Fifty-four feature films which have been made in Philadelphia since Sylvester Stallone brought the streets of South Philadelphia, the Italian Market and the Delaware River waterfront to the big screen in his 1975 film Rocky. Some of the best have been made since 1990. We have selected our favorites which showcase the city and surrounding area.
1. The Sixth Sense - 1999
M. Night Shyamalan's award winning film about a boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead and seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.
2. Philadelphia - 1993
Academy Award winning film about a lawyer with AIDS wrongly fired by his firm who hires a small time lawyer to press his suit for wrongful dismissal.3. The Age of Innocence - 1993
Love story of a man who falls in love with his fiancée's cousin in the restrictive high society of late 19th century New York.4. Signs - 2002
While addressing crises of faith in the framework of an alien-invasion thriller, M. Night Shyamalan favors atmospheric tension over explanatory plotting and special effects.5. Unbreakable
M. Night Shyamalan's thriller with supernatural overtones about a man who learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident.6. 12 Monkeys - 1995
A convict, sent back in time to stop a devastating plague, is sent too far back and is hospitalized as insane.7. National Treasure - 2004
For Nicolas Cage code-breaking involves stealing the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives in Washington, DC and sleuthing in the bell tower atop Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Thrilling and entertaining, the movie is a history lesson as well, deriving clues from the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin’s Silence Dogood letters and the Masons and Templar Knights.8. Beloved - 1998
Based on the book by Toni Morrison, in which a slave is visited by the spirit of her deceased daughter.9. The Village - 2004
M. Night Shyamalan's latest film is somewhat predictable as to the outcome, but features fine performances by all of the major players.