Favorite Films Set in NEW ORLEANS/LOUISIANA
Below is a list of my favorite films either set in New Orleans or in the surrounding Louisiana countryside:
Favorite Films Set in NEW ORLEANS/LOUISIANA
1. "Undercover Blues" (1993) - I realize that it is hard to believe that this charmingly adventurous tale about a wise-cracking couple that happen to be spies for an unnamed government agency is such a big favorite of mine. But it is. And Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner have chemistry up the yahoo. Herbert Ross directed.
2. "JFK" (1991) - Oliver Stone's Oscar nominated film examined the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, played by Kevin Costner. Historically accurate or not, I never get tired of watching this film - especially the final courtroom scene.
3. "The Big Easy" (1987) - Jim McBride directed and Daniel Petrie Jr. wrote this entertaining neo-noir movie about how a charming and slightly corrupt New Orleans cop and an uptight assistant district attorney investigated mob violence and possibly police corruption, while falling in love. Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin co-starred.
4. "Live and Let Die" (1973) - Roger Moore made his first appearance as British spy James Bond in this adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel about the spy investigating the deaths of three MI-6 agents and their connection to a Caribbean politician/New York drug lord. Directed by Guy Hamilton, the movie co-starred Jane Seymour and Yaphet Kotto.
5. "The Skeleton Key" (2005) - Kate Hudson starred in this tense psychological thriller about a young hospice nurse who acquires a job at a spooky New Orleans plantation home, and becomes entangled in a mystery involving the house, its former inhabitants, and the Hoodoo (folk magic) rituals and magic that took place there. Directed Iain Softley, the movie co-starred Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant.
6. "Interview With a Vampire" (1994) - Neil Jordan directed this fascinating adaptation of Anne Rice's 1976 novel about a pair of vampires during a period of 200 years. Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater co-starred.
7. "The Gambler From Natchez" (1954) - Dale Robertson starred in this surprisingly solid tale about a Mexican War veteran who returns home to Louisiana and discovers that his gambler father had been murdered and accused of card cheating. The movie ends with a first-rate sword fight. Debra Paget, Kevin McCarthy, Thomas Gomez, Lisa Daniels and Woody Strode co-starred in this movie directed by Henry Levin.
8. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) - Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson co-starred in this emotional Oscar-nominated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story about a man who ages backwards. David Fincher directed.
9. "Heaven's Prisoners" (1996) - Alec Baldwin starred in this atmospheric adaptation of James Lee Burke's novel about a former New Orleans cop protecting the only survivor of drug smuggler's plane that has crashed near his home. Kelly Lynch, Mary Stuart Masterson, Badja Djola, Eric Roberts and Teri Hatcher co-starred. Phil Joanou directed.
10. "Buccaneer's Girl" (1950) - Yvonne DeCarlo starred in this entertaining costume romp about an early 19th century entertainer who falls for a pirate with a secret identity as a respectable New Orleans aristocrat. Directed by Fredrick De Cordova, the movie co-starred Philip Friend, Robert Douglas, Andrea King and Elsa Lancaster.