Move Over Hollywood, Here Comes Brooklyn

June 12, 2011 Shari

brooklyn bridge french connection — Gene Hackman co-starred with the Brooklyn Bridge in the French Connection

There are lots of films and TV shows, more than most people probably realize, are or have been filmed on location in Brooklyn. Now there is a tour company which will enlighten the public about the popularity of Brooklyn locations on the silver screen as well as on the small screen.

On Tour in Brooklyn

Find out more about Brooklyn and film by taking a guided tour with “On Location Tours’ ‘Brooklyn TV and Movie Sites Tour’” which began taking clients around town last week.

This tour will take you to some of the most recognizable of Brooklyn’s on screen scenes, such as locations from films as “The Departed” “Eat, Pray, Love” and ‘Boardwalk Empire.”

Not surprisingly, the first stop on the tour is the Brooklyn Bridge. According to the tour guide Amadeo Fusca, there have been more than a dozen films made using this location. The classic Academy Award winning film “The French Connection” was filmed at this spot.

“They shot a whole traffic jam scene on the bridge and they didn’t even get permission from the city,” Fusca said.
In the film “I Am Legend” there is a flashback scene which was also filmed on the famous bridge.

“For six consecutive nights, they filmed on the bridge. The shot’s only about two minutes in the movie, if that,” Fusca explained. “They spent over $5 million just trying to get this shot.”

Brooklyn Passes for Paris

Aside from the Brooklyn Bridge, which is an iconic symbol of New York, most of the other sites are less well known locations. Often these relatively anonymous Brooklyn spots pass for exotic places in faraway lands. Restaurant strips or rows of brownstones have stood in for places like Georgetown in Washington, DC or the Upper East Side, while CafÃ© Moutard in Park Slope fooled audience into believing that the actors Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep were relaxing at a fine restaurant in Paris in “Julie and Julia.”

“They almost try to trick you. It saves money, it saves time, and it’s convenient,” Fusca said. “It’s . . . a little bit quieter too, and they can get away with it.”