This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Philadelphia Media: Swarthmore College Film and Media Studies Capstone Project

Philadelphia Films

The FMST 090 journey through Philadelphia Media began with students watching The Sixth Sense (1999) and Rocky (1976). Students observed how the setting of Philadelphia permeates these films. Shyamalan, who was raised and resides in the Philadelphia suburbs, insists on shooting his films in the city. They also learned about the fascinating history of the Steadicam (an invention of Philadelphia native Garrett Brown) that grew out of the famous shot of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) climbing the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The discussions of these films would frame how students came to think about Philadelphia media.

These were just two of the many Philadelphia-made films students watched for the class. Before beginning their own journey into their placements with firms in Philadelphia, students saw how the city has been portrayed in popular media. Whether it be the humble surroundings of the underdog Rocky Balboa, or the eerie Old City riddled with ghosts in The Sixth Sense, the city's diverse settings have a lot to offer for filmmakers.

Follow the path below to watch students' video essays and check out the

Tripod Resource Guide to Philadelphia Films

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:

Contents of this path:

A video essay by Zarahy Rivas and Damion DeShield The Hollywood sports film genre’s connection to culture provides the ability to define. At the national level that means the creating or correcting of national identity and values. In Rocky, these qualities serve to promote traditional American ideals of manhood, but with a focus on the condition of white men. The film responds to the social and economic anxieties present in 1970s America, including the city Philadelphia, with a figure and story meant to increase a sense of confidence, pride, and power in white American men which by extension means the same for the Nation. An added layer of historical context focuses on the 1970s post-Civil rights backlash. Frank Rizzo, a policeman-turned-mayor is known as a white Italian (like Rocky) that played into the national hostility against the “threat of blackness” by opposing beneficial projects to African Americans and having a “tough on crime” policy that disproportionately affected Black communities