Keating Hall: A Hallmark of Fordham in Film
Delve into the history of films accentuated in full-on Rose Hill campus flare
From romantic comedies to sci-fi thrillers, a wide variety of movies have featured Fordham’s campus on the silver screen.
April 27, 2022
Fordham is rife with esteemed spotlights on the big screen. For the last 79 years, Fordham’s Rose Hill campus has been quite the hotspot for appearances in feature Hollywood films.
Here is a condensed list of some prominent movies that have filmed on Fordham’s campus: “Love Story” (1970), “The Exorcist” (1973), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (2010) and “The Adjustment Bureau” (2011).
To capture the quintessential East Coast collegiate feel, filmmakers used the Rose Hill campus in the movie “Love Story.” Starring Ryan O’Neal (Oliver) and Ali MacGraw (Jenny), the film tells the story of two Harvard and Radcliffe Institute students falling in love despite the odds. Multiple scenes of background campus shots are interspersed throughout the film and showcase the gothic architecture of Keating Hall, the main building on campus.
No doubt has Hollywood left its mark on the attractive and scholarly grounds of Rose Hill.
Keating Hall was also used as a backdrop in the horror film classic “The Exorcist,” a movie following a young girl who must undergo an exorcism to drive out an evil spirit who has possessed her.
The basements of Keating and Hughes Halls make for an appropriately creepy setting for the suspenseful film. The interior of both have since been renovated.
The basement of Keating Hall was used once again in the Academy Award-winning film “A Beautiful Mind.”
The movie is based on a true story and stars Russell Crowe as John Nash, a mathematical genius diagnosed with schizophrenia. Scenes from the film set in the Pentagon office were actually shot in the pre-renovated Keating.
Keating Hall’s ubiquity as the front line of Fordham in film surfaced for a single scene in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” This sequel of the hit “Wall Street” focuses on the prison release of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) as he aims to repair his broken relationship with his daughter. Gekko is seen in the first-floor auditorium of Keating Hall lecturing students for a single scene in the film.
The facade of Keating Hall is on full display in “The Adjustment Bureau.” The film features Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) who falls in love with ballerina Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) and follows their tumultuous trek to defy the mysterious forces trying to keep them apart. The scene filmed at Fordham zooms in on David giving a speech on the steps of Keating Hall, overlooking Edward’s Parade. He is even seen sporting a Fordham baseball cap.
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No doubt has Hollywood left its mark on the attractive and scholarly grounds of Rose Hill. The campus has authenticated itself as a go-to prime real estate location in filming for the silver screen. From its medieval-like construction to its key location, filmmakers have repeatedly turned to Fordham as the university to capture the collegiate experience.
Phil Moynihan • Jun 17, 2023 at 1:02 pm
In the film, The Verdict, the library scene between Jack Warden and Paul Newman was filmed in Duane Library. It was filmed while I was living on campus.