Sign-In
Cart
Cinematic Immunity: An Oral History of New York Filmmaking as Told by the Crews That Got the Shot
Paperback
TelevisionFilm & Video ArtFilm Guides & Reference
Publisher Price: $39.95
ISBN13: 9781627311717
Publisher: Feral House
Published: Apr 7 2026
Pages: 488
Weight: 1.76
Height: 1.20 Width: 6.90 Depth: 9.90
Language: English
The unbelievable insider stories of how they 'got the shot'!
Cinematic Immunity tells the story of New York City's movie industry from the crew members who created the sets, lit the scenes, and shot the film. Focused on the golden age (1950-1990) of New York filmmaking, Cinematic Immunity covers On the Waterfront through The Sopranos.
The East Coast film industry, thousands of miles from the Los Angeles executives, existed by its own rules and with little oversight. It was a close-knit and freewheeling community of movie technicians that took on the most outrageous challenges to get every shot perfect. Behind-the-scenes documentaries and books feature above the line talent--actors, producers, directors, and writers. For the first time, readers will hear the unvarnished truth of the New York movie industry--tales about union politics, labor strikes, movie families, dangerous locations, difficult shots, volatile directors, anecdotes about actors, pranks, friendships, rivalries, generational shifts, substance use and abuse, technical feats, and more.
Readers will hear never heard before stories about classic (and not so classic) films and television shows including: Midnight Cowboy, The Warriors, The French Connection, The Exorcist, The Godfather, The Wiz, The Taking of Pelham 123, Annie Hall, Cruising, Do The Right Thing, When Harry Met Sally, Home Alone 2, The Sopranos, and Law and Order.
Expect to discover secrets about how your favorite scenes were shot and the outrageous characters with outsized talents whose personalities sometimes dwarfed actors and directors. Tales of their exploits, what they saw (and did) on these sets was previously only passed among themselves as showbiz lore but now, readers learn of Marlon Brando's pranks on the set of The Godfather, how crews kept William Friedkin from killing them, the actors, and himself, and how consummate New Yorker Sidney Lumet was the angel to Friedkin's demons.
Author Michael Lee Nirenberg has worked as a scenic artist in New York since 2006, and in many cases, alongside many of the people featured in the book. This book is a labor of love comprised of over 150 interviews and hundreds of hours of recordings. Cinematic Immunity includes hundreds of behind-the-scenes images from studio archives and from the technicians who were there.
the scenes tales from the legendary films made in dirty old New York... but told
from an entirely new perspective. Not the usual stars, directors and
publicists but from the people who did all the work and can actually tell the
truth - the below the line crews who know where all the bodies are
buried! Fascinating, funny and impossible to put down. -- Larry
Karaszewski, Academy Award winning screenwriter, Ed Wood, Dolemite,
Big Eyes.
Michael Nirenberg's writing about film is as funny, incisive, gritty, and thrilling as the films whose lore he is diving into. He knows where to get the real scoop, the stories too good to be true, and gives them to us with all the wit, wisdom, and insanity we could hope for. Lena Dunham
Cinematic Immunity addresses filmmaking and all the
resulting lore borne out of it in a book that flips our perception of who
cinema's true insiders actually are. Excavating a secret history of the last
50 years in movies via interviews with the crews that made them, Nirenberg
presents a book that is riotously fun, full of gossip, and worthy of any
world-class cinema studies program. Alissa Bennett, Writer and Director of the Gladstone
Gallery
They tell some great stories. The appearance of
light-weight Arriflex cameras having made location shooting
possible, these NY crews were thrown into diabolically dirty and dangerous
and polluted locations where no film was ever shot before... A film could
not be shot that way today. It shouldn't. And yet Pelham 123 remains a
very good film. -- Alex Cox, director, Repo Man, Dead Souls, Walker, and
actor, An Unknown Enemy.
In amassing these superb, often eye-popping accounts of the
Golden Age of New York film, Michael Nirenberg has dug deep under the skin of a
scene that was as gritty, inventive and character-filled as the city itself.
Cinematic Immunity contains some rollicking stories - camera crews on the
tracks dodging subway trains, Albert Finney betting on camel racing, a wild car
ride with James Gandolfini - but the shared thread is a burning passion for the
craft of filmmaking, even if the realities of this work were rarely as
glamorous as the end product seen on screen. -- Oliver Milman, Staff writer, The
Guardian This book is a dream! Nirenberg gives us the real, juicy,
behind-the-scenes lore from all the best movies that New York City gave birth
to in the second half of the twentieth century, straight from the mouths
of the people who actually made them happen. Fantastic. -- Naomi Fry, Staff writer, The New Yorker
Michael Nirenberg dresses like a drug dealer - trenchcoat,
sunglasses indoors - and his Cinematic Immunity is pure, uncut dope for
cinephiles, full of real drugs and fake blood. It's equally entertaining
documenting established classics (The Exorcist, Do The Right Thing)
and forgotten curios (Izzy & Moe). Reading it made me want to make a
movie, score some drugs, and buy a time machine. -- Matthew Danger Lippman,
musician and actor.
Michael Lee Nirenberg makes art from the everyday. Expanding
his decades of years and deep well of connections, he's assembled the definitive
history of New York films and those who make them, w
Also from
Nirenberg, Michael Lee
Earth A.D. the Poisoning of the American Landscape and the Communities That Fought Back
Nirenberg, Michael Lee
Paperback
Also in
Film Guides & Reference
Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World
Turner Classic Movies
de Forest, Sloan
Paperback
Screenwriter's Bible, 7th Edition: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script
Trottier, David
Paperback
But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition: 40 Love Stories That Inspired Our Favorite Films
Lopez, Kristen
Hardcover
The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki: The Influences and Inspiration Behind the Iconic Films
Rapold, Nicolas
Hardcover
The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy Coloring Book: Coloring Book
Warner Brothers Studio
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paperback
Family Movie Night Menus: Recipes & Films for Unforgettable Times Together
Maltin, Leonard
Maltin, Jessie
Hardcover
Frankenstein: The Complete Screenplay: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro
del Toro, Guillermo
Hardcover
Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood's Untamed Era, 1930-1934
Reid, Danny
Luperi, Kim
Paperback
Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Crouse, Megan
Richau, Amy
Brooks, Dan
Hardcover
Rewinding the '80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War
Malahy, John
Paperback
There and Back Again: The Unofficial Oral History of the Lord of the Rings Films
Moore, Sam
Hardcover
Wes Anderson All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
Narbonne, Christophe
Hardcover
Directing Actors - 25th Anniversary Edition: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
Weston, Judith
Paperback
Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli
Leader, Michael
Cunningham, Jake
Hardcover
Reality TV for Snobs: Everything You Need to Know about the Shows You're Too Intellectual to Watch
Barthwell, Ali
Paperback
Star Wars the Blueprints: Designs and Artwork from the Skywalker Saga
Rinzler, J. W.
Hidalgo, Pablo
Hardcover
Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know about the Films You're Too Scared to Watch
Hughes, Emily C.
Paperback
Interstellar: The Complete Screenplay with Selected Storyboards
Nolan, Christopher
Nolan, Jonathan
Paperback
Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen
Katz, Steve D.
Paperback
The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition
Ascher, Steven
Paperback
Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Library Edition)
Katz, Steve D.
Paperback
The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook: The Inside Story of the Beloved Movie Musical
Bronson, Fred
Cartwright, Angela
Hardcover
Marvel Studios the Marvel Cinematic Universe an Official Timeline
Ratcliffe, Amy
Theodore-Vachon, Rebecca
Breznican, Anthony
Hardcover
The Making of Wicked: The Amazafying Behind-The-Scenes Magic of the Films Wicked & Wicked: For Good
Bennett, Tara
Hardcover
Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie L.A.
Alleman, Richard
Paperback
A Chronology of Film: A Cultural Timeline from the Magic Lantern to the Digital Screen
Smith, Ian Haydn
Paperback
The Fans' Love Story Encore: How the Movie Dirty Dancing Captured the Hearts of Millions!
Tabashnik, Sue
Paperback
Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker the Visual Dictionary: With Exclusive Cross-Sections
Hidalgo, Pablo
Hardcover
Alfred Hitchcock All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
Esposito, Gilles
Joudet, Murielle
Benoliel, Bernard
Hardcover
The 'Reel' Hollywood: The San Fernando Valley - A Century of Filmmaking and Filmmakers
Cooper, Martin M.
Paperback
From Tailors with Love (hardback): An Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films
Spaiser, Matt
Brooker, Peter
Hardcover
The Companion Guide to the Godfather Trilogy: Betrayal, Loyalty, and Family
Spence, Karen M.
Hardcover
Filmlandia!: A Movie Lover's Guide to the Films and Television of Seattle, Portland, and the Great Northwest
Schmader, David
Paperback
The Age of Disclosure: Inside The True Story Of UFO Secrecy, Cover-Ups, And The Quest for Answers
Brady, Andrew
Paperback
Producer to Producer 2nd Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide to Low-Budget Independent Film Producing
Ryan, Maureen
Paperback
Steven Spielberg All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
Bousquet, Olivier
Devillard, Arnaud
Schaller, Nicolas
Hardcover
The Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide: The Essential Guide to Japanese Animated Cinema
Cunningham, Jake
Leader, Michael
Hardcover
All the Right Movies: The Stories and Secrets Behind the Making of 25 Iconic Films
Barker, John
Hardcover
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era, Previously Published as Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide
Maltin, Leonard
Paperback
But Have You Read the Book?: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films
Lopez, Kristen
Hardcover
Producer to Producer -3rd Edition: A Step- By- Step Guide to Low Budget Independent Film Producing
Ryan, Maureen A.
Paperback
Ghiblipedia: A Bite-Sized Guide to the Creatures, Characters and Creators of Studio Ghibli
Cunningham, Jake
Leader, Michael
Hardcover
Bringing Song and Dance to the Screen: Directors of Golden Age Hollywood Musicals
Hischak, Thomas
Hardcover
Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters: Fully Revised & Updated
Skipper, Graham
Ltd, Toho Co
Hardcover
98.6 Mortality Movies to See Before You Die: Remarkable Films and TV Shows to Discuss Death and Plan Ahead
Rubin, Gail
Paperback
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg's Classic Film
Morton, Ray
Paperback
The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark
Elder, Robert K.
Paperback
Complete Guide to Film Scoring - 3rd Edition: The Art and Business of Writing Music for Movies and TV
Davis, Richard
Alison Plante
Paperback
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film: A Concise History, with a Selective Guide to DVDs and Videos
Richie, Donald
Paperback
Soviet Propaganda on American Screens: An Amkino Pictures Filmography, 1926-1940
Pitts, Michael R.
Paperback
The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them
True West Magazine
Parke, Henry C.
Paperback
Reading the Silver Screen: A Film Lover's Guide to Decoding the Art Form That Moves
Foster, Thomas C.
Paperback
The Screen Chills Companion, 1940-1946: Films of the Golden Age of Hollywood Horror
Fellner, Chris
Paperback
Flying on Film: A Century of Aviation in the Movies, 1912 - 2012 (Second Edition)
Carlson, Mark
Paperback
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Making of the Classic Film
Tenuto, John
Tenuto, Maria Jose
Hardcover