San Francisco has long been a movie destination for films. Here are 10 films with city locations noted.  I will be adding another round, as well as a separate post on 1940s/’50s film noirs set in the bay area.

Vertigo (1958)

Synopsis: A retired San Francisco detective with a fear of heights becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman he’s been hired to follow, leading him down a twisted path of illusion and psychological unraveling.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes

Locations: Nob Hill, Golden Gate Bridge, 900 Lombard Street (Scottie’s apartment), the Brocklebank Apartments (Madeleine’s residence),Mission San Juan Bautista, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Cypress Point on 17-Mile Drive.  Location details.

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Dirty Harry (1971)

Synopsis: A tough, no-nonsense San Francisco cop hunts a sadistic serial killer who’s terrorizing the city.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Reni Santoni

Locations: City Hall, the Hall of Justice, Mount Davidson, Kezar Stadium, Fort Mason Tunnel, Mount Davidson, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, North Beach, Lombard Street, San Francisco General Hospital, Bank of America Building,Holiday Inn Chinatown. The final confrontation scenes were filmed in Larkspur.  Location details.

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The Rock (1996)

Synopsis: A former convict and an FBI chemical weapons expert infiltrate Alcatraz Island after a group of rogue Marines seize it and threaten San Francisco with a deadly nerve gas attack.

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage

Locations: set largely on Alcatraz Island, with Fairmont Hotel, Palace of Fine Arts, and the War Memorial Veterans Building.

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Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Synopsis: After a divorce, an out-of-work father disguises himself as a British nanny to spend time with his children without his ex-wife knowing.

Director: Chris Columbus

Cast: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan

Locations: 2640 Steiner Street in Pacific Heights, the “painted lady” Victorian homes, Crissy Field, the Powell-Hyde cable car line, Columbus Avenue, and The San Francisco Chronicle building, Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley.

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Bullitt (1968)

Synopsis: A cop tries to unravel the truth behind a botched witness protection plan. Famous for its car chase scene.

Director: Peter Yates

Cast: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bissett

Locations: prominently featured Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, and the Marina District; some other locations: SFO, Mark Hopkins Hotel, Nob Hill, 1153–57 Taylor St.(Bullitt’s apartment), exterior at 2700 Vallejo St., Enrico’s restaurant (Broadway and Kearny), SF General Hospital.  Location details.

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Zodiac (2007)

Synopsis: The story behind the infamous Zodiac killer.

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.

Locations: San Francisco Chronicle building, Transamerica Pyramid building, the corner of Washington Street and Cherry, where the real zodiac killed cab driver Paul Stein, Original Joe’s on Taylor Street, Castro Theatre, San Francisco, City Hall, Lake Berryessa.

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise travels back to 1980s San Francisco to rescue humpback whales, the only beings that can communicate with an alien probe threatening Earth’s destruction.

Director: Leonard Nimoy

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, etc.

Locations: Golden Gate Bridge, Marina, North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, the California Academy of Sciences, Columbus and Kearny were Kirk almost gets hit by a car, Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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Basic Instinct (1992)

Synopsis: A San Francisco detective becomes entangled with a mysterious crime novelist who may be connected to a brutal murder.

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Cast: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone

Locations:  Exterior of 2930 Vallejo Street in Pacific Heights (Catherine Tramell’s mansion), exterior of 1158 Montgomery Street on Telegraph Hill (Nick Curran’s apartment), Palace of Fine Arts, Pier 7, Montgomery Street at Green, and areas near the future Moscone Center, exterior of 157 Spindrift Road in Carmel Highlands (Catherine Tramell’s mansion), shots around Carmel highlands.

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The Conversation (1974)

Synopsis: An antisocial surveillance expert becomes increasingly paranoid after suspecting a couple he recorded may be part of a deadly conspiracy.

Director:  Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Harrison Ford, Frederick Forest, Cindy Williams

Locations:  Union Square, the Embarcadero, Alamo Square, Potrero Hill, the Financial District, Sylvia Apartments at 700 Laguna Street, on the corner of Grove in the Western Addition (Harry Caul’s apartment).  Location details. 

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Synopsis: A health inspector discovers that alien plant spores are replacing humans with robotic duplicates, sparking a desperate fight to eliminate the threat before, it’s too late.

Director: Philip Kaufman

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy

Locations: 1227 Montgomery Street, Telegraph Hill (Matthew’s home), 101 Grove Street, Civic Center (Matthew’s office), Napier Lane, Filbert Street Steps, North Beach, Mud Baths at 5499 California Street at 17th Avenue, Outer Richmond,  Chinese laundry in Chinatown, Alamo Square, Bimbo’s 365 Club, City Hall, Steiner and Grove.

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