©Steve Schapiro "Brando with the cat"
A selection of Steve Schapiro’s pictures taken behind the scenes during filming of “The Godfather” and “Taxi Driver” will be on display at the A. Gallery in Paris until May 14, 2011.
In 1971, when Francis Ford Coppola began working on “The Godfather”, Steve Schapiro was a young photographer, 37 years old, known for his work published in Life, Look, Newsweek, and on movie sets. It is for this reason that Paramount offered him exclusive coverage of the making of “The Godfather”. This unique status provided him access to an exceptional “cast”, capturing the private moments with Brando that would become the film’s iconic images. His reputation would certainly contribute, four years later, to his being named official set photographer for Martin Scorcese’s new movie, “Taxi Driver”. There too, Steve Schapiro’s pictures would become icons. Robert de Niro (Travis Bickle) pointing his gun in front of a mirror, or Jodie Foster (Iris) waiting in front of a hotel entrance.
©Steve Schapiro "The Whisper"
These 35 enlargements (40 × 50cm or 75 × 100cm) are the renowned pictures hanging on the walls of the A. Gallery. Slide show here.
Pictures from the sets of “Midnight Cowboy” and “Chinatown” will also be on display at the A. Gallery. Several recent and to be published books are also featuring his photographs. “Schapiro’s Heros”, 2007, Powerhouse Books, and “The Godfather Family Album”, a collection of set pictures from the “Godfather” saga, published by Taschen. “Taxi Driver” also published by Taschen and “Chinatown” soon to be released by the same editor.
Bernard Perrine
Correspondant for The Institut of France
Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr
Steve Schapiro “You talkin’ to me ?”
Until May 14
A. galerie
Rue Léonce Reynaud, 12
75116 Paris
Links
http://www.a-galerie.fr/exhibitions.php
Related: Steve Schapiro: American Edge and review in ARTnews
