When you tell someone you are from New York, especially if they are not from this country they look at you with this bright and expectant face, as if you will breath flecks of gold onto their faces. All they know of New York is what they see in movies and on television. They know that here people can make it big. The image they have in their mind is of the wealthy New York, the one that sticks out to them and gives them hope that those riches are actually possible to attain. You standing before them, have walked the “streets paved with gold” and have witnessed or even been a part of those riches, at least that is what they believe.
Most of the movies that have made New York famous portray it as the center of everything. Here is where you come if you want to make a name for yourself, from CEOs to theater produers to anything you can imagine. This has begun from early cinematography showcasing the luxuries of New York. In Breakfast at Tiffany’s from the very first scene we see Audrey Hepburn’s character in front of Tiffany’s, whose light blue box and cream-colored ribbon have become iconic of the brand. She is dressed every so elegantly, with a black dress and pearls draped around her nape, as she examines the store window. This scene and the rest of the movie are some of the many that set the stage for what New York’s classic image would become.
Personally, the image that represents the wealth that New York stands for primarily is portrayed by Wall Street. Gordon Gekko’s life is the epitome of the Uptown New Yorker. The one image that stands out to me the most, is the first time Bud comes to see Gekko and we are shown Gekko’s office. His office is what wealthy New York is all about. The camera gives us the span of his office as we see the wooden finishings, the tall paintings, his desk full of computers, and ultimately Gekko doing business on the phone while standing in front of a panoramic view of the city. Then, we are shown Bud taking in all of his surroundings with awe, reflecting our own responses to this image. Gekko’s office is bigger than most apartments. It would make us feel good to know that this was an exaggeration, but it actually exists for some people, even if it is a small percent. An image like the one presented at Breakfast at Tiffany’s may be more iconic, but the images throughout all of Wall Street, and specifically Gordon Gekko’s life style, are the best portrayals. It is the closest to demonstrating the greed that lays behind a lot of what has allowed New York’s elite to be where they are today.
