4th of July: Top 10 Statue of Liberty Movie Appearances

An American icon, the Statue of Liberty has appeared in countless movies. It provides the classic greeting for passengers making landfall in the United States for the first time, it's been buzzed by spacecraft manned by Abbot and Costello and the Three Stooges, and is always worthy of a shot during a quick montage of American symbols. But there are many movies where it was a pivotal setting, including some I missed that should probably be included. But here is my selection for this list:

Saboteur (1942). Alfred Hitchcock's wartime thriller with Robert Cummings as an aircraft plant worker wrongly accused of being a Nazi who started a deadly fire. The classic ending has him in a fight atop the Statue of Liberty with the villain falling. The effect was achieved by a camera mounted above the actor then zooming straight upward as the actor flailed about. Throw in a background to match and it appears the Nazi is falling to his death. It became a standard movie effect for decades.

Remo Williams, The Adventure Begins (1985). A cop played by Fred ("Tremors") Ward is recruited to become a spy, under the tutelage of Chun, the Korean martial arts master he comes to call "Little Father." His training includes a stint at the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by scaffolding for cleaning. A handful of toughs try to kill him and he amazes them with his incredible skills that not only save him but eliminate them. Highlight: Williams lightly runs across liquid concrete and when the bad guy follows, he sinks out of sight. Glub! Glub!

Planet of the Apes (1968). The all-time classic Statue of Liberty moment from any movie. Unaware of the ape-dominated world's secret, all is revealed to astronaut Charlton Heston when he comes upon Lady Liberty half-buried in the beach sand.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004). Another iconic image as the scientist (Dennis Quaid) and his sidekick, bound for New York on a rescue mission, encounter the statue, dripping ice, and realize they are very near their goal.