge ferry feature “Hello”.

Between the list of films thoughtfully provided by the MOoFaM (we just wanted an excuse to say “moo-fam!”) and our own hazy recollections tossed around the table at a recent Seattlest staff meeting (in which, in addition to the aforementioned Sleepless in Seattle and Singles, The Fabulous Baker Boys, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Ring, WarGames, Say Anything, and the TV miniseries Steven King's Rose Red were all mentioned), we decided that it's time to put our DVD players to use and investigate the many aspects of Cinematic Seattle.

Our first choice will be Steven King's Rose Red, chosen primarily because of its amusing approach to fitting as many Seattle landmarks into a single shot as possible (just wait until you see where they put Mt. Ranier). As we watch that, however, we'd like to see if there are any particular films you'd like to see us tackle head-on.

Are there any memorable moments in Seattle cinematography that stick out in your mind? Good shots, absurd moments, classic scenes...or maybe you were lucky enough to end up in the background somewhere? Leave a comment and let us know!