This short list of films set in or about San Francisco capture some of its best views and document how the city has changed.
1. Bullitt
This 60s thriller, starring Steve McQueen, features one of the great car chases in cinematic history, through the streets of San Francisco.
2. Dark Passage
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in a wild tale of a San Quentin prison escapee who has his face surgically so he can find his wife's murderer. Bacall's apartment can be found on Telegraph Hill.3. Dirty Harry
Clint Eastwood's first outing as Harry Callahan, a determined cop hunting down the psychotic Scorpio is set in San Francisco.4. The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman may be driving the wrong way on the Bay Bridge as he speeds toward Berkeley to prevent a wedding in this coming-of-age comedy, but it features some nice San Francisco scenes nevertheless.5. Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan's novel about generational and cultural conflicts between a small group of traditional Chinese immigrant women and their more liberated Chinese-American daughters is set in Tan's home town of San Francisco.6. Mrs. Doubtfire
San Francisco resident Robin Williams stars in the story of an out-of-work actor who, to see his children, dresses up as a 60-year-old British woman and gets a job as his ex-wife's nanny. Set in San Francisco with some fine views of the city's Victorian houses.7. Tales of the City
Armistead Maupin's stories present an interesting look at life in San Francisco in the early 70's from the viewpoint of an eccentric, apartment-building owner.8. Vertigo
In this Alfred Hitchcock classic, a detective tails a cool, glamorous woman around the equally glamorous San Francisco of the 1950s.