New Orleans movies for Mardi Gras: Girls Trip, The Princess and the Frog, and more

01 of 11

Laissez les bons temps rouler

New-Orleans-Films — Everett Collection; Disney; Michele K. Short/Universal

New Orleans has taken center stage on the page, in novels like Percy Walker’s The Moviegoer and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, and on TV, with series like HBO’s Treme and Louisiana-set installments of NCIS and American Horror Story — but that doesn’t mean that the big screen hasn’t had its own moments in the Crescent City. Let the good times roll this Mardi Gras with these 12 titles.

02 of 11

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, 1951 — Everett Collection

Of the many adaptations of Tennessee Williams’ many moody Southern dramas, the greatest has to be Elia Kazan’s legendary film based on William’s Pulitzer-winning play. Vivien Leigh stars as Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern belle who reaches a breaking point when she comes into contact with her violent brother-in-law Stanley, played by a breathtaking Marlon Brando, in New Orleans.

03 of 11

Girls Trip (2017)

Film Title: Girls Trip — Michele K. Short/Universal

Your best friend’s bachelorette has nothing on this girls’ trip. Malcolm D. Lee’s raunchy summer smash follows four former BFFs who reunite for a wild weekend at Nola’s Essence Fest, where they sample the down and dirty delights of the city. The film presented a major breakout for Tiffany Haddish, as the wildest quarter of the “Flossy Posse,” and ensured that nobody who ever saw it will ever look at a grapefruit the same way again.

04 of 11

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Disney presented its long overdue first black princess with this interpretation of The Frog Prince, set in New Orleans in the ‘20s. Randy Newman composed the jazz, zydeco, gospel, and R&B-infused soundtrack (which includes the legendary Dr. John on the introductory track “Down in New Orleans”) for the fairy tale, about a gumbo- and beignet-making waitress who becomes a frog (and then a princess!) via voodoo magic.

05 of 11

The Big Easy (1987)

BIG EASY, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, 1987 — Everett Collection

Jim McBride’s comedic neo-noir stars Dennis Quaid as a Cajun policeman and Ellen Barkin as a state DA whose paths cross when they investigate a murder. The comedy-thriller is so steeped in the culture of its setting, featuring a Nola-centric soundtrack and various iconic locations, that you can practically feel the Louisiana humidity — unless that’s just steam coming off the sizzling central romance.

06 of 11

Jezebel (1938)

JEZEBEL, Bette Davis, 1938 — Everett Collection

Bette Davis won Best Actress at the Oscars for starring in William Wyler’s romantic drama, about a headstrong Southern belle in post-Civil War New Orleans who destroys her own life by wearing a daring red dress instead of a demure white one. It’s true! The dress code is no joke around there!

07 of 11

New Orleans (1947)

NEW ORLEANS, from left, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, 1947 — Everett Collection

Though not considered a great classic, Arthur Lubin’s musical romance, blossoming against the backdrop of the New Orleans blues scene, features Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong (as characters who get together) in its cast, which also includes a whole roster of jazz greats. With that kind of pedigree, who cares that the film itself isn’t a masterpiece?

08 of 11

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt, 1994, (c)Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collect — Everett Collection

Neil Jordan’s irresistible adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic classic stars Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and an 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst as vampires who have spent centuries of their immortality in New Orleans, doomed to an eternity of being gorgeous, bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Pitt’s Louis de Pointe du Lac broods about it a whole lot, but there are definitely worse fates, right?

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, Brad Pitt, 2008. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection — Everett Collection

The old, magical city sets the stage for David Fincher’s fantastical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s very curious short story, about a man (Brad Pitt) who is born very old and ages backwards. As New Orleans — and the love of Benjamin’s life, Daisy (Cate Blanchett) — ages and evolves, our hero becomes younger and younger.

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The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

THE CINCINNATI KID, Steve McQueen, Jack Weston, Karl Malden, Edward G. Robinson, 1965. — Everett Collection

The stakes are high in Norman Jewison’s drama, which stars Steve McQueen as “The Kid” of the film’s title, a talented poker player in Depression-era New Orleans who seeks to take on “The Man,” a reigning champion of the game played by Edward G. Robinson.

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King Creole (1958)

KING CREOLE, from left: Walter Matthau, Elvis Presley, 1958 — Everett Collection

Early in his film career, Elvis Presley took on the Crescent City as the star of Michael Curtiz’s musical drama (for which the iconic performer had his military service deferred for 60 days) about a teenage singer in New Orleans who falls in with the wrong crowd. The King’s fourth feature film is one of the few to have a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.