Put off your work and check out our beautiful campus on film! (It’s mostly Low steps).

  1. The Post

This film follows the true story of Washington Post journalists and their publication of the Pentagon Papers. Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Post stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. One protest scene was filmed in front of Low Library. 

2. Altered States

This 1980 science fiction movie, which includes the film debut of Drew Barrymore, follows a Columbia University psychopathologist’s research on sensory deprivation. As an Econ major, I really hope this isn’t what goes on in the labs here.

3. Marathon Man

Starring Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier, this thriller movie from 1976 features “Babe” Levy, a Columbia PhD student and distance runner, who becomes unwillingly involved in a scheme to recover stolen diamonds.

4. Anger Management

A comedy with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, this 2003 movie features Lerner’s famous ramps. In the film, Sandler plays a businessman sent to a therapist (Nicholson) with weird treatment methods. 

5. The Detective

This 1968 crime movie stars Frank Sinatra, a police detective struggling with a murder case and marital issues with his ex-wife, a Columbia professor. 

6. The Mirror Has Two Faces

The Mirror Has Two Faces is a Columbia romantic comedy, following the story of two middle-aged professors who fall in love. The 1996 movie stars Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges, and features scenes along College Walk. 

7. The Nanny Diaries

Following the story of a nanny on the Upper East Side, this 2007 movie depicts the struggles of a recent college graduate. Eventually, she decides to pursue a graduate program in anthropology at Columbia. The cast is filled with stars, including Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and Paul Giamatti.

8. Hitch

This 2005 romcom starring Will Smith tells the story of a dating coach who succeeds in setting up everyone but himself. Flashbacks in the movie show a college-age Smith on Low Steps.

Header via Bwarchives

Altered States via IMDb

Marathon Man via IMDb

The Detective via Picryl

Hitch via Wikimedia Commons