Rent

 The Tony award "best musical" rent tells the story of  the lives of several Bohemian and their struggles with sexuality, drugs, paying their rent, and life under the shadow of AIDS. 

   

   The musical-adapted film takes place in the East Village of New York City from 1989 to 1990. Surprisingly, the filming locations were mostly on the other side of the country; mostly in California and New Mexico. 

"It is not just that he shows dexterity and imagination in transferring the spectacle onto the actual streets of the East Village in Manhattan. The real key to his success is his utter lack of condescension."-A. O. Scott

"Its idea of Bohemia is not realistic, but romantic, even utopian. Openhearted to a fault, it stakes its integrity on the faith that even in millennial New York, some things - friendship, compassion, grief, pleasure, beauty - are more important than money or real estate."- New York Times

   With the power of Hollywood the set of New York was remade in Los Angeles making impossible to figure out that this was a facade. This was easier to film in a set rather than to close up on the busiest cities in the world. Although for one of the most iconic scenes of the movie (a musical number), the scene was actually shot in the streets of Manhattan.   

   I was not aware that this movie was filmed in sets rather than the actual city. Even with a musical film adaptation the Hollywood magic was implemented creating a perfect portrayal of the Broadway musical on stage. 

URL:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/movies/23rent.html

Article Title:

New Tenants in Tinseltown

Website Title:

The New York Times

Publication date:

2005-11-22

URL:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294870/locations

Article Title:

Filming Locations

Website Title:

IMDb

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(film)#Differences_between_the_stage_and_film_versions

Website Title:

Wikipedia