Take a new look at old movies

by Frances

Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, and Jodie Foster are actors who have carved their names in the streets of Hollywood by starring in two of the most celebrated films: Brando in The Godfather and DeNiro and Foster in Taxi Driver. Directors Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorcese captured their performances on film for some of the greatest cinema in history. But on both films, there was another person creating a visual masterpiece.

In 1971, photojournalist Steve Schapiro was asked to be the special photographer for The Godfather. He took snapshots of the actors during both the critical and emotional scenes of the film as well as quiet, in-between moments on set. His photos of Brando being whispered to and holding a cat are the images frequently associated with The Godfather. Schapiro was next asked to be the special photographer for 1976’s Taxi Driver.

Schapiro’s remarkable, unprecedented pictures provide a fresh perspective on two truly classic films, and are now on display at his first solo exhibit here in Chicago. The Catherine Edelman Gallery in River North is showing photographs from both The Godfather and Taxi Driver now until April 30. Check out the Catherine Edelman Gallery at 300 W. Superior St., and for more information, visit the gallery’s website.