Leica Sighting | Chinatown

Posted: February 1st, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Cinema, Leica, Los Angeles, Quotes

Jack Nicholson using a Leica III/A and VIDOM finder in Chinatown.

Jack Nicholson using a Leica III/A and VIDOM finder in Roman Polanski's Chinatown 1974

Jack Nicholson using a Leica III/A and VIDOM finder in Roman Polanski's Chinatown 1974

Each time I see any of my movies, there are plenty of things that I would like to change. It doesn’t mean that the movie would be any better. For example, when Gittes is photographing on the roof, the couple downstairs, and I wanted to see the reflection of it in the lens of his Leica. I was hesitating a lot and discussing it, which way to put it, put it upside down or the way it is, in the lens normally it should reflect upside down. And I thought for the audience’s sake, we won’t put it upside down. Today, I would definitely put it upside down.

-Roman Polanski

Jack Nicholson using a Leica III/A and VIDOM finder in Roman Polanski's Chinatown 1974

Jack Nicholson using a Leica III/A and VIDOM finder in Roman Polanski's Chinatown 1974


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2 Comments on “Leica Sighting | Chinatown

  1. 1 Bill Whitbeck said at 2:10 am on June 3rd, 2011:

    Nice image. Too bad Nicholson wasn’t shown the proper technique for focusing a split image rangefinder camera. Keep the focusing hand down and focus from below, so as to stay out of the line of the rangefinder!

  2. 2 doug said at 10:48 am on June 5th, 2011:

    You’re so right! Did not catch that before.

    Doug


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