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![]() San Francisco's 41st Mayor, Willie L. Brown Jr. |
The property at
2601 Lyon Street at Green, with its distinctive entry, plays the exterior
of Grove High School in the 2001 comedy The Princess
Diaries. In this movie for young girls, Julie Andrews is Queen Clarisse
Renaldi of Genovea, who comes to San Francisco to teach her granddaughter
the fine art of being a princess. Because the girl, Mia, played by Anne
Hathaway, is socially awkward and invisible to her classmates, the obvious
humor revolves around Mia's attempts to cope with her newly discovered royal
status and the expectations of her grandmother. This film was criticized
by some who said it reinforces stereotypes about the importance of being
pretty and popular. While The Princess Diaries will never play at feminist
film festivals, it should be noted that Mia is just as clumsy and insecure
after her makeover as she is before it, and all the "beautiful" young people
in the movie are mean and unhappy. At the climax of Mia's ascension, she's
rain soaked and is rambling in her speech, but reborn with confidence in
herself because of her father's love. Mia and her mom live in the former
Chemical Engine Company 43, a two-story
Mission Revivial style firehouse in the the Excelsior. The retired firehouse
was sold at auction in 1976. The private residence still retains a large
hose drying tower in back. Many other City locations are found including
Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, and
Seal Rocks. Mayor Willie Brown appears
as himself in a gala scene in the film's last act. A reporter asks the mayor
if it looks like rain. Perhaps eluding to his Teflon political career, the
mayor answers, "It never comes down on Willie Brown." Directed
by Garry Marshall from the Meg Cabot novel, The Princess Diaries includes
an appearance by Laughing Sal,
our famous mechanical clown and a remnant of Playland at the Beach. Watch
for Sandra Oh as Vice Principal Gupta. San Franciscans will recognize Oh
from her role as Bambi Kanetaka, Armistead
Maupin's version of local TV reporter Wendy Tokuda, in Further Tales
of the City.
More
about The Princess Diaries
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Copyright 2001 Hank Donat |