Harry here. Here’s a set report on BRINGING OUT THE DEAD. I can add a bit more to this report. You see the screenplay that Scorsese is working from was written by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Last Temptation of Christ). Well, Paul’s been down here in Austin at the Heart of Texas Writer’s Conference, and I saw a few panels with him in attendance. He told this one story about how Scorsese had put in all these religious overtones and subtext. He looked at Martin and told him, to think about that for a bit, wasn’t he still in enough trouble from his last temptation on that side of things. Well when Schrader began writing he wiped away all the religious stuff, and focused on the story at hand. Also he apparently had to play good cop/ bad cop with Scorsese, because Cage was being a bit difficult at one stage of rehearsals. But everything was ironed out. Well now... onto the report...
October 2nd
I was walking back to my car from Swing-46 (a swing music bar/lounge) in NYC tonight, and when I got back there was a film crew on the corner of 46th and 9th avenue. They were filming Martin Scorcese's new film Bringing Out The Dead starring Nick Cage, Tom Sizemoore and John Goodman. John and Nick play ambulance drivers. This scene was where theys saw some hookers while they were driving on the corner, and Nick's character constantly has flashbacks of people who died after he tried to save them. All the hookers looked like one girl that Died. They turned the corner to look like a slum where there were deserted cars, flaming barrels, etc...
The entire film is being shot in the Hell's Kithcen district of NYC.
October 3rd
After another trip to Swing-46, they were finishing shooting for this sequence tonight. I met someone who has an independant film show on local access in NY, and he got some great footage. Hopefully I will be able to provide some pictures for you. It was the same scene again, John Goodman and Nick Cage driving in the ambulance by the Hookers on the corner. Mark Anthony is also in the cast.
As the shooting was winding down, the man himself (Martin Scorcese) was walking past me, and I could not resist saying "The man himself". He responded with a very friendly hello, a nod, a smile, and a wave. He is the man!!
--netweasel
