The Public Eye (1992)

Director:

Howard Franklin

Writer (WGA):

Howard Franklin (written by)

Release Date:

16 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Murder. Scandal. Crime. No matter what he was shooting, "The Great Bernzini" never took sides, he only took pictures... Except once.

Plot:

Story of a 1940s photographer who specializes in crime and in not getting involved... until this time.

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Mob | News Photographer | Picture | 1940s

Cast

Joe Pesci	...	Leon Bernstein
Richard Riehle	...	Officer O'Brien
Bryan Travis Smith	...	Young Cop
Max Brooks	...	Teen at Thompson Street
Richard Schiff	...	Thompson Street Photographer
Laura Cerón	...	Puerto Rican Woman
Chuck Gillespie	...	Cop at Puerto Rican Tenement
Christian Stolte	...	Ambulance Attendant (as Christian Stolti)
Jack Denbo	...	Photo Editor
Ellen McElduff	...	Lonely Woman at Drugstore
Marge Kotlisky	...	Rineman's Receptionist
Timothy Hendrickson	...	Richard Rineman
Del Close	...	H.R. Rineman
Henry Bolzon	...	Cafe Society Photographer
Jared Harris	...	Danny the Doorman
Kevin Dorsey	...	Singer
Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi	...	Cafe Society Maitre D' (as Gian-Carlo Scanduzzi)
Barbara Hershey	...	Kay Levitz
David Gianopoulos	...	Emilio Portofino
Steve Forleo	...	Hood
Mick McGovern	...	Cop with Hood
Maurice Bravo	...	Photographer #1
Tom Lauricella	...	Photographer #2
George Lugg	...	Photographer #3
Vinny Argiro	...	Sergeant at Police Station
Gerry Becker	...	Inspector Conklin
Tim Gamble	...	Agent Chadwick
David Hull	...	Thatcher White
Kyle Moore	...	Young Agent
Bob Gunton	...	Older Agent
Richard Foronjy	...	Frank Farinelli
Louie Lanciloti	...	Mikey
Stanley Tucci	...	Sal
Jerry Adler	...	Arthur Nabler
Patricia Healy	...	Vera Hickson
Peter Maloney	...	Federal Watchman
Randall Stanton	...	Federal Guard
Jason Wells	...	Garage Attendant
Dominic Chianese	...	Spoleto
Joe Guzaldo	...	Spoleto's Lieutenant
Al Mancini	...	Camera Shop Clerk
Joe Greco	...	Villa Guard / Hitman
Ian Abercrombie	...	Mr. Brown
Nick Tate	...	Henry Haddock Jr.
Jean Zarzour	...	Sal's Wife
Toni Fleming	...	Sal's Mother
John M. Watson Sr.	...	Scullion
Guido DiMarco	...	Mr. D'Angelo
Teresa DiMarco	...	Mrs. D'Angelo
Phil Locker	...	Arresting Cop
Shay Duffin	...	Chief of Police
Jon Farris	...	Albert Gerard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Fisher	...	Tonio (uncredited)
Charles D. Miller	...	Crime Scene Cop (uncredited)
David Pittinger	...	Man on Street (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Franklin

Writing credits (WGA)
Howard Franklin		(written by)

Produced by
Sue Baden-Powell	....	producer
Robert Zemeckis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mark Isham

Cinematography by
Peter Suschitzky

Film Editing by
Evan A. Lottman		(as Evan Lottman)

Casting by
Donna Isaacson
Raquel Osborne

Production Design by
Marcia Hinds		(as Marcia Hinds-Johnson)

Art Direction by
Bo Johnson
Dina Lipton

Set Decoration by
Jan K. Bergstrom		(as Jan Bergstrom)

Costume Design by
Jane Robinson

Makeup Department
Julie Hewett	....	key makeup artist
Marsha Lewis	....	key hair stylist
Beth Miller	....	assistant hair stylist
Angela Moos	....	assistant makeup artist (as Angela Moos)
James Sarzotti	....	hair stylist: Mr. Pesci
James Sarzotti	....	makeup artist: Mr. Pesci
Zoe Thompson	....	additional makeup artist
Linda Schonning	....	crowd hairdresser (uncredited)

Production Management
Sue Baden-Powell	....	unit manager (as S. Baden-Powell)
Laura Greenlee	....	production supervisor
Kiki Morris	....	post-production supervisor (as Katherine Morris)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Jewett	....	first assistant director
Charles Myers	....	first assistant director (as Chuck Myers)
Gregory Kent Simmons	....	second assistant director (as Greg Simmons)
W. Thomas Snyder	....	second assistant director (as Tom Snyder)

Art Department
Mark C. Adams	....	set dresser (as Mark Adams)
Mark Barofsky	....	property master
Kim Barofsky-Thorpe	....	assistant props (as Kim-Gay Barofsky)
Calista Bockenstette	....	painter: federal building murals
Alan Burg	....	property assistant (as F. Alan Burg)
Matthew W. Davis	....	set dresser (as Matt Davis)
Anthony Dawson-Ellis	....	art department coordinator
Scott Fredette	....	art department production assistant
Peter M. Gurski	....	set dresser (as Peter Gurski)
Kelley A. Hankins	....	signwriter
Max Jones	....	swing gang
Michael Kolb	....	stand-by painter (as Mike Kolb)
Keith G. Lewis	....	on-set dresser (as Keith Lewis)
Dina Lipton	....	art director: Chicago
Marlin Lum	....	set dresser
Doug Matthews	....	set dresser
Patrick New	....	carpenter
Rick Paul	....	assistant set decorator
Lars Petersen	....	construction coordinator
Teresa Posnansky	....	assistant set decorator
Jimi Ryan	....	lead man
Bonnie Saltzman	....	assistant art director
Steven Schalk	....	assistant props
Quentin Schierenberg	....	set dresser
William Small	....	set dresser
Mike Thorpe	....	property assistant
David Walker	....	lead man
Jim Wardell	....	greensman
Sarah Young	....	set dresser
Michael J. Zufelt	....	set dresser
Greg Bartkus	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Katherine Bulovic	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Peter Flynn	....	propmaker (uncredited)
David Pirinelli	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Jud Pratt	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Richard Robles	....	art swing (uncredited)
Steven C. Voll	....	general foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Stu Bernstein	....	supervising sound editor
James Bolt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sean Callery	....	assistant sound editor
Margaret Carlton	....	assistant sound editor
Glenn Commans	....	cable person
Lawrence L. Commans	....	boom operator
Andy D'Addario	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Dressel	....	foley editor
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound editor
Kimberly Harris	....	adr editor
Bobby Mackston	....	dialogue editor
Steve Mann	....	sound effects editor
James Matheny	....	dialogue editor
John Murray	....	foley editor
Albert Romero	....	sound recordist
Jeanine Schaack	....	assistant sound editor
Roy Seeger	....	assistant adr editor
Roy Seeger	....	assistant sound editor
Stephan von Hase	....	sound mixer (as Stephan Von Hase-Mihalik)
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Martin Bresin	....	special effects coordinator
Don Hastings	....	special effects crew
Scott Sand	....	special effects crew
Michael Schorr	....	special effects crew

Visual Effects by
Terry Chostner	....	visual effects cameraman
John Ellis	....	optical supervisor
Pat Fitzsimmons	....	visual effects gaffer
Michael Gleason	....	visual effects editor (as Mike Gleason)
Harley Jessup	....	visual effects art director
Ed Jones	....	visual effects supervisor (as Ed L. Jones)
Roni McKinley	....	visual effects producer
David Owen	....	visual effects still photographer
Steve Reding	....	matte camera operator
Mark Sullivan	....	matte painter

Stunts
Dan Bradley	....	stunt coordinator
Peter Bucossi	....	stunts
Hank Calia	....	stunts
Jimmy Casino	....	stunts
Carl Ciarfalio	....	stunts (as Carl Nick Ciarfalio)
George B. Colucci Jr.	....	stunts (as George Colucci)
Mike De Luna	....	stunts (as Michael DeLuna)
Roy Farfel	....	stunt coordinator
George Fisher	....	stunts
Stacy Logan	....	stunts
Stephen Mendillo	....	stunts
J.P. Romano	....	stunts (as Jean-Pierre Romano)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bryan C. Alford	....	electrician (as Bryan Alford)
Alan Burg	....	electrician
James K. Butler	....	electrician
Katherine M. Butler	....	second assistant camera (as Kate Butler)
Peter Clemence	....	best boy grip (as Peter 'Grips Rule' Clemence)
David Doyle	....	grip
Scott Drinon	....	dolly grip
Michael Evans	....	best boy electric
Marco Fargnoli	....	camera loader
Craig Foster	....	grip
Tom Franchett	....	electrician (as Thomas Franchett)
Charley Gilleran	....	grip (as Charley K. Gilleran)
Dan Gillham	....	gaffer
Ben Glass	....	camera technical advisor
Ben Glass	....	still photographer
Wes Houle	....	electrician (as Wesley Houle)
Wes Houle	....	rigging gaffer
Tom Kathman	....	video assistant
Tom Kiousis III	....	electrician (as Thomas J. Kiousis)
Victor Korte	....	key grip
William K. Koski	....	electrician (as Bill Koski)
Stephanie Laing	....	assistant still photographer (as Stephanie Cone)
Marc Lauterwasser	....	video assistant
Sean McLin	....	camera operator
Ezra Migel	....	grip
Terry O'Deen	....	electrician
Sylvia Ostendorf	....	grip
Michael Stone	....	camera operator (as Mike Stone)
Rob Sweeney	....	first assistant camera
Jim 'J.T.' Tucker	....	grip (as James Tucker)
Don Verba	....	grip (as Donald Verba)
Thaddeus Wadleigh	....	grip (as Thad Wadleigh)
Dhamarata Dhiensuwana	....	grip (uncredited)
Bob Gorelick	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
James D. Howes	....	video assist (uncredited)
Dan Kneece	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jane Brody	....	additional casting
Trisha Heim	....	extras casting
Julie Hutchinson	....	casting associate
Mark G. Mathis	....	extras casting
Raquel Osborne	....	extras casting
Julie Matthews	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy Collini	....	costumer
Tangi Crawford	....	costume supervisor
Shari Gray	....	costumer
P. Kay Morris	....	costumer (as Kay Morris)
Marsha Perloff	....	costume supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Mike George	....	color timer (as Michael George)
Lynel Moore	....	assistant editor (as Lynel Moore Cioffi)
Kiki Morris	....	post-production advisor (as Katherine Morris)
Jeffrey J. Osmer	....	apprentice editor
Philip Pucci	....	assistant film editor
Richmond Riedel	....	first assistant editor
Elizabeth Schwartz	....	associate editor
Hannah Shaw	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Thomas A. Carlson	....	music editor
Darrell Hall	....	assistant music editor
Stephen Krause	....	music recordist
Stephen Krause	....	scoring mixer
Ken Kugler	....	conductor
Ken Kugler	....	music arranger
Leslie Morris	....	music contractor
Shorty Rogers	....	music arranger: source music
Scott Stambler	....	additional music editor

Transportation Department
Ted Basso	....	production van driver operator
Calvin Chin	....	transportation co-captain: Chicago
Richard D'Angelo	....	transportation captain: Chicago
Gerald 'Jerry' W. Henry	....	transportation captain (as Gerald W. Henry)
Michael McDuffee	....	transportation coordinator (as Mike McDuffee)
Ted Schambers	....	driver
Steve Surabian	....	transportation co-captain
George Bolton	....	driver (uncredited)
Scott Buzz	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Jo Barnett	....	production accountant
Lisa Barratt	....	assistant production coordinator (as Lisa M. Barratt)
Jessica Berman Bogdan	....	stock footage researcher (as Jessica Berman-Bogdan)
Sandy Bloom	....	first aid
Don Boyd	....	caterer
Deborah Cahn	....	assistant: Mr. Zemeckis
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic
Karen Christman	....	first aid
Molly Donnellon	....	production assistant
Susan Donnellon	....	production assistant
Jan Evans	....	script supervisor
Rossie Grosse-McFadden	....	stock footage researcher
Kevin Halloran	....	location manager
Kelly Harris	....	location manager
Brian M. Kingman	....	insurance (as Brian Kingman)
John Koch	....	caterer
Mitch Kreindel	....	unit publicist
Lisa Ladek	....	production assistant (as Lisa L. Ladek)
Dory Lewis	....	travel service
Nick Manno	....	craft service
Taman McCall	....	location manager
Jim McCarthy	....	production accountant
Peter McManus	....	first assistant production accountant
Ed Morey	....	completion bond
Elizabeth Morin	....	assistant: Mr. Pesci (as Elizabeth 'Betty' Morin)
Katie L. Mussio	....	production assistant
Corinne Needle	....	production assistant
Kris Nielsen	....	assistant production coordinator
Vincent Palmo Jr.	....	key set production assistant (as Vince Palmo)
George Patterson	....	production assistant
Michelle Patterson	....	craft service
Dan Perry	....	production assistant
Rick Porras	....	assistant: Mr. Zemeckis (as Richard 'Spike' Porras)
Rachael Reitman	....	assistant: Mr. Franklin and Ms. Baden-Powell
Albert G. Ruben	....	insurance
Kiki Sandor	....	production assistant
David Sanfield	....	caterer
Mary Seguin	....	production assistant (as Mary J. Seguin)
Robert Stulberg	....	legal service
Jeff Tomhave	....	production assistant
Robert Wayne Vaupel	....	assistant production coordinator (as Rob Vaupel)
Thomas Vranesich	....	production coordinator
Delmar Watson	....	technical advisor
Sharon 'Mae' West	....	script supervisor: additional photography
Denise Blasor	....	adr (uncredited)
Steve Kraus	....	dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Steven Rosen	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Steven Rozic	....	stand-in: Joe Pesci, Chicago (uncredited)

Thanks
David R. Bowen	....	special thanks (as David Bowen)
Richard M. Daley	....	special thanks
Ben Glass	....	acknowledgment: archive footage provided by
Irving Haberman	....	acknowledgment: archive footage provided by
Robert Knopp	....	special thanks
Norm Miller	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1992) (Spain) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (199?) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures do Brasil (199?) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• CIC Video (1994) (Germany) (VHS)
• CIC Video (199?) (France) (VHS)
• CIC Video (199?) (Italy) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS) (Pan and scan for MCA Home Video)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Universal Vault Series)
• Universal/CIC (1994) (Germany) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• Archive Photos  archive photos
• Armstrong & Hirsch  legal services
• Astro Lab Color  dailies processing
• Bettman Archives  archive photos
• Central Post Office of Chicago  special thanks
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Chicago Police Department  special thanks
• Cincinnati Fire Depatment  special thanks
• Cincinnati Museum Center  special thanks
• Cincinnati Police Department  special thanks
• Cinelease  grip and lighting equipment
• Cinema Research  opticals
• City of Chicago  special thanks
• Culver Photos  archive photos
• Daily News, The  archive photos
• Deluxe Motion Picture Catering  catering
• Disc Payroll Services  payroll service
• Du Art Film Laboratories  b&w processing
• FPG Photoworld  archive photos
• Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Film Commission  special thanks
• Illinois Film Office, The  special thanks
• International Film Guarantors  completion bond
• Library of Congress  archive photos
• Schafer and Sons Pianos  special thanks
• Seko Air Freight  special thanks
• Sheraton-Plaza Hotel, Chicago  special thanks
• St John's Social Service, Cincinnati  special thanks
• The Looping Group  voice casting
• Traffic Engineering, City of Cincinnati  special thanks
• Travelbound  travel services
• Union Terminal, Cincinnati  special thanks
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  sound re-recording
• Vernon Manor, The  special thanks

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for violence

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:12 | USA:R (certificate #31925) | France:U | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

It took Howard Franklin 10 years before he could get his screenplay turned into a film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Kay leafs through Bernstein' photo album, there is picture of a New York City taxi with a rectangular roof light which displays not only the word "Taxi" but also whether the taxi is off duty and its medallion number. Those signs did not come into service until the 1960s. In the 1940s, when the movie is set, New York City taxis used a variety of curved roof lights used in most other cities.

Quotes:

Leon (Bernzy) Bernstein:Nobody does what I do. Nobody.

Movie Connections:

References Joy of Living (1938)

Soundtrack:

You Can't Say No to a Soldier

An unappreciated film

I was stunned by this movie when I saw it, because I'd never heard of it before and it was so excellent. Joe Pesci puts in possibly the best performance of his career, far different than many of his other roles (in other words, he doesn't play a little angry, cursing mobster). Another great actor, Barbara Hershey, also puts in a great performance. The film is directed with subtle but powerful artistry. There are actually themes in this movie! Metaphors! Basically, it's just plain great, but of course totally overlooked because it's not your typical overdone Hollywood film. My favorite scenes are these: the part in the middle of the gun battle when Pesci's character gets a gun pointed at his head, but can only respond by lifting up his camera and taking a picture, and the very final scene when Pesci's buddy tries to turn off his police scanner and he says, "You can't turn it off." A great film.