Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Movie Moments: #104

 

The Public Eye (1992)

Comment:
Based loosely on the life of New York Daily News photographer Arthur “Weegee” Fellig (ands indeed using a number of Weegee’s photographs in the film), the Public Eye is an under appreciated movie featuring Joe Pesci.  It’s a sad fact that happy news does not sell papers.  Hence the tagline for the film:  “Murder. Scandal. Crime. No matter what he was shooting, "The Great Bernzini" never took sides he only took pictures... Except once.”  A great 1940’s moody, period piece with some thought provoking moments.  Think Sam Spade as a shutterbug rather than a private eye.

Synopsis:
Leon “Bernzy” Bernstein is a freelance news photographer in 1942 New York, so good at his job that he is dubbed the Great Bernzini.  He even has a portable dark room in the boot of his car to be able to beat his competitors.  Asked to assist by a beautiful woman, he breaks his own rule of remaining distant. 

Quote:
Bernzy:  Everybody loves to have their picture took. Everybody.

Link:
Trailer:

Trivia:
Director and writer Howard Franklin was unable to secure the rights to Arthur "Weegee" Fellig's story. Franklin then wrote the story of a Weegee-like photographer who smokes cigars and he named him Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein. In the film, like Weegee, cops wonder if Bernzy uses a ouija board to snap his photographs and find the stories.


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